PRICING

Shown here is a "CIGAR BOX" shape Mountain Dulcimer. It is generally believed that some of the early mountain dulcimers built were actually crafted out of materials that the builders could readily obtain for little or no money. They would sometimes use empty cigar boxes for the body.

Since this is the easiest shape to build, we use it as our "Basic Instrument". When built with some of the most readily available (and thus less expensive) materials it's price is determined based on our costs and our time involved.

The "Base Instrument Price" is used as a starting point and as the customer opts for more expensive materials, more complex shapes etc., the additional cost of those items are added to this price. This holds true for pre-mades as well as custom instruments.

Each year I adjust the price of my "Base Instrument" to reflect increases or decreases in both materials and labor involved in building the instrument. Since 2015 the base price for the instrument shown here has fluxuated from $210.00 to $225.00. In 2020 I was able to keep the base price at $220.00. Inflation has had drastic impacts on most materials needed to build an instrument. It is expected that prices will continue to increase in the future. I have had to increase my base price by about ten dollars each year since Covid began and am expecting my 2024 base price to be $260.00

The most expensive instrument I have built was just over $ 400.00. It had some custom carving and special order features but the woods were domestic hardwoods not exotics. The price could have climbed higher had they selected more expensive woods.

I strive to keep my prices affordable. I am building these instruments for the love of it, not as a vocation. I do expect to make a small profit from each one. Just enough to pay for the materials and a little extra to cover shop costs such as tool and equipment replacement.

I spend about 45-50 hours on each instrument. That makes my wages about $ 1.92 per hour on the easy instruments and even less on those that require more time to build.

There are lots of internet sites that offer Appalachian Dulcimers for sale. Some are what I call "cookie-cutter" products from a factory that employs a number of people and turn out dozens of instruments a week. No personal involvement at all. By building their instruments this way they can cut the costs of their product substantially. Often times these less expensive instruments come from overseas factories where quality takes a back seat to productivity.

Likewise there are custom builders that will interact with you over the telephone or e-mail and indeed build you a custom, one-of-a-kind dulcimer. They usually charge a fairly high price for their instruments.

There are also kits available for people that would like to make their own instrument. There may be a saving factor in doing this or there may not, depending on how good the kit materials are and how good you are at woodworking.

Having said all this, I will say that the price range for "internet instruments" can go from a low of $20-30 all the way up to well over a thousand dollars (and more).

I do not use any plywood in my instruments. Only the highest quality domestic and exotic hardwoods. I install additional inner bracing that most builders do not use. This makes a stronger, longer lasting instrument. I know these will get dropped or knocked over from time to time and I want them to be able to take these knocks without breaking apart. There are no screws or nails in my instruments. I strive to keep my joinery techniques as close to the old ways as possible.

With an average price of 300 - 400 dollars I believe my dulcimers are a great value.

There are a number of ways we can interact to discuss your interest in an instrument:

Probably the best way is to come to a festival I am vending at and meet us in person. This gives you the chance to see, touch and hear the dulcimers on display as well as ask any questions you may have. If you decide you would like to design your own, one-of-a-kind, custom instrument we can do that in about 20 to 30 minutes. One drawback is that some of the festivals have to charge an entry fee to help defray their expenses. (I try to go to at least two or three venues per year where you can get to my booth with no charge.) See "FESTIVALS " tab.

I am also happy to meet with you at a mutually agreeable location if the drive is not too far away. Probably anywhere within a 50 mile radius from Arlington, WA. (Call or e-mail to arrange an appointment.)

If neither of the above 0ption's will work, We can do the design process using the phone, e-mail and regular U.S. mail. I have done this for out of area customers but it can slow down the time frame somewhat.