Dave Haas Is Coming To Town
August 9, 2024
Good Morning, Y'all
I can't believe it is Friday already and that we get to hang out with Dave Haas this weekend! Our next-to-the-last Second Saturday Clinic of 2024 is tomorrow and "Dulcimer Dave" is traveling all the way to Woodburn to teach and perform. I've seen Dave a few times so far this year, but it's always at a busy festival, and mostly it's been "Hi, Dave" and then "Bye, Dave." But, after the Second Saturday Clinics, we usually take the artist/instructors out to dinner, and get to spend a fair bit of time chatting and visiting. Woo-hoo!
We have one remaining clinic this year, with Folkcraft Endorsing Artists John Keane and Karen Keane. Two amazing teachers, impeccable performers, and genuinely nice people. If you haven't met them yet, you really ought to come visit Woodburn, Indiana, next month.
When is the Keane clinic? September 14, 2024. Full details are here.
In the shop this week? I have an amazing staff these days, and was able to capture photos of Pam, Casey, and Cheyenne. Dad was AWOL, so no Jim photo this week!
Pam is (of course) busy making cases. Y'all buy a lot of our cases anyway, but each completed instrument includes a case, too. It's a lot of cases, week after week.
Pam's #1 sewing machine - a Juki brand machine with all kinds of computerized controls - even a pneumatically operated presser foot lift system.
We rotate around and take turns packing orders. Today was Cheyenne's day to box up books, strings, straps, and instruments. In the photo below, he is packing up a couple of the Shelley Stevens books.
Casey's been working on dulcimers today. In the photo below, he's putting hardware onto a LAP-JO. LAP-JO hardware isn't particularly challenging, but there's a LOT of it. I calculated 188 total parts, outside of the wood parts, when making a LAP-JO. It is a fussy job, for sure!
Casey, installing J hooks (J hooks hold the tension hoop to the body).
When we do shop tours our guests are always amazed at the sheer amount of non-dulcimer things we do. People think of Folkcraft as a "dulcimer place," but we try to serve the full dulcimer community with (in addition to dulcimers) cases, straps, strings, books, classes, and so much more.
Now, I need to quit writing, and go see if I can get something done myself!
Now, I need to quit writing, and go see if I can get something done myself!
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend. I'll see about 30 of you tomorrow (at Dave's clinic), and hopefully some of the rest of you will come to John and Karen's clinic next month.
Richard Ash - luthier-who-can't-imagine-running-Folkcraft-without-amazing-colleagues