NEW!
Listen to Jan Hammond play Timbre Hill Dulcimers

Welcome to the world of Timbre Hill Dulcimers. It’s a world where the traditions of the Mountain Dulcimer are celebrated, not only as they’ve occurred in the past, but as they are interpreted and dynamically re-created today. 

Clicking on the "Products" button will take you to a description of Timbre Hill Dulcimers and their prices, styles, and specifications. Clicking on the "Construction" or the "About Us" buttons will make available a rambling and meandering journey through various building techniques, general attitudes and perspectives that ultimately become incorporated in the dulcimers themselves. Paul Conrad, Builder, also describes "Selection and Preservation of Wood" used in building each Timbre Hill Dulcimer.

Timbre Hill Dulcimers are the end product of a process that imagines and creates a strong yet delicate voice that wants to live in a wooden box that is a pleasure to hold, touch, play and perceive.  

Most players of Mountain dulcimers report that it is the sound of the dulcimer that first attracted them to the instrument. The sound of a Mountain Dulcimer seems to be able to enter the mind and the body in a way that calls pleasantly across the most basic landscapes of the human psyche. Maintaining and refining this sound is a primary concern of Timbre Hill Dulcimers. 

A strong voice is also a goal of Timbre Hill Dulcimers. Mountain Dulcimers tend to be instruments with less volume than other stringed instruments.  A strong voice with adequate volume to be heard while playing with other instruments is also a concern of most contemporary players. (A number of customers report that they play their Timbre Hill Dulcimer softly in club settings so they won’t stand out too much.) But more importantly than being heard in groups, a strong voice allows the skilled player a range of dynamics not available with an instrument with a softer voice. 

Mountain Dulcimers are one of the few instruments that are routinely kept near at hand and displayed in living spaces. A strong secondary goal here at Timbre Hill Dulcimers is to create an instrument that people enjoy looking at. Using beautiful and interesting woods are part of meeting this goal. Mixing woods in visually stimulating patterns is another way Timbre Hill Dulcimers meet this goal. And all Timbre Hill Dulcimers are designed to be hung on walls—no special hangers or straps are needed.

Timbre Hill Dulcimers are designed and made to be user friendly. Accurate intonation and appropriate action height are given special attention. And they are designed to allow easy adjustment of both.

Finally, come chat with us and play one of the Timbre Hill Dulcimers at a festival near you. Our schedule is listed on the "Calendar" page.