Cedar Creek Dulcimers
These are decent quality instruments from the Ozark Mountains, Missouri, produced by the same family concern (the Hagens) that builds the Red Kite, sold in the UK by Bird Rock Dulcimers.
1.88 October 1992 Cedar Creek 4 String Hourglass Kit £250 + choice of cases (starting at £25)
Bought from original builder. Printed label: “Handcrafted/ by/ Stan Belk/ Oct. 1992”.
Slightly non-standard interpretation of usual hooked scroll, but otherwise exactly as the factory model. Bookmatched walnut back, sides and top. Slightly irregular but attractively patterned soundholes (cut by fretsaw), depicting leaves and a butterfly. Soundhole design is a little fragile, even though supported (as the factory models are) by mini-struts. The far side seems more stable than the nearside, where the elements are slightly uneven. Open-geared tuners with plastic pearl-coloured buttons on flared headstock. 6+ and 13+ frets. No strainer, but leather patch has been added to support strings on top of tail. Small pins as string anchors. Walnut, single-piece solid (?) fingerboard. Light oil (?) finish, so not as high gloss as original, but still shows lustre and colour of solid walnut body well.
Overall length 34¼”, upper bout 6½”, lower bout 8″, depth 2⅛”, FBW 1¾”, weight 2lb 8oz (1129g), VSL 26½” (medium scale), original (?) strings 12/12, 14, 22w, now 11/11, 14, 23w. Original 6+ and 13+ frets.
Needed a little work to get the nut and bridge working as intended. Now an attractive and decent sounding instrument for beginner/intermediate use.
Click on images to enlarge
1.19 1998 Cedar Creek – 4 String Hourglass – £Sold
Inside: “Cedar Creek Dulcimers/Ser. A-808/Date 12-20-98/Branson, Missouri”.
Solid walnut sides and back, with solid mahogany top and elaborate vine and hummingbird soundhole design. Walnut headstock with elephant trunk scroll, open gear guitar tuners and pearl-coloured buttons; broad fingerboard with straightforward action and 6+ fret; composite bridge and nut; small mushroom-headed pins for string anchors.Overall length 35”, upper bout 6¼”, lower bout 7⅝”, depth 2¼”, FBW 1⅝”, weight 2lb 8oz (1129g), VSL 27¾” (medium scale). Original 6½ fret.
In generally good condition, but had been trodden on, causing several cracks in the top and detachment in places from the fingerboard. The top has been professionally repaired and partly refinished. It is now entirely stable. A few signs of the damage remain, in the form of one or two tiny notches on back and top edges, and some residual lines.
This is a super instrument for the beginner or improving player, with a loud, forward sound and good action – at a bargain price, for cosmetic reasons only.
Pic 1 below shows original damage to top. Pics 2 -4 show same instrument after repair.
