June Apple Dulcimers
Carl Gotzmer has been designing and handcrafting musical instruments for more than 50 years. While attending college, he built clavichords and banjos, and cut and inlaid pearl by hand for the C.F. Martin guitar company. After attending a lecture on the history of the mountain dulcimer, he decided that was the type of instrument he wanted to build.
Gotzmer, who is self-taught, works from photographs and instrument tracings to reproduce dulcimers from various Appalachian mountain areas. For each new style of instrument, he builds the drying molds to hold the steam-bent sides as well as the building forms and jigs to construct it. His interest extends beyond the early-19th-Century American dulcimer to its predecessors brought by immigrants. He uses solid, aged woods and book matches hand-cut veneers for both for appearance and the instrument’s voice. He hand carves intricate rosettes for sound holes used in some of his instruments and gives each a clear hand-rubbed Danish oil finish.
Gotzmer founded June Apple Dulcimers with his wife, Kathleen, when they married in 1987. Their daughter, Ayden, is their website guru. Gotzmer also builds guitars as special orders and has invented three instruments—the Cellomer, Bouzoukimer, and Dulcillin. Aided by his wife and a handful of apprentices and luthiers, he has made thousands of instruments for customers worldwide from his workshop in Accokeek, Maryland. Several instruments have gone to the Smithsonian Institute.
The Gotzmers performed together at festivals for many years, and Kathleen was part of the Mill Run Dulcimer Band, which recorded eleven albums as one of the longest-running dulcimer bands in the country. Gotzmer’s other career is as a civilian research physicist for the US Navy, for which in 2013 he received the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service award. The couple live in Maryland in a reproduction colonial home.
2.192 NEW and UNSOLD (2017) 45th Anniversary Musical Traditions Dulcimer by June Apple. £Sold
Handwritten on back strut: “#4408/ June Apple Dulcimers/ ?Jessie ?Wills/ 7/ 14 / 17”.
Updated classic – based on the iconic Musical Traditions dulcimer, designed by Dennis Dorogi and built by Hank Levin. Has a wider, arched fingerboard and three-part sandwich, open headstock in the June Apple tradition, but the small-body, solid walnut (bookmatched) back, sides and cedar top of the original MT. Decent quality planetary (geared) banjo tuners. Has a wooden “nut” with zero fret and wooden bridge; 6+ and 13+ frets; felt strainer (to stop damage to the tail where the strings run to the bridge), and felt washers round the mushroom-headed string anchors. Unusually, has an undercut tail (cp Keith Young designs) with a solid endcap to disguise it.
Overall length 35⅜”, upper bout 5⅜”, lower bout 6½”, depth 1¾”, FBW 1⅝”, VSL 28″ (medium/long scale), weight 2lb 1oz (945g), strings 11/11, 14, 23w. 6+ and 13+ frets.
The “improvements” certainly give more room to play with 4 strings and the cutaway (cantilevered) fingerboard makes for a more lively top, with added volume. However the renowned sweetness of the original MTs is not lost and it has a nicely balanced sound with decent intonation. Unsold old stock, bought direct from the House of Musical Traditions, so in pristine, new condition. Includes good quality original soft case.
Extra Info from House of Musical Traditions Website:
“House of Musical Traditions began in 1972 when David Eisner purchased the remaining inventory of Hank Levin’s “Musical Traditions” lap dulcimer shop in NYC, and Eisner slowly added more instrument and product lines to create the full-line HMT music store over the years. Hank built Musical Traditions company dulcimers in the 1960’s, and we still sell them on a used basis from time to time. Hank built dulcimers for Jean Ritchie and authored the chapter on dulcimer building in her famous “Dulcimer Book.”
To commemorate HMT’s 45th year in business (2017), David commissioned Carl Gotzmer of June Apple Dulcimers to create a 45th Anniversary dulcimer based off the original Musical Traditions designs. Carl was one of the original builders that worked with Hank Levin, and he had the original Musical Traditions dulcimer plans on file. We are pleased to offer this limited edition run for sale, with Hank Levin’s blessing (he is currently living in California).
They are available in either cherry, or walnut with a cedar top. Price includes soft padded case. As each dulcimer is handmade, wood patterns may vary from what is pictured.
All dulcimers are hourglass shape with heart soundholes. They have scalloped fretboards, so that a rope capo can be placed at key points along the instrument. They have planetary tuners, and a 0th fret to improve the action at the top of the instrument. To improve resonance, the bridge is not glued down, so it might move slightly when changing strings.
