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This project came about after a chance encounter with a dulcimer player who let me have a go. As a dulcimer seemed to be just a fretboard on top of a sound box it was a small step to this instrument.

I used a reject Diamond Head baritone as the sound box. I removed the bridge and frets. A dulcimer fret board was made and fitted onto the bare original fretboard. The two fancy veneer patches cover the marks left after the bridge removal. It is 4 string DADD tuning.

The missing full length sound box removed the top end support for either a table or the player's knees. This replaced by a section of tennis racket frame.

It does sound very much like a standard dulcimer.

The basic Diamond Head ukulele with the frets and bridge removed.

The new fretboard with lower packing piece on the body

As a final touch I added a long pick guard. This hides most of the crack.

I decided not to go for the Gibson double pickguard as I thought the body too small to carry that amount of black.

I used a piece of sticky backed plastic.

The dulcimer fret template courtesy of StewMac's calculator.

Dulcimer fretboard all ready for installation.

Saddle slot and strum well being created.

Finished instrument. The curved neck support also fits nicely over the thigh. There are several alternative locations along the neck for shorter legs!