TapTheForwardAssist 0 Posted May 11 (edited) I saw a questioner on another forum asking about electric dulcimers, and I was kinda surprised that on Etsy I could find makers of electric strumsticks and the like, but I couldn't find many electric lap-dulcimers, and the few that were, were quite pricey. Are there any makers making relatively affordable solid-body dulcimers currently? Not to underrate luthiery skill or anything, but it seems pretty simple to construct. Alternately, if someone is on a budget and wants a solid-body electric, am I right that they could just get a fretboard from the Cardboard Dulcimer people, glue it onto any slab of material to make a body, and then find a way to rig a lipstick pickup through the strum-hollow? Edited May 11 by TapTheForwardAssist Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoterMan 11 Posted May 11 "Relatively affordable" is the problem. Most people who want a solid-body electric dulcimer want really good electronics, which aren't cheap! Sure you can make a solid-body dulcimer from a scrap length of 2x8, a fretboard and your lipstick pickup. But my understanding is that lipstick pickups don't provide all that 'true' of sound. I would not necessarily mount a pickup in the strum hollow, as hardly anyone strums there. Most folks strum between fret 10 and fret 14. There's about an inch of space between fret 10-11, and 3/4" between 11-12. You might be able to mount a lipstick there. Mounting other, better, pickups is not a particular problem if you are reasonably good at using a sharp chisel (notice I said sharp) to cut cavities to hold the electronics. I confess that I made a couple solid-body dulcimers for a client years ago. Had to have help wiring things up -- I'm a wood-butcher not an electron-pusher. They were pretty maple planks with walnut fretboards, but I never liked the sound. But the client liked the way things turned out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dholeton 19 Posted May 11 Folkcraft also sells fretboards if the cardboard dulcimer maker doesn't sell them. Folkcraft I rigged a temporary method for attaching an old Lawrence guitar sound hole pickup in the strum hollow of one of my dulcimers and I liked it better than a Dean Markley "stick on" acoustic pickup. I am one of the few who strums in the strum hollow. I actually made a dulcimer with less frets so the strum hollow would be closer to where many other people strum. Lawrence Pickup Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TapTheForwardAssist 0 Posted May 11 Is anyone familiar with Wautaga Lake Dulcimers? They appear to have a quite affordable ($210) solid-body electric of the "slab and a fingerboard" variety. https://wataugalakedulcimers.webs.com/dulcimers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
