Capritaurus Dulcimers
These instruments were made by an early incarnation of the famous Folk Roots (Rugg and Jackel) dulcimer works, sometime between 1969 and 1974.
2.241 1975 Capritaurus Model 200 4 String 3 or 4 Course £425 + NEW robust padded case £25
Small oblong, ochre-printed label: “This Dulcimer was made in U.S.A. by/Capritaurus/ Felton, California/ since T 1969/ Model # 200 [h/w] Date 7-28-75.”
This forerunner of the justifiably famous FolkRoots D series dulcimers was the luxury model of the late Capritaurus range, with a large, solid wood body. A truly beautiful Californian claro walnut body with typical brown/pink/orange tints and a slightly curly/rippled effect in places. Three copper/bronze feet. Close-grained, good quality spruce top with usual FolkRoots-type hearts, pointing to tail. Lightly-built body with light strutting internally. Hollow fingerboard is probably mahogany, with a rosewood (or possibly walnut?) overlay; wide, low frets. Elegant one piece ?walnut head with hand-carved scroll and flat tuner area, fitted with very solid Schaller enclosed tuners. Tail block is recessed with holes through the top and hence suitable only for ball-end strings. Ebony nut and neatly compensated bridge, both cut for either three course or 4 equidistant layouts. Mother of pearl cover for pin/screw securing head to supporting neck; also markers at frets 3, 7, 10 and 14. Unfortunately positioning of first octave marker has meant that newly installed 6+ frets has to pass through it. No 13+ fret. Overall length 37”, upper bout 5¼”, lower bout 7½”, body depth 2½”, FBW 1⅜”, VSL 29¼” (long scale), weight 2lb 0oz (915g), strings now 11, 14, 23w.
Excellent condition for age, with just some light marking on the top. Very full, balanced sound with good volume. Plays right up to the second octave and the intonation is remarkably good for an instrument that was probably set up for 1:5:5 (DAA or similar) tuning originally.
2.267 Early 1970s Capritaurus 4 String 3 Course, converted to 3 String Baritone £Sold
Oblong label: “This dulcimer/ was made by/ Capritaurus/ Felton, California”. ‘D4’ in dyno lettering nearby.
Golden mahogany laminated body with internal machine-kerfed sides. Little or no internal bracing. Solid spruce top with big heart soundholes, pointing towards the tail in traditional fashion. Typical FolkRoots closed pegbox with shallow scroll. Original guitar-type vertical tuners (x4) have been replaced with good quality geared banjo tuners (x3) and pearl buttons. The redundant screw/tuner holes have been plugged. Golden mahogany fingerboard, routed underneath and forming part of the sound chamber. Quite chunky, low frets (original?); 6+ no 13+ fret, possibly added at the same time as the baritone conversion. Professional quality replacement bone 3 slot nut and compensated bridge. Copper pin string anchors suitable for loop and ball-end strings. Overall length 36½”, upper bout 5⅜”, lower bout 7½”, body depth 2½”, FBW 1½”, VSL 29¼” (long scale), weight 2lb 04oz (1015g), strings now 14, 22w, 30w (baritone, tuned AEA).
In good condition, with just a few shallow pick marks across the nearside top. This is a neat, professional conversion of a standard dulcimer, commissioned by the great UK player John Shaw – it was his main baritone instrument. Its large body and longish scale length make it ideal for a baritone. The sustain goes on for ever! Tone and action excellent. Intonation with compensated bridge pretty good. Can also be tuned ADA to play along easily with standard DAD instruments, albeit with different chord shapes. Now has a good quality oblong hard case, lined internally – at extra cost – if required.
Click on images below to enlarge.
1.119 1974 Capritaurus 4 String 3 Course, now converted to a 3 String Baritone £Sold
Small oblong, ochre-printed label: “This Dulcimer was made in U.S.A. by/ apri aurus/ Felton, California/ since T 1969/ Model # 20 [h/w] Date 1/11/74.”
Golden mahogany laminated body with internal machine-kerfed sides. Little or no internal bracing. Solid spruce top with big heart soundholes, pointing towards the tail in traditional fashion. Some stabilised fine age-related cracks in the spruce. Golden mahogany fingerboard, routed underneath and forming part of the sound chamber. Typical FolkRoots closed pegbox with good open-geared tuners and chrome buttons. Shallow “scroll”. Rosewood nut and bridge, both heavily modified in the past perhaps for LH use. Copper pin string anchors. Chrome strap buttons. 6+ and 13+ frets now added and strung as a baritone. Overall length 36½”, upper bout 5¼”, lower bout 7½”, body depth 2½”, FBW 1½”, VSL 29¼” (long scale), weight 2lb 12oz (1247g), strings now 15, 25w, 30w (baritone, tuned AEA).
This forerunner of the justifiably famous FolkRoots D series dulcimers would work perfectly well as a standard range DAD dulcimer. Its huge body, long scale length and highish action, however, make it a strong candidate for conversion to a baritone, tuned AEA – a fifth below the standard dulcimer. And it doesn’t disappoint, with plenty of depth and colour. The intonation is good and, despite the high action, it’s not difficult to chord. Can also be tuned ADA to play along easily with standard instruments, albeit with different chord shapes. At extra cost, it has an original shell case in good condition.
Click on images below to enlarge.
2.47 – Early 70s – Capritaurus – 4 String Hourglass – £Sold
It is a classic dark mahogany colour, with fully kerfed sides and back made from instrument-grade laminate, single piece continuous (hollow) mahogany fingerboard and simple flat headstock. Mahogany tailpiece with 4 simple pins as string anchors. Curious and rather charming mushroom-shaped soundholes. Decent quality open guitar-type tuners make it easy to tune. The wooden bridge and nut were originally slotted to bring all 4 strings close together, but this has been adjusted to provide a more modern feel. The action is low and easy without buzzes. Nickel frets, originally without a 6+ fret, now provided. Overall length 35½”, lower bout 7⅝”, upper bout 5½”, body depth 2½”, FBW 1⅜”, VSL 29⅛” (long scale), weight 2lb 4oz (1025g).
This is a simple design, but actually a very playable dulcimer with a nice balanced sound. Suitable for fingerstyle or chord playing. The scale length may not be ideal for some players with limited hand movement or very small hands, but it should be fine for most beginner and intermediate players.
