Kudzu Patch Dulcimers       Dulcimers in Ben's own style Ben Seymour, Luthier 2142 Coxe Rd., Tryon, NC 28782-7773 (828) 863-4384  kudzupatch@gmail.com

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. Your instrument can be made from any of a variety of woods. (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.) 

Long Standard			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 with a western red cedar back.(VSL=26 15/16")			Western red cedar top with quilted maple sides, back and fretboard Sound files (mp3) Unplugged    Plugged

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") Hear Ben play one:

<   <   ◊   ◊    First Dulcimer Located !    ◊   ◊   >   >
Blarney Pilgrim Jenny Lind Skye Boat Song Thickety Creek	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!

 

Custom Kudzu Patch Dulcimers

NOTE: These instruments all have been ordered by and sold to individuals unless otherwise indicated.

Richard Graham (Asheville, NC) owns this rosewood back and sides dulcimer.	Olivewood dulcimer  Hear Ben play this dulcimer:		Custom split fretboard dulcimer with Indian rosewood false back and sides, and a spruce back and western red cedar top, made for Richard Latker (Hong Kong).	"Dulcinator II"-- Resonator dulcimer made of walnut, inset with a handspun resonator cone. Better crafted than the first try.
Here's an Electric Dulcimer! Ben thought he ought to make at least one of these. It sounds great, amplified!  $750			This is a Teardrop Dulcinator with walnut back and sides, a birdseye maple top and a walnut fretboard. The soundholes are horned toad silhouettes. It has an excellent, clear voice. Visit this link to hear this and other dulcinators played by Ben.
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
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.			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 (TX) Two-Point Teardrop has a western red cedar top.  Back and sides are built from colorful walnut, including both heartwood and sapwood.
Angel dulcimer with fine abalone inlay.	Rose dulcimer.  Quilted maple back, sides and fretboard with manufactured rose motif inlay.		Ben's first "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 (TX) 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 (Reidsville, NC) beautiful walnut dulcimer, with butterfly soundholes and a walnut slice  cameo inlay.	Wayne Seymour (Reidsville, NC--Ben's brother) owns this lovely teardrop, inlaid on the back with a reproduction of a drawing of cosmos flowers originally rendered by their mother, the late Christine Watson Seymour.
Beautiful quarter-sawn lacy sycamore dulcimer made for Grieg Vanlandingham (Kingsport,TN).             Listen to Ben play it on YouTube here and here	Dulcinator #3, made with a western red cedar top, rosewood back, sides, and false back, built for Cliff Cyphers (Texas).		The grand "Pleiades" Dulcimer, made of cherry with a spruce top, and full of stars!	This dulcimer was custom-made for Jeff Menzies (Ontario). It has a short standard body with a 26 1/2" VSL. The top is mulberry; the back and sides are walnut.
Lynn Parson's curly cherry galax with a spruce top and morning glory inlays.	Don "Country" Strickland's custom walnut back and sides, spruce top dulcimer with sycamore inlay.		Hawaiian-Style Dulcimer On a scale similar to his regular dulcimers, Ben's newest experimental instrument has dulcimer fretting and an extra bass string, lending additional richness to its huge sound. Ben already has orders for this marvelous instrument! Listen to Ben play it!	Kokopelli Dulcimer with walnut back and sides and western red cedar for the top; catalox overlay on the fretboard.
The Big Boy, or M.O.D.E.* Ben received the wrong size cases and the manufacturer gave him credit but didn't want them back, so Ben just made an instrument that would fit them! Walnut with a redwood top and saligna fretboard. HUGE sound!       *"Magna Oblonga Dulcimelos Excelsior!"	Hawai'ian Style dulcimer This instrument, made mostly of koa wood from Hawai'i, was sent to New Hope, Minnesota.		Dogwood Dulcimer A custom Standard diatonic walnut dulicmer inlaid with gum tupelo dogwood blossoms	Courting Dulcimer It is said that a courting dulcimer was employed by Appalachian parents when a young fellow was courting their daughter. The couple could be put out on the porch, sitting on either side of the double-sided dulcimer. Their propriety could be monitored from inside by listening and ensuring that all hands were in play on the instrument at all times. This one is made of Afrian acacia with a spruce top.
	Kevin Teague's ribbon-striped African mahogany back and sides, spruce top, mahogany fretboard with ebony overlay, owl and star inlays, star soundholes, K&K Twin pickup			This two-point teardrop dulcimer, headed to New Mexico for Arrabelle Luckhardt, has a quarter-sawn sycamore top and fretboard inlay; the rest is made of lightly-flamed walnut. The VSL is 26 1/2". She said of it, "The dulcimer just arrived. It looks beautiful-I love the wood choices and the craftsmanship and details are lovely. And it sounds great. Grant says it makes my other dulcimer sound defective!"
	This beautifully-figured cherry with a mahogany fretboard was built for Walter Moore. Ben inlaid Walter's initials in the headstock in ebony.			This dulcimer went to Fred Beach in Kangaroo Flat, Australia. It's made of highly figured walnut back and sides, highly figured old-growth redwood top, and mahogany fretboard with ebony overlay. It has magpie soundholes and back inlay, and a kangaroo inlay on the headstock.
	Kevin Teague ordered a dulcimer strung with a guitar scale length, and the same fretboard decoration as his Hawaiian dulcimer (see above). The top is bearclaw spruce and the back is ribbon-striped African mahogany, and has a Fishman pre-sys pickup.			Parrot dulcimer made for Lisa Rome. The top is spruce; the back and sides are figured cherry; and the fretboard is ebony. Palm tree inlay on the headstock; palm tree soundholes as well as parrots on the top.