1.152 2016 Black Mountain Instruments Model 58D (4 String 3 Course) £Sold inc. original branded soft case
Square printed label: “Black Mountain/ Instruments/Made in the USA/ Model # 58D [h/w] Date June 2016 [h/w]/ Handbuilt by David Johnston [signature]”.
Short-bodied, well-constructed dulcimer, made from solid cherry (bookmatched back with dark central purfling) with a very fine-grained cedar top. Heart soundholes. Cherry fingerboard with (?) rosewood overlay, (?) rosewood ‘nut’/zero fret and (?) floating pyramid section bridge. 6+ and 13+ frets, mother of pearl markers at 3, 7, 10 & 14. Simple open-geared tuners on a narrow, open cherry pegbox. Low ‘scroll’. Tail has four copper pins as string anchors (for both ball- and loop-end strings). Overall length 32¼”, upper bout 5½”, lower bout 7½”, depth 2”, FBW 1⅜”, VSL 25⅝” (medium/short scale), weight 1lb 13oz (817g). Has a 6+ and 13+ fret. Strings 12/12, 14, 24w.
Completely unused, still has all the original labels and guarantee cards attached. Intonation good on melody string and a nice, characterful sound without huge volume. Ideal short-scale instrument for beginner/intermediate players.
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1.89 1999 Black Mountain Instruments Model 58D (4 String 3 Course) £Sold
Square printed label: “Black/ Mountain/ Instruments/ Model # 58D [h/w] Date Feb. 1999 [h/w]/ Handbuilt by David Johnston [h/w]”. Short, neat hourglass with cherry body, bookmatched back and black centre purfling. Dark cedar top with heart soundholes pointing to tail. Cherry fingerboard with rosewood (?) overlay, zero fret, 6+ and 13+ frets, MoP markers at frets 3, 7, 10, 14. Rosewood “nut”/string guide and wooden floating bridge for accurate intonation adjustment. Simple copper pins as string anchors, quality Grover open-geared tuners set in open pegbox with simple scroll.
Overall length 31¾”, upper bout 5½”, lower bout 7⅜”, depth 1⅞”, FBW 1⅜”, VSL 25⅝” (medium/short scale), weight 2lb 2oz (962g). Has a 6½ and 13½ fret. Strings originally 13, 15, 24w; now 11, 14, 22w.
This sounds really good – open, clear yet sweet. Not huge volume, but quite enough, and easy to play with good intonation from the floating (adjustable) bridge. It’s been used and has a few dings on the far side top, but is generally in good playable condition.
