Customer Reviews

Applecreek Dulcimer

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wanted a dulcimer for a long time, but since I never played one before and have limited musical (as well as financial) talents to put towards it, I thought well here is one I can afford and if I can't play it, well I can probably get my money back out of it. I also thought what kinda dulcimer am I gonna get for this cheap of money. My expectations were not high. I was pleasantly surprised. The dulcimer is handcrafted (in Romania) made with all solid woods, mine appears to be spruce.

This dulcimer is VERY nice. It is quite lovely actually and it came with a pick and noter devise as well as a limited instruction sheet and a first song. Within 30 minutes I was able to make the song sound actually pretty good, and I have never played dulcimer before,ever. The only thing that this one needed was to be tuned when it arrived. I tuned it according to instructions found over at www.everythingdulcimer.com and it is just lovely sounding. A very nice first instrument.

When I first recieved this dulcimer, I was shocked at its light weight, and thought I had purchased something akin to a toy-guitar. However, after learning to play it, and taking lessons, I discovered that this is a very nice, affordable instrument, with a good tone. I would recommend not using the guitar picks that are offered on this site. A better alternative is the flexible dulcimer picks, which make a much nicer sound.

I bought this dulcimer as well. I dont really play string instruments but I love the way a dulcimer sounds and thought it would be one of the easiest string instruments for me to learn as for all intents and purposes the dulcimer has 3 strings ( this one has 4 but 2 of them are melody strings which produce the same note ) This is NOT a 6 1/2! It is a plain old dulcimer. If you are unclear on what this means, it means: each string can not range a full octave. Which is fine if you are playing a lot of folk music, kids songs and older songs. However if you are needing to make chords for playing pop music this dulcimer is not for you. If you are just learning to play and you know you can resell it for a good price and buy a better one later if you like it, then this dulcimer IS for you. and yes I do agree some of the parts are shoddy, but for learning to play this instrument and not using it to perform its just fine.

First off let me say I have zero musical background and can't read music. In addition I have substantial orthopedic problems with my hands and fingers making it virtually impossible to play most instruments. That being said, for a long, long, time I have wanted to learn to play an instrument.

The last few years I have attended the Old Time Fiddler's Convention and each year the desire to play something kept growing. Last year I had seen some people playing Mountain Dulcimers and I thought "Gee, I could probably play that even with my physical limitations." I bumped into a friend from church there and made the same observation to him. Not only did he agree with my assessment he told me he belonged to the local dulcimer club (and has since become my dulcimer mentor).

Since other ideas in the past didn't pan out I did not want to spend a lot of money on a dulcimer. I bought the Apple Creek dulcimer knowing full well that it would probably be a cheapy and if I stuck with the dulcimer playing that I'd probably upgrade later.

To be honest it was a much better dulcimer than I anticipated. It did what I wanted and demonstrated to myself that I could indeed play the dulcimer and when I did upgrade to a higher end dulcimer my wife started playing the Mountain Creek dulcimer and she has since gotten a higher end dulcimer. Tonight I am giving this dulcimer to a fellow dulcimer player's grand-kid. That'll make three or more people getting their start on just this one dulcimer.

If you don't compare the Apple Creek dulcimer to higher end dulcimers and rate it as an entry level dulcimer it is worth every penny. It is well made and easy to play. The sound is OK but not great (but I didn't realize this until I played it side by side with a higher end dulcimer). The nice case it comes with makes it even a better buy.

Long story short this dulcimer help to fan my dulcimer fever.

I received this dulcimer a few weeks ago, and I am quite pleased with it. It is very beautiful, sounds lovely, and is lightweight; the only complaint that I have with it is that when I tuned it in Mixolydian mode (or so I thought), I thought it didn't sound right; however, I'm a newbie, and I didn't tune the dulcimer into Ionian mode before I tuned it into Mixolydian mode, so that might be why. By the way, if you've never played or tuned a dulcimer before, I suggest you tune it to Ionian mode. It's a great first-time mode, and you can find out how to tune it to that mode at many different dulcimer websites.

Assembled in Romania using commodity plywood and cheap Chinese tuners, this is an instrument to avoid -- ESPECIALLY if you're likely to develop an affinity for the dulcimer.

While the open strings will tune properly, chords will sound terrible thanks to the assembly-line luthiership. The shoddy nut and bridge, combined with automated fretwork, is a nightmare.

Yes, it is cheap, but beginners will not be able to advance very far, and those with any experience with string instrument will draw the wrong conclusions about dulcimers.

