2.61 Clemmer “Sweetie” – 4 String Elliptical – £Sold
A nice alternative to the McSpadden “Ginger” – a smaller-bodied, short scale (23″ VSL) dulcimer from highly rated Townsend, Tennessee builder Mike Clemmer. Handwritten label: “Handcrafted by:/Mike Clemmer/5 – 2008 TS 1016C”. TS stands for Tennessee Sweetie and C for Church Style (i.e. the deeper 2” body).
Attractive wormy chestnut top (extra cost option) with walnut bookmatched back and sides. Handcut vine decorations on head, fingerboard and strum hollow, stamped “Clemmer” on fingerboard. Flat headstock, chrome Grover quality guitar tuners, bone nut, wooden floating bridge and chrome strap buttons. Chrome screw string anchors. Deeper body (extra cost option). Original strings 0.014, 0.018, 0.032w; now 0.013, 0.016, 0.026w.
Overall length 28¾”, upper bout/lower bout 6⅜”, depth 2¼”, FBW 1⅝”, VSL 23″ (very short scale), weight 1lb 15oz (887g). 6½ fret.
Well made from premium materials, Clemmer’s fiddle-sided dulcimers (see also Bill Davis and Sam Carrell) are highly regarded and popular in the US. These compact dulcimers are also well liked. Has a good easy action and good intonation, with a somewhat hard sound which is (surprisingly?) more treble than bass.
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