Galax Dulcimers
Galax dulcimers originated from an area of SW Virginia centred on the town of Galax, where the Old Fiddlers Convention has been held in August since 1935. There has been an even longer tradition in the area of playing in small string bands and the cheap, homemade dulcimer naturally took its place in this tradition. But that traditional small-bodied design was difficult to play at speed and, more importantly, could not easily be heard. So bigger-bodied instruments evolved, with multiple high-pitched strings – and most importantly, driven by a noter rather than left hand fingers. This addressed both speed and volume, and the unison strings gave some flexibility in keys without re-tuning.
Some galax dulcimers have more conventional, albeit larger, bodies often in a boat or elliptical shape with a D-shaped tail – rather like the handle on a very large tea cup! Others took the design to its logical extreme with very large, deep bodies and a resonator back for extra volume. The extra back is usually of the same hardwood as the body, but with a softwood inner back, attached to the resonator with multiple small ‘feet’ round the edge. The sound produced when strummed continuously with pick – or often turkey quill – is high pitched and propulsive. Ideal for dancing!
Dulcimers featured in the first Old Fiddlers Convention and the main name that stands out is Raymond Melton, player and builder of these galax style dulcimers (pic far left below). The Meltons continue to feature prominently in this style of dulcimer playing, influencing others in the extended family, including a young niece called Bonnie Russell. The Russell Family were captured playing in 1972 (pic far right below) on a famous record called ‘Mountain Dulcimer – Galax Style’, featuring 13 year old virtuoso Bonnie Russell on galax dulcimer with brother Roy on guitar and father Roscoe on ukelele. In more recent times, the galax dulcimer style has been kept alive by Phyllis and Jim Gaskins, who have taught and performed at many dulcimer festivals.
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3.122 2010 Sweet Woods Galax 4 String Elliptical Dulcimer £450 [Case extra]
Printed label: “Sweet Woods Instruments/ by/ David Lynch/ Mountain & Hammered Dulcimers,/ Psaltries & Lap Harps/ “David Lynch” [sgnd] 05-10 [h/w]/ [tel. no./ email]”.
Huge Galax elliptical body, all walnut with bookmatched back and softwood inner back. Walnut scroll, open pegbox with banjo or ukelele planetary tuners (unbranded). The four round soundholes have a complex Celtic knot motif, presumably produced on a CNC machine. High, hollow fingerboard in the traditional fashion, with holes through into the body between frets 1 & 2 and in the strum hollow – but wider than usual for a Galax. Unusually, has an ebony overlay. High bone nut and bridge, both cut for conventional 4 string/3 course or 4 equidistant courses. Original 6+ and 13+ frets. BUT, more recently, the full width frets have been removed and staple frets fitted under just the nearest 3 strings – presumably for noter play. Overall length 36¾”, bout 8½”, depth 3” [3½” with galax back], FBW 1¾”, VSL 27″ (medium scale), weight 3lb 15oz (1776g), strings all 0.010 plain unwound string, tuned in unison. 6+ and 13+ frets.
Pretty and well-constructed instrument which originally tried to put a conventional fingerboard layout on a galax instrument. Was a favourite instrument of Robin Clark, a UK and International noter playing specialist who I suspect altered the fingerboard to suit his more traditional style of playing. Has a great sound which cuts through but is warmer than some galax-style instruments.
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3.121 2002 Neuhauser Galax Dulcimer #112 £550 [Case extra]
Paper label, all handwritten: “Galax style #9 Roscoe Russell copy/ Made for Bonnie Russell/ Double D Dulcimer/ Hand Crafted Custom Orders/ #112 Sep 2002 Don Neuhauser [sign]/ 7914 Hidden River Trace/ Charlestown, IN 47111/ Curly Cherry and Rosewood”.
Spectacular curly cherry sides and bookmatched galax back with central purfling strip; spruce inner back and top, latter with simple circular soundholes. High and narrow fingerboard with softwood core and rosewood overlay; softwood traditional galax D-shaped tail. Flat cherry headstock with rosewood overlay and MoP star, fitted with enclosed Grover tuners. Holes through to body, in traditional style, between 1st & 2nd frets, and in strum hollow. Four identical equidistant strings, tuned in unison, for noter style play. Overall length 37″, bout 9¼”, depth 2¼”/2¾ with galax back, FBW 1⅛”, VSL 25¾” (medium scale), weight 3lb 0z (1363g). String sizes all 0.010. No 6+ or 13+ fret.
This is a very special instrument, having been made for one of the premier old-style noter dulcimer players, Bonnie Russell. Bonnie was a child prodigy on the dulcimer, taking the featured role in a famous 1972 recording of the Russell Family entitled “Mountain Dulcimer – Galax Style”. She learned from her mother’s family, the Meltons, who were famous players and makers of galax dulcimers. The instrument is in excellent condition, having been owned and cared for by Robin Clark of Bird Rock Dulcimers in Wales – himself an internationally-known expert in noter-style dulcimer playing.
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3.77 Fletcher Teardrop Galax-style Dulcimer:
Printed label, “[h/w] 8/87……102/ Appalachian Mountain Dulcimers/ Handcrafted by Robert L. Fletcher/ Nov-Apr. [address in Orlando, FA] May-Oct [address in West Jefferson, NC].”
The design is one Fletcher saw in the late 70s when he visited Virginian luthiers Albert and Audrey Hash. Walnut bookmatched back and sides, all with a touch of lighter sapwood colouring. The top looks like ambrosia maple, with the insect holes and discoloured streaks typical of this wood. F-hole soundholes. A big closed shallow pegbox and rounded scroll, laminated from four slices of walnut, has three elegant, paddle-shaped wooden pegs with thin shafts, made from rosewood (?). The fingerboard is a single piece of walnut with thin, shallow frets and mother of pearl markers at frets 3, 5, 7 and 10 (no 6+ fret ). Chunky bone (?) bridge and nut. The fret pattern is traditional – meantone? – temperament and thus suitable particularly for noter style play in 1:5:5 (e.g. DAA) tuning. Has a big Galax-style D tailpiece which also anchors the ball-end strings, running through holes to the fingerboard surface and the bridge. Overall length 38”, lower bout 7”, depth 2½”, FBW 1⅝”, VSL 26⅝” (medium scale), weight 2lb 3oz (992g). No 6+ fret. Original (?) strings 0.012, 0.012, 0.022w – now 0.012, 0.012, 0.024w.
In excellent original condition. Well constructed but not perfectly finished. A big instrument with a surprisingly trebly sound, suitable for noter playing.
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