Rosewood Raises A Ruckus
Good Morning, Everyone - and Happy Friday!
Today we're re-featuring an "In The Shop" from the last week of 2023. Richard talked with us about the pros and cons of East Indian rosewood. Pain in the tuchus to work with, but it sure looks and sounds beautiful!
Until next week,
Toya, your-newsletter-editor-who-has-a-rosewood-guitar-and-still-hopes-to-have-a-rosewood-Folkcraft-dulcimer-some-day-too
(December 29, 2023)
Good Morning, Y'all!
This is the last shop blog of 2023. What a year this has been! I owe a big "THANK YOU" to my amazing shop staff (Dad & Cheyenne), and to Pam (our shop sewer & all-around organizer), to Aly (the shop wife - mine!), and to all of you who made this year possible. Y'all are awesome!
I'm going to talk about East Indian rosewood today. One of my all-around favorite woods, but a giant pain in the neck to deal with.
Why is East Indian rosewood one of my favorites? Because it looks great, and it sounds great. The dark purple color is stunning, and the warmth of tone is amazing.
Why might this be a "pain in the neck" wood? Sourcing, cost, dry time, and irritation.
Sourcing. During the virus a few years ago, most of my domestic suppliers stopped importing all kinds of lumber, rosewood included. Luckily, I've since found "a guy" in India - and he's provided us with awesome wood.
Two slabs of rosewood: 35" long, 9" wide, and 2" thick.
Cost. This stuff is expensive. Ridiculously expensive! We charge an extra $410 for dulcimers made of rosewood. And while it is worth every penny, that's a lot of money to me, and to a lot of you.
Two slabs cut into smaller pieces. I'll get backs from the two pieces on the left, sides from the two middle pieces, and fretboards from the two pieces on the right.
Dry time. The lumber comes to us wrapped in plastic. Soaking wet. It is wrapped in plastic so it won't dry out (and crack, horribly!) during transit from India to Indiana. When a slab arrives here, I have to immediately slice it into finished parts, and then let it sit for a year or two. Which ties up a lot of money - and shelf space - for wood that's not usable until well into the future.
Here's what I got from those two (very expensive) slabs of lumber. From left to right: Six backs/tops (6" wide, for resonator dulcimers); two fretboard veneers; Seven backs/tops (4 1/4" wide, for standard dulcimers); Six sides; Two fingerboard blanks; and Seven sides. Keep in mind that each side/top/back needs to be a book matched pair, so "six sides" is enough for three dulcimers.
Irritation. Rosewood dust is an irritant. Worse than Western red cedar, even. I have to wear a mask when dealing with the sawdust, otherwise I can get congested for a week or more. Rosewood dust isn't a known carcinogen (unlike walnut), but rosewoods are seriously annoying to work with.
I mentioned "pain in the neck," but I still think rosewood is awesome. Too bad we can't grow rosewood trees here in Woodburn!
Thanks for everything, Y'all - you're appreciated more than you know!
Richard Ash, luthier-with-rosewood-dust-under-his-fingernails
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: CHRISTINE TERESINSKI
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Christine: I have been playing the dulcimer for over 7 years now.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Christine: I purchased my first Folkcraft dulcimer in 2020. I have purchased three more since then, and I am currently awaiting the arrival of my new custom dulcimer. I'm not "too" addicted.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Christine: I enjoy playing at home, for family, and...
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!!!
We don't have a new "playa" to feature this week - but maybe by next week? (hint, hint) But we are happy to re-feature our Canadian neighbor, Christine Teresinski, who joined our online community over four years ago now. How've ya been, Christine? There's still plenty of room for more of you, folks! Maybe we could feature you and your Folkcraft dulcimer(s) next week?
Who's Going To Write In Next? Keep The Family Growing?
It really is super-easy to join our online dulcimer community. Just three easy steps:
1) Send an email to: newsletter@folkcraft.com
2) With the answers to the four questions below
3) Attach a photo of yourself with your Folkcraft dulcimer(s)
We look forward to receiving your submission & featuring you in our newsletter real soon!
1. How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
2. When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
3. Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
4. What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing dulcimer?
WE'RE OFFERING A $25 FOLKCRAFT GIFT CARD TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS THE FOUR EASY QUESTIONS LISTED ABOVE, AND SENDS IN A PHOTO (OF YOU WITH YOUR FOLKCRAFT DULCIMER). IT'S REALLY SO EASY TO DO!
WE JUST LOVE HEARING FROM Y'ALL!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
This week Mandy will teach you about alternate picking and you’ll get an exercise with TAB (see below). Have fun! Click on the image below to listen & learn.
We have a slew (that's a fancy luthier word for "bunch") of videos for you to watch on our YouTube channel. Click here to see the full list. Be sure to comment on a video, and subscribe to the channel - either action helps us a LOT with YouTube's suggestion algorithms.
TWICE AS NICE - MOUNTAIN DULCIMER DUETS
by Larry Conger
Here's a fantastic collection of mountain dulcimer arrangements, but with a twist. These arrangements are for mountain dulcimer duets. Both parts are for standard (normal octave, DAD tuning) dulcimer. Each song has both melody and harmony parts.
Enjoy the harmonious sounds of Larry Conger's "Twice As Nice" duets book, and take your dulcimer playing to new heights. (28 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED:
All I Have To Do Is Dream
Battle Cry Of Freedom
Bonnie Doon
Evening Star Waltz
Flowers Of Edinburgh
Greensleeves
Log Cabin Waltz
Minuet #4
Never On Sunday
Planxty Fanny Power
Southwind
The Gentle Maiden
Turtle Dove - Shady Grove
NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN BOOK FORM
SEE WHAT'S NEW ON OUR SALE PAGE THIS WEEK
We've got everything from instrument cases, books, and even some dulcimer parts. It keeps changing, so stop by and check it out now and then, why don't ya?