Goose Acres CD2 Model Appalachian Dulcimer (1980s), made in Cleveland, Ohio, serial # 158, natural finish, spruce top, cherry back and sides, gig bag case.

Goose Acres was the family business of Bob Smakula and his father Peter, two names often spoken with a distinct reverence within the world of banjo lovers. After humble beginnings building dulcimers in the 1970's, a teenage Bob enlisted the aid of his father Peter, a German immigrant and all-around steward of American folk music. The pair grew a small repair operation and their "Thumb Piano Factory & Dulcimer Works" into the Goose Acres Folk Music Center. More than just a store to share the fruits of their own lutherie, it was a repair shop and a vital meeting ground that served all manner of local pickers and folkies all the way up to the likes of Norman Blake and Doc Watson. While Bob continues to this day to build and preserve fine folk instruments under the Smakula banner, Goose Acres ceased operations in 2006 and Peter passed shortly after in 2008.

This is an exemplary Appalachian hourglass dulcimer, beautifully made and generally straightforward but which breaks slightly from tradition. This instrument is built with a tightly grained spruce top dotted with heart-shaped soundholes, and what appears to be a light-finished cherry back and sides. The scroll headstock is fitted with a unique modern luxury in this traditional instrument: plastic machine tuners fashioned to look like friction pegs while avoiding the constant struggle of violin pegs. The strings pass over a rosewood nut, fingerboard, and bridge to the tailpiece; a rosewood fingerboard especially is a luxury rarely found on older folksier dulcimers, but which would likely have been well in-stock in the renowned Goose Acres workshop. The general workmanship, including the elegant beveling of the fingerboard on the strumming end, is further proof that this is the product of decades of dedicated dulcimer lutherie.

Length is 34 1/4 in. (87 cm.), 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) in depth at deepest point. Scale length is 26 1/4 in. (667 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).

This is a very well-preserved example of a high quality genuine handmade dulcimer from the Goose Acres shop. There are virtually no signs of use at all, pretty surprising given an audibly superior tone and great playability on display here. The wood is unmarred save a few small scratches and minor shows of use. The original frets are full of life and play like a dream, and the modernized faux-friction machine tuners are a welcome touch. The label inside is well in-tact. Overall an this is an excellent instrument, consistently Goose Acres are among the finer dulcimers we've had. It comes in a handmade gig bag. Excellent Condition.