4 strings, rosewood frame with spruce soundboard, hour-glass shape, heart shaped cutouts in soundboard. Case (DMHC) sold seperately. Most early dulcimers had a strictly diatonic scale; that is, the frets were placed so as to produce a major scale (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do) with no extra half steps. More recently, dulcimer players have found that the placement of an extra fret between the 6th and 7th fret allows two things. A major scale can be produced starting at another point (on the open string), and most songs containing accidental notes can he played. The 6 1/2 fret adds versatility. The disadvantage is that it takes a while to get used to the extra fret if you have been playing a dulcimer without it. This dulcimer has the 6 1/2 and the 13 1/2 frets

Included with your instrument free:

1) Soft Nylon Case.

2) Instructional manual and song collection for the Mountain dulcimer, by Bud & Donna Ford. Explains, Hand positions, picking techniques, tuning, and more. Over 40 songs and 87 pages.

3) "The Ultimate Fretted Tuning Chart" This chart contains 87 tunings (47 for guitar) for various common and hard to find instruments. The accompanying CD has all the tunings played on the actual instruments. Many tunings are offered for most instruments. Instruments include guitar, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer, bass, harp guitar, balalaika, oud, charrango, bouzouki, tres, ukulele, bajo sexto, dobro/lap steel, vihuela and requinto. Included are the most common tunings as well as many exotic tunings.

• Shipping insurance included
• Soft Case and Book included
• Tuning chart w/ CD (shipped separately)
• Brand new!

Note: Whether you purchase an instrument on-line or from a physical store locally, it is recommended that you change the strings on your new instrument as soon as you receive it. The strings of an instrument both in a store or shipped to you are exposed to air and different environments prior to you receiving it. During this time the strings WILL oxidize, decreasing it's life expectancy and reducing the quality of it's sound. On occasion instruments may even arrive with a broken string, therefore, it is recommended that you purchase a replacement set of strings and consider changing your strings as soon as it arrives. Learning to change strings should be the first lesson learned when embarking on the journey of playing a new instrument.