14/13/6/7 Voyageur Hammered Dulcimer

Description

The 14/13/6/7 Voyageur’s name was inspired by the 18th and 19th century French Canadian voyageurs, who were adventurous fur traders, bravely canoeing large distances with their goods. The Voyageur is built to withstand great adventures by your side too!

Features:

• 14/13/6/7
• Poplar ply top is coated with black paint
• Open back; projects well in a jam session
• Walnut rails, Hard Maple pin blocks, and Walnut bridges
• 38″ long x 15 3/4″ wide
• About 13 pounds
• Comes with hammers and a tuning wrench

Easy to Play, Carefree Hammered Dulcimer

Made of durable Poplar ply, this model is solid. We put a black paint with orange peel texture over it, then seal it with polyurethane. We think the black makes it easier to play since the strings stand out better against a dark background.

The Voyageur is capable of playing 4 octaves, D2 to D6, and she is fully chromatic D3 to D6 (except C#6). Compare her with our similar model, the Chickadee Chromatic (which excludes the extended range bridge and open back design). The range of this model with this small size is hard to come by at this kind of price point!

Stays in tune fairly well. It will just need a swipe or two under the strings with our felt stick to wipe the dust away and an occasional polish if you are feeling fancy.

Open Back Provides Clear Projection in Loud Jams

A new feature Chris has been working on is this open back design, which was inspired by Sam Rizzetta’s last dulcimer belonging to Gloria Hays. Chris was jamming alongside Gloria at the Squirrels’ Nest at ODPC FunFest in 2023. He was impressed by her dulcimer’s sound despite it having an open back. As an added bonus, she mentioned that she hardly ever had to tune it.

The encounter implanted a seed in Chris’ head and after a while ideas began to take shape.  Generally speaking, a back is necessary to keep a dulcimer together. Without it, the whole thing will fold up due to the string tension. Sam Rizzetta’s solution to this problem was to use carbon fiber on both the rails and some advanced joinery on the wood parts of the frame. However, Chris was wary of the dangers of working with carbon fiber and resolved that instead of completely eliminating the back, he would simply open it up. Thanks to Sam’s innovation, Chris was able to mold his design idea into something new; hence our newest models sporting the open back design.

The Voyageur’s open back allows for better projection. Its clear sound can easily be heard over a loud jam session due to this new feature. You’ll never get lost in the crowd with this great sounding dulcimer that can hold its own.

With a Special Thanks to Dan Duggan

“One Moe Waltz” Dan Duggan c Esperance music BMI

A very special thanks for this hammered dulcimer design goes to Dan Duggan. It wouldn’t have happened without him! Dan had been asking Chris for years to make a small D based hammered dulcimer with a lower octave bridge and chromatics! It only took a few years, but finally Chris got it done! Above is Dan’s original composition, “One Moe Waltz,” played on our collaborative dulcimer, the 14/13/6/7 Voyageur.

And here is another original of his: “Thunder Rocks” Dan Duggan c Esperance music BMI

Dan also opted for electric pickups and dampers on his Voyageur. He has showcased the beautiful depth and sheer range of this instrument very well. Great job Dan!

The Adventurer’s Dulcimer

The Voyageur makes a wonderful travel dulcimer. She is fully capable, yet can still be stowed in an airplane’s overhead bin. No more lugging your heavy dulcimer around between festivals, jams, and vacations. The Voyageur hammered dulcimer will traverse great distances easily, ready to make beautiful music all the way.