Carol & Joe Esch
Somerset, KY
Website: http://www.windridgefarm.us/inspiredinstruments.htm
Instrument BuildingPicture: esch 1 A line of Baby Bowed Psalteries. Each baby bowed psaltery has a 1 ½ octave playing range and measures approximately 18” long x 5” wide x 3” deep (including pins). Each instrument comes with a bow, instruction book, tuning wrench, rosin and a soft case.
Picture: esch 2 Mahogany Hammered Dulcimer. Our hammered dulcimers are individually created with attention to detail. Each instrument includes a tuning wrench, instructions and a soft case.
Picture: esch 3 Bowed Psaltery Circle. The size difference between a Baby and a Regular Bowed Psaltery can easily be seen. Our regular bowed psalteries have a 2 ½ octave playing range and measure approximately 25” long x 9” wide x 3” deep (including pins). Each instrument comes with a bow, instruction book, tuning wrench, rosin and a soft case.
“Our goal is to create high quality, well built, unique Hammered Dulcimers and Bowed Psalteries, each with their own personality and voice.”
We began building hammered dulcimers in 1999 and added bowed psalteries several years later. We both work at a local dairy, and after our workdays are finished we come home to our workshop and relax with some woodworking and music making. While instrument building is our hobby it has also become our shared passion.
We usually have a number of bowed psalteries and several hammered dulcimers on hand, but are also more than happy to take custom orders. Every piece of lumber is hand selected by Joe to assure that only the highest quality lumber available is used. A variety of woods (mahogany, Spanish cedar, paduak, yellowheart, purpleheart, cherry, poplar, walnut, lacewood, bloodwood, etc.) are used for the soundboards of the psalteries; and mahogany is used for the hammered dulcimer soundboards. The pin blocks and sides of the psalteries are all constructed of hard maple to assure an instrument that will last for a lifetime of playing and enjoyment. The backs are all made of poplar (an excellent instrument making wood), which gives all our instruments a similar sound; but you may notice slight differences in tone due to the soundboard wood. All our instruments are signed, dated and numbered; and our bowed psalteries all have a keyhole in the back for proudly displaying on your wall.
