The last couple I made were of Virginia cedar (eastern juniper). Redwood
actually makes a good dulcimer if it is designed properly. Hardwood has too long
a sustain (rings too long) with the result that the rapid playing gets
muddled. The idea behind using softer wood is to dampen the sustain a bit.
Remember that violins, cellos, and many guitars (as well as mandolins and lutes)
often have tops made of spruce. Historically lutes had tops (technically called
the 'belly') made of pine.
Wire strung harps have soundboards made of hardwood because you want a long
sustain, which is damped with the fingertips when needed. But there's no way
to dampen the sustain on a dulcimer so they are purposely made to have a short
'pluck' which dies away quickly. </HTML>
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