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Cedar, Western Red
The sound is very impressive and is close to that of Sitka Spruce. A lot of volume and projection. Strong and even sound where the highs, mids, and lows are all clear and bold. |
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California Redwood
(add
$5)
In general this wood creates a smoother, more blended tone than cedar or spruce. The look can be very clean and elegant. |
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In general this wood creates a fuller, cleaner, and more dynamic sound than any other top wood I carry. Very even response throughout entire sound spectrum...great volume/sustain, sharp clean highs, mids, and lows. It has been generally accepted as the best tonewood for hundreds of years, and is therefore quite expensive. |
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This wood is a very light weight
mahogany. It's density is just slightly higher to that of redwood
or cedar, and therefore has much the same sound as redwood, but slightly
less bass. It makes for a very nice voice that sounds more lively
or "old timey" than the more classical sound of redwood, cedar, or spruce.
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This wood is similar in weight and
density to Okoume and has similar sound qualities. This slightly
harder and heavier wood makes for a brighter tone than that of redwood,
cedar, or spruce. I tried it as a top because I love it's shimmering
golden grain patter, but I was very happy with its sound properties as
well.
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Walnut is used as a top wood primarily for baritone dulcimers, however it works well for non baritone dulcimers too. In non baritone applications, it is not quite as clean or sharp as the redwood or spruce, but is more interesting visually. Many established builders use walnut tops exclusively. Ironically, in my dulcimer design, I get the strongest bass from redwood, spruce, and cedar. Walnut, being a dense wood tends to lessen the bass a bit. Example:
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