• Roosebeck Wildwood Dulcimer Rosewood 3 Round Openings Flat Pegbox Main photo
  • Roosebeck Wildwood Dulcimer, Rosewood, Round Holes Front
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  • Roosebeck Wildwood Dulcimer, Rosewood, Round Holes Rosette
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  • Roosebeck Wildwood Dulcimer Demo: Beginner-Friendly Mountain Dulcimer with Banjo Twang Video
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Specialty Dulcimer

Roosebeck Wildwood Dulcimer, Rosewood, Round Holes

$249
$249
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4-String Guitar-Order Strings Solid Rosewood Body Spruce Top Diatonic Fretboard

