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Ben Seymour's Kudzu Patch dulcimers are constructed in the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch hourglass shape. His dulcimers feature precision machined tuners, a unique tailpiece facilitating the use of loop end or ball end strings, and Ben's signature leaf-shaped soundholes. Both bridge and nut are grooved for stringing either with four equidistant strings or with doubled treble strings. Kudzu Patch dulcimers are fine instruments, boasting a big sound and a full, rich tone.
Kudzu Patch standard dulcimers come in Short and Long fretboard lengths. Vibrating String Length (VSL), or scale length, for Short fretboards is 26 15/16"; VSL is 28 1/4" for Long models. Depth of standard model dulcimers is 2". Other models include:
Baritone dulcimers Tuned A-E-A for a deep, rich sound, amplified by an increased depth of 2 3/8".
Babydoll The cute little guy. Tuned to a high G-D-G; VSL is 23 7/16".
Jazz Has the same VSL as the Babydoll, and is tuned (from treble to bass) D-D-G-high B, facilitating easy jazz chords. Built in the standard hourglass shape, or in the distinctive "S" shape upon request, with your choice of four or five strings.
See Prices & Terms page for ordering information.
Below are examples of the different types of Kudzu Patch dulcimers, with details on the particular instrument. (Some of those pictured are early instruments with larger soundholes. Ben later began making smaller soundholes for esthetic reasons; this does not affect the volume or quality of sound.)
(Click on the thumbnails for enlarged views.)
Short Standard
Baritone
This dulcimer is made of palm wood, which is in the grass family, so one might say this is Ben's "grass dulcimer!"
(VSL=28 1/4")
Zebrawood dulcimer with a western red cedar back.(VSL=26 15/16")
Western red cedar top with quilted maple sides, back and fretboard
Jazz Model Babydoll
Five strings, S-shaped body
(VSL=23 7/16")
Listen to the jazz dulcimer
playing A Windy Day in May
(© Ben Seymour, 2005)
And a surprise link!
(Scroll most of the way down)
Cherry sides and back, western red cedar top,
(VSL=23 7/16")
< < ◊ ◊ Recently Located !!! ◊ ◊ > > 
This dulcimer was brought to Ben for repair by Phil Goodrich, who had purchased it many years ago. When Ben looked into the soundhole, he saw "001" on the label inside--this was the first dulcimer he built, around 1994! It possesses the same great tone and huge volume that all of Bens' dulcimers have.
Listen to the tunes Ben played on it by clicking the titles at left!
These instruments have been sold to individuals unless otherwise indicated.
| This Rosewood Dulcimer has a western red cedar top and a bookmatched, figured rosewood back. Sides are slightly deeper at 2 3/8". Fretboard is mahogany with an ebony fingerboard. Especially remarkable for its excellent sustain. A fingerpicker's delight! | Quilted maple two-point teardrop dulcimer with western red cedar top. This dulcimer has a tone like a cello -- full-bodied and resonant.   | ||||||
Leopardwood dulcimer (long standard) with spruce top. This was my first time using leopardwood, and it may well be my last--I found that I was very allergic to its dust! An exotically beautiful dulcimer with a crisp and well-balanced tone.    | The Palmwood dulcimer. Technically, the palm tree is a member of the grass family; its wood is stringy and is not normally used to build most things that common woods are usually employed in. [To Ben, this means CHALLENGE!!] The result is a surprisingly fine-sounding instrument. This is one of Ben's favorites to play. NFS
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This Yin/Yang Maple Dulcimer has a quad bookmatched flamed maple back, lightly flamed maple sides and quarter-sawn redwood top. Soundholes have inlaid quilted maple details. Fretboard is ebony w/flamed maple sides and birdseye strum hollow. Sound is bright w/excellent sustain. Hear The Water is Wide played on it. $850       | Custom chromatic Baby Doll with false back, built for Becky. Bubinga top, sides and false back, with western red cedar back. Ankh soundholes and abalone fretboard dots. Back inlay: quilted maple ankh inlaid in ebony diamond. Articulate mellow tone. NFS     | ||||||
Laminated Baby Doll teardrop style with laminated alternating African mahogany and sycamore back. Sides are walnut & sycamore; fretboard is walnut and fingerboard is sycamore. Very sweet tone and excellent action.    | Bill Lee's Two-Point Teardrop has a western red cedar top. Back and sides are built from colorful walnut, including both heartwood and sapwood.    | ||||||
Angel dulcimer | Rose dulcimer. Quilted maple back, sides and fretboard with manufactured rose motif inlay.
| The "Dulcinator" has a steel cone and a banjo-like sound. (Ben made this for himself.) Hear Ben play Mississippi Sawyer on it. | The Scottish dulcimer. Soundholes are Scottish lions rampant in a top with a pattern very like ermine. Celtic cross inlaid in sides of headstock. A beauty with a huge sound! | ||||
Kathy Howell and her new bass. Hers was an experimental model, made all of walnut except for a spruce back. (The false back is walnut.) It is an outstanding bass dulcimer. | Mark Gilston's exceptional custom model has a divided fretboard: melody side diatonic and the middle and bass chromatic. Walnut back and sides, western red cedar top, ebony fretboard and overlay headstock.
| Jenny Banefield's beautiful walnut dulcimer, with butterfly soundholes and a walnut slice cameo inlay.     | |||||
Ben gave a Kudzu Patch dulcimer to Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls in March 2004. (We're hoping it will end up on some album of theirs, or even on stage!) |
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