Gear
Richard performs exclusively on Folkcraft and FolkRoots brand dulcimers. Here are his two main instruments:
See more about this instrument at Folkcraft.com
This instrument is a Folkcraft standard dulcimer. The body is made of northern cherry, and the soundboard is made of Sitka spruce.
The dulcimer is "stock Folkcraft" (nothing special "just for Richard"). Even the string gauges are "stock" - .011 for the melody, .013 for the middle, and a roller wound brass .024 for the bass.
Richard uses this dulcimer for all the fast tunes, and most of the songs that require retuning (typically from DAD to DGD, or DAC).
See more about this instrument at Folkcraft.com
Richard's second instrument is also a Folkcraft. It has the high-volume FolkRoots body, and is set up as a baritone dulcimer. Tuned AEA, it has a mellow, lyrical quality that suits some of Richard's ballads and show tunes nicely.
The body of this instrument is made of East Indian rosewood, and the soundboard is made of western red cedar.
The instrument doesn't have the volume of the Folkcraft standard dulcimer, but it has a warmth that is unparalleled. Once again, this is a stock instrument, down to the string gauges (.014 for the melody, .022 bronze wound for the middle, and .034 bronze wound for the bass). Taken straight from the wall of the Folkcraft showroom, this instrument was NOT customized for Richard's use.
|  | Polishing a custom Folkcraft double neck dulcimer
|  | With dulcimer legend Steve Seifert
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