The original Musical Traditions dulcimers did not have scalloped fretboards or the 0th frets, and they had friction tuners instead of planetary geared tuners. Originally, Hank built 3-string dulcimers and then added the double 4th string later, but did not widen the fingerboard. These anniversary dulcimers are built with a wider fingerboard to improve playability as a 4-string instrument. The fretboard and tuner upgrades will also give an overall improved dulcimer while still paying homage to the original Musical Traditions design.
The cherry dulcimers are all solid cherry wood, including the fretboard. Top is bookfaced to be symmetrical; back is one piece. The walnut dulcimers have a solid cedar top, and solid bookfaced black walnut back & sides.
The dulcimers are individually labeled and signed.”
Retrieved August 2019.
2.150 (formerly 2.125) 2012 June Apple “Poplar Hill” #4142 £Sold inc. original padded bag
On LB struts, handwritten: “#4142 Carl Gotzmer” and “June Apple Dulcimers/ June 14 2012.” Big and spectacularly coloured/figured zebra wood body, with greeny/brown western red cedar top. Top has hand-carved leaves as soundholes. Back and sides are bookmatched, with a wide mosaic purfling design along the middle of the former. Arched, hollow, maple fingerboard with black/brown wenge overlay and MoP markers on frets 3, 5 and 7. 6+ but not 13+ frets. Tail/bridge is cantilevered (cf Keith Young instruments) to allow the top to move even more and increase volume. Pegbox is made from a zebra wood/wenge sandwich and is fitted with gold banjo tuners. String anchors are gold pins, surrounded by felt collars to minimise any ringing or damage; similarly, it has a red felt strainer behind the bridge. Gold strap button. Bone “nut” and zero fret, wooden bridge.
Overall length 36¾”, upper bout 6¼”, lower bout 8¼”, depth 2¼”, FBW 1⅞”, VSL 28″ (medium/long scale), weight 2lb 13oz (1268g). String sizes now 0.012, 0.014, 0.024w (as original?). Has 6+ fret, but not 13+.
The Poplar Hill is June Apple’s top of the line concert or “artist” model. June Apple is run by the Gotzmer family and this dulcimer (together with 2.55 below) was made by master craftsman Carl Gotzmer. The Poplar Hill is larger than other June Apple dulcimers with a wider and deeper body, producing according to the website “a deep rich tone and greater volume”. Has a pristine and unmarked body, but a few small marks on the more vulnerable cedar top. A little fret wear at the nut end and some pick impact on the fingerboard near the strum hollow. Has an unusually wide fingerboard which does not seem to detract from playability. It also has a very low action which, as a matter of taste, the purchaser might or might not want to adjust.
Click on images to enlarge.
2.55 – 2013 – June Apple “Poplar Hill” Hourglass – 4 String £Sold
On LB struts, handwritten: “#4298 Carl Gotzmer” and “June Apple/ Dulcimers/ Nov 11, 2013”. This Poplar Hill is June Apple’s top of the line concert or “artist” model and this particular custom-made instrument was created by Carl Gotzmer, owner and chief craftsman of the firm. The Poplar Hill is larger than other June Apple dulcimers with a wider and deeper body, producing according to the website “a deep rich tone and greater volume”.
Extras on this instrument include: scroll headstock, gold Grover banjo tuners, abalone dot inlays, custom hand carved F holes, purfling, wenge fretboard overlay, zebra wood back and sides and red cedar top. Comes with custom case, feather picks, noter and an extra set of strings. Cost $700 new in late 2013 (c £650-£700 imported).
This is a big-bodied instrument with striking zebra wood sides and bookmatched back, the latter with a chequer patterned purpleheart purfling strip up the middle. Zebra wood scroll headstock and tail, former with wenge (or ebony?) sandwich, gold Grover geared banjo tuners. Thick wenge (or ebony?) fingerboard overlay on arched maple fretboard, short strum hole, no soundholes under fretboard. Abalone dot inlays at frets 3, 5 and 7. Wooden bridge and “nut” with zero fret. Western red cedar top – with matching stripes! – and a routed line round edge as decoration, round holes (UB) and f-holes (LB) as soundholes. Brass, headed pins as string anchors with felt sound deadening on pins and tailpiece. One strap button on tail.
Overall length 36¾”, upper bout 6¼”, lower bout 8″, depth 2⅛”, FBW 1¾”, VSL 28″ (medium/long scale), weight 2lb 13oz (1268g). Original string size 0.012/0.012, 0.014, 0.024w. Has 6½ fret.
This is a dulcimer with significant presence, both in terms of sound and looks. It is loud but not brash, with a more percussive sound than many dulcimers – a shortish decay after each note has been struck. This makes it particularly suitable for pick driven chord/melody playing. It is well constructed from top quality materials and certainly looks the part – a future classic!
Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge each photo:
