Doug Berch

I fret dulcimers after the instrument is completely assembled. Some dulcimer makers fret the fingerboard before gluing it to the soundboard and have good results but I prefer to true up the fingerboard once I know the fretboard won’t move or warp during the construction process. I use a long sanding block to sand the [...]

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Many stringed instruments traditionally have binding around the edges of the soundboard. The binding protects the exposed end grain of the soundboard from damage. Dulcimer soundboards usually are not bound. I assume this was  because many early dulcimer makers were not trained luthiers and they may not have had the tools, technique or inclination to [...]

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