1974 R. E. Popelka Teardrop Appalachian Dulcimer – Used

One of the nicest traditional Appalachian dulcimers we’ve had in ages, and one that’s had excellent care throughout its 50+-year history. Given the availability of both redwood and walnut in 1974, especially in Santa Cruz, this instrument was probably constructed of local woods. Not much info on R E Popelka is available, but they clearly knew what they were doing. It’s very playable, with the nice ringing tone you hope for in this type of dulcimer. The traditional friction tuners are aided by neat little wooden “slider” fine tuners behind the bridge that work well (of course if you need even more precise tuning the mechanical fine tuners used on fiddles can be added at little cost).

This comes with its original rectangular wooden case, with neat wood-burned inscription telling us it was made by Nancie Benes for R E Popelka. Unlike many wooden cases, this one is sturdy but still quite lightweight.