If you are really on a budget and are unsure about dulcimers, even a cardboard --- yes cardboard -- dulcimer is superior to this one. A good cardboard dulcimer is about the same price.

But if you can spend even $125, you can find nicely crafted student dulcimers from a variety of American luthiers.

This is the first dulcimer I have ever owned and I am quite pleased with it. I first learned about dulcimers in grade school when a music teacher brought one in and let us play it. Since then, I've always dreamed of owning my own, but it was always out of my budget. The Apple Creek dulcimer has a lovely sound and beautiful streamlined look. Solid wood, nicely stained, decorative sound holes. Yes, they are somewhat mass produced (in Romania), but it doesn't seem to hurt the sound any.

One thing I would recommend is buying new strings-- one of mine popped as I was trying to string it, but I had already ordered some to change out and went ahead an put them on. Huge difference. One thing I learned from having played violin for some years is that good strings can make a huge difference in the sound of any instrument. Dulcimer strings are very cheap-- you can pick up an entire set of D'Addario for about $2.75 online. Plus, it never hurts to have a spare hanging around just in case one pops as you are tuning it.

Eventually I plan on getting a 2nd dulcimer and giving this one to my daughter (if she takes an interest), but for right now this one suits my needs perfectly. Great for learning on and you can't beat it for the price. Love it!

The Applecreek pear-shaped dulcimer at $65 is a bargain, but you get what you pay for. Contrary to the featured negative review, it is a four stringed instrument, with the melody string represented by a closely spaced pair of strings designed to be played as a single string. On the one I received the bridge was set too high and, as a result, I got unacceptably sharp notes on any mid-range fret if I used the two lower strings to play chords. I took it to an instrument repair shop and spent $25 getting the bridge filed and reset. The strings on the instrument were of very poor quality and were highly oxidized, so I also had to buy new strings. If you are not familiar with stringing that is a difficult hurdle up front. Until the strings were replaced and the bridge was lowered the sound was certainly less than satisfactory.

The apparent assumption behind the instrument and in the book that comes with it is that you will use the noter (a stick that one holds down on the melody string)and not play chords. While that is the simplest way to play the dulcimer and the oldest, most modern players use a different tuning than that shown in the book and play using all the strings (chords) fretted with fingers. If you attempt to do any harmonic chords, the narrow neck will likely cause the instrument to tilt, making it extremely hard to play. That is why most dulcimers have the hour-glass shape.

Note too that the problem with the two lower strings playing sharp even when the instrument was tuned properly in the open position would not be a problem if one played with the noter and only on the melody string(s).

This is a 3/4 sized instrument and the sound quality is "OK" but not at all exceptional, pretty much what you would expect from a small instrument at this price. The photo in the book shows a child playing the instrument using a noter, and that was clearly the intent. I would recommend that you get this instrument if you are just trying to find out if you really want to play the dulcimer. I highly recommend you get a clip-on tuner to tune it, and purchase Mel Bay's "First Lessons Dulcimer, DAD Tuning" and use that book as your guide. It first demonstrates how to use the simple one-string playing technique, but almost immediately gets into simple chording, which is quite easy on the dulcimer and produces some beautiful harmonics.

If you find you like playing and the ease with which you can produce clear, pleasant music, then quickly move on to a more expensive hour-glass shaped instrument. Be sure when you do to get a quality instrument with, at a minimum, a spruce top. Expect to spend at least $190-$200 for a mid-level instrument. If you stay with a cheap one (like this one) you will quite rapidly hit a wall on your ability to create chords and play adequately to do so in public. In this case, unless you want to play single-string with a noter and have very small hands, it will not be you, but the instrument that is holding you back.

Again, this is a reasonable choice for a child who is trying to determine whether he or she is serious about music, but don't expect to be able to play it well beyond the basics.

Fun little instrument . I was trying the DAA tuning and it sounded good but then I tuned to DAD and it sounds great. Be sure to tune the to small strings to a High D, it will sound like the strings are going to break but they didnt on mine. this makes this nice looking little box really sound better.

Apple Creek dulcimers (a.k.a. "Blue Moon" dulcimers) are a real hit-or-miss affair. Some work quite well, while others are almost unplayable. (I learned this after I ordered it but before it arrived.) Mine happens to work quite well.

This is definitely a "student" model, but I'm happy with it for what it is.

Research your dulcimer before you buy it! [...]