Mint McSpadden Teardrop Dulcimer T9-W, Richard Stolze, signed

The McSpadden T-9 is a classic teardrop-shaped mountain dulcimer produced by The Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View, Arkansas. The '9' denotes the larger body shape, which produces a deeper, fuller sound compared to the narrower 8-series models. The ‘W‘ stands for walnut.

This particular dulcimer was made by Master luthier, Richard Stolze, who has been building instruments for McSpadden for 45 years. (I’ve included a photo of Stolze with the photos of the dulcimer.)

It is 35 1/2” long, 1 1/4” deep, 5 5/8” wide. The VSL is 28 1/2”, the FBW 1 1/4”. Solid walnut. 19 frets, including zero and 6+. Open scroll head with 4 nickel friction tuners with brown buttons. Rosewood bridge and nut. New D’Addario strings. Comes with its original black chipboard case with plush red lining, pick, noter and paperwork. (The case needs a new handle.)

The label inside reads: “THE DULCIMER SHOPPE / Handcrafted instruments by McSpadden / MOUNTAIN VIEW, ARKANSAS / [handwritten signature] Richard Stolze / Date [h/w] 1978 No. [h/w] 5033 Model [h/w] T9-W”

It is in pristine condition — 48 years old, but like new. Because of the narrower than average fretboard, it would be an excellent instrument for a player with small hands.