14/13/6/7 Wanderer Hammered Dulcimer

Description

The 14/13/6/7 Wanderer Chromatic hammered dulcimer is for those of us who just want it all: Tuning stability, humidity resistance, good clear sound, great projection, full chromatic range, and yet still small enough to take on trips to the ends of the Earth.

Features: 

• 14/13/6/7
• African Mahogany top with Multiple Section Soundboard design
• Hard Maple sides, Curly Maple bindings, and Walnut bridges
• 13 pounds
• 38″ long x 15 3/4″ wide
• 4 octaves, D2 to D6. Fully chromatic D3 to D6 (except C#6)
• Open back allows for better projection
• Comes with hammers and a tuning wrench

Fully Chromatic 

The Wanderer has a 4 octave range, D2 to D6 and is fully chromatic D3 to D6 (except C#6). Yet she is still small enough to fit into overhead bin compartment of an airplane! We sure packed a lot of dulcimer into this small size.

Resists Temperature and Humidity Changes with Ease

The dulcimer’s African Mahogany top is a specially designed Multiple Section Soundboard to help minimize shrinking and swelling from humidity changes. Take her to the jungle, the forest, the plains. Tuning stable.

Open Back, Great Sound

The Wanderer has more clarity and less sustain than our comparable Sparrow model. This is directly related to its new open back deign.

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 Wanderer’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.

Who Says You Can’t Always Get What You Want?

The 14/13/6/7 Wanderer Chromatic hammered dulcimer will be a great companion, full of clear, beautiful sound for years to come. If you are in the market for a fully capable travel dulcimer that can withstand any environment, the Wanderer is the one you need!