Thanks, James and Glyn.
It started out as a Cripple Creek Dulcimers kit. I first heard one at the Colorado Renaissance Fair in '84, where I bought the kit. I "let the wood season" for several years, and finally got up the gumption to build it in '95.
My initials and the year are burned into the inside back, where you can see them through the sound holes.
The house we lived in at the time had a large pond behind it, so the cattails and heron motif was an ever present inspiration. Threading the scroll saw through all the pilot holes was fun. The headstock was a bit chunky for my taste, so I reshaped it with my drum sander. All in all, it was a really fun project. And I'm pretty happy with how it sounds:
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=4593160
I'm getting really itchy to get my tools down to Texas and start building stuff again.

RobertB
And I'm pretty happy with how it sounds:
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=4593160
I'm getting really itchy to get my tools down to Texas and start building stuff again.

That is a very nice-sounding instrument, RobertB. The sound make me think of times long ago and places far away.
 
Having never really listened to one before (or more accurately: I've never really paid attention before) I was surprised that there's a drone string. Are they always played like that or are there other styles as well?

rontarrant
Having never really listened to one before (or more accurately: I've never really paid attention before) I was surprised that there's a drone string. Are they always played like that or are there other styles as well?

There are two drone strings, a fifth apart. There are different tunings depending on the mode you are playing in. http://www.jcrmusic.com/Learning.html
 
Drones are the traditional way of playing the instrument but people will strum chords or finger pick. The melody string is often a double course to make it stand out from the drones.

I once met a guy up while hiking up in the Virginia highlands that could play most of the Jimi Hendrix repertoire on a mountain dulcimer. It sounded great! He coincidentally played the French Horn down on the coast in National Symphony Orchestra. Fun stuff. :-)

they are a lot of fun to just dork around on - those drones make most of what you play beautiful. :) I would love to hear someone play modern music like Hendrix on one - that would be a trip!