Baby Grand Review

Baby Grand
Baritone Teardrop

Baby Grand-Click to see full size

David Moore, columnist for the "Dulcimer Player News," dulcimer teacher, and director of the "Northeast Dulcimer Symposium" recently posted this review of the Bear Meadow Baby Grand on the dulcimer-list, an internet reading list. The instrument he reviewed was set up as a baritone instrument, tuned to AAEa.

"We've been hearing about the Bear Meadow "Baby Grand" for some time now
and it was a great pleasure to test drive it on the shores of Blue
Mountain Lake. Before I get further, let me mention that I have no
financial interest in Bear Meadow Dulcimers, etc. Nor did Dwain ask me to
write this review, etc. Nor do I know what it will cost, etc. Etc, etc.
As a baritone owner and a critical player I should share my experience of
this instrument with you.

"Before I go on, let me describe what I am currently playing as it does
form a baseline. My own baritone is a stock Folkcraft baritone design
that was custom built by them in 1998 to their specs from woods I carried
back from Australia in 1996. The top of mine is of King William Pine, a
now very rare, musically superb but very soft aromatic pine,
approximately 80 rings to the inch (my top is over 500 years old) and the
head, sides, back, and fretboard are of Tasmanian Blackwood, a highly
figured Australian Koa relative. If I recall correctly, the 29 1/2 inch
finger board (laminated on the fretboard) is of a variety of Australian
ironwood. As I am very satisfied with this instrument, I find it easy to
critically look at other instruments.

"Now to the Bear Meadow "Baby Grand" baritone dulcimer. In a word,
excellent. The craftsmanship was Dwain's usual outstanding work. The
instrument I played was of walnut and spruce (from a split billet). The
inlay and the carving were gorgeous on the teardrop design. The sound box
was deep and this helped develop the rich, full sound of this instrument.
The dense hardwood finger board laminated onto the fretboard meant the
tapping from hammer-ons did not sound out. The action was excellent. The
slightly shorter fret pattern (approx 27 1/2 inches versus 29 or so on
the Rockwell and Folkcraft instruments) means this instrument is good for
someone with slightly smaller hands. The addition of Dwain's unique patented
FlexiFrets(tm) really opened up some nice possibilities, too.

"Bear Meadow dulcimers, and their predecessors, Sunhearth dulcimers have a
distinctly easy playability. This instrument was no exception. The action
was superb and playing the instrument was a real pleasure. Indeed it
almost played itself.

"Let me mention the all important tone. Tuned to A-E-a-a, the "Baby Grand"
has an overall tone that is warm, full, and rich. I have been extremely
dissatisfied with some of the other short scale baritones I have seen,
heard, and played. In general I found their tonal qualities thin and
weak, lacking the critical overtones. The "Baby Grand" had all the right
overtones, indeed it sounded better than a long scale baritone instrument
I once played. There were a couple of places where the sound dropped off
slightly but this is inherent in a teardrop design so I was expecting it.
I am familiar with this property of teardrop instruments and know how to
play around it. I shall be very interested to hear how the sound on this
nice instrument matures after a couple of years of playing.

"Bottom Line: Dwain Wilder, the successor to the Walt Martin's Sunhearth
dulcimers has designed and built another excellent instrument that brings
a top-of-the-line shorter scale baritone dulcimer to the market place.
The walnut and spruce combination makes a sound box that has excellent
tonal qualities. The Bear Meadow "Baby Grand" looks gorgeous, sounds
excellent and is a pleasure to play. This is a dulcimer I would own
gladly."

David Moore

Dwain Wilder

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