Tom Yockys unique dulcimer features

The woods I use are, in my opinion, the most striking aspect to my dulcimers. Many of the woods I use are considered exotic and rare. In the image at right, you can see three such examples. Olive Ash Burl (top), Australian Walnut (center), and Jatoba on bottom. I acquire these woods for far less than retail price, and I am able to pass the savings onto you. The woods I acquire are in small quantities and my available species in stock changes almost constantly. I use these woods in areas such as the sides, the head and tail, where they have very little affect on the sound. One other point to make is that I am able to offer woods for the sides that you simply will not find others offering...mainly burls (Oak Burl, Mappa Burl, and so on) Why do I offer them and other don't? Because most others use a single solid piece of wood for each side. I do not. I build up my sides using 6 hardwood layers of veneer totalling only .110" thick (HARDWOODS, not junk woods like in common plywood) My sides are stronger, lighter, and more stable than a standard solidwood side. And since only the outer layer is seen, I can use a very thin layer of a burl wood backed by 5 layers of strong stable woods and the result is a strong stable (and fantastic sounding) burl dulcimer side.

Please note, I do not use laminated tops or backs. For the top and back, a thin solid wood is better. (But for the sides, laminated is better).

Elevated Tail

The tail is designed to allow the palm to rest in a comfortable position while using a fingering style of play (rather than strumming). With the palm resting, the wrist is able to relax and allow individual fingers to move with easy and smooth motions. With my personal playing style leaning heavily on fingering, I love this feature.

Layered Fingerboard

You will noticed that I build the fingerboards to be striped or layered. This is done for two reasons. First, it adds a nice look to the overall composition of the dulcimer, and second, this method of construction actually helps to prevent problems that can develop over time and usage... mainly warping. It's a fact, wood expands and contracts due to changes in moisture, humidity and temperature, and fingerboards milled from a single piece of wood are no exception. warping and expanding of a fingerboard will introduce unnecessary stresses on the entire instrument. The good news, MINE DON'T WARP, and I ensure this by building up the fingerboards from many layers of wood. Each strip helps to keep the others from moving. It is the same reason that 3ply plywood is much cheaper than 9ply. The more layers there are, the stronger it is.

Elongated Body Shape (no "Scroll Head")

I am sure you ahve noticed that my dulcimers do not have an extending peg board such as a scroll head. Why? Becasue I have stretched the body to continue on under the peg head giving the dulcimer that much more soundboard and soundbox. My dulcimers are still about the same overall dimensions as those of a more traditional design, but this design creates a much larger soundbox allowing greater volume, sustain, and projection, as well as a deeper and fuller tone. I hear time and time again how amazing my dulcimers sound as compared with others, this is one fo the reasons why.

Fingerboard Location Dots

I inlay contrasting wood fingerboard dots to provide visual assistance to fingerboard location. Beginners and established players alike will find these dots useful, especially since I install the extra 6 1/2 and 13 1/2 "chromatic" frets in my 2 1/2 octave range. These extra frets, can be confusing at times, but dots marking the 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th and 15th fret help to navigate the fingerboard as well as provide an attractive addition to the overall instrument.

One of a Kind Sound holes

I go to a lot of extra effort to ensure each and every dulcimer I make is unique and special. One way is I hand carve / file each sound hole without the use of templates. I tend to design the sound holes to compliment the natural grain of the wood, starting off as a simple drawing on the sound board plank, then carefully carved and filed to shape, finishing up by sanding the exposed edges and reinforcing from the back to prevent a break from occurring later on due to accidental mishandling. Since I make each sound hole one at a time, It is a simple matter to customize each sound hole for a customer. For more on my custom made dulcimers, click here.

Sealed and Finished Inside and Out

I use Finishing Oil (Tung Oil) on the inside as well as the outside to seal and protect the wood from weathering over time. Many instrument makers skip this step in an effort to cut corners, though I can't imagine why. It requires very little effort if you plan ahead.

Multiple String Spacings

I know I am not the only builder out there that offers this, but there are many who do not. For a 4 string dulcimer, there are two common string spacings: Double Melody (where the two smallest strings are close together and played as one) or Ozark (four equally spaced strings). As a player, I like to have the option of choosing which string setup to use based on the song I will be playing. So my dulcimers are built to accomidate both string arrangements and it is very easy to switch from one setup to the other. The picture shows the Ozark setup and the two extra notches that are used with Double Melody setup by simply sliding the 2nd and 3rd strings down to the additionl notches.