What tone of wood is the best for making mountain dulcimers?
Do you think bass or treble drum is important in a mountain? When I look for a dulcimer, I listen to a high bass response, a very sharp response that is smooth to the ears, and large enough to cut in jam, where other instruments are stronger. The “best” wood tone that produced a dulcimer that sounds good to you. Dulcimers are very tolerant wood they are made. Personally, I like the cherry back and sides – I like the way it looks and I like the way it behaves when I’m building with he. I think the wood top is wood important for sound (and since you asked about “tone” of wood, I’m assuming your question is toward peaks. Harder wood, like cherry, has a “strong” sound. Spruce (my favorite) has a mellow sound. Redwood or western cedar has a sound soft, good for an eardrum staff not to project the sound of a crowd. I have used all three in the flutes that I built, and I think the spruce tops have the best all-in about the sound quality. The lower the response would be most affected by the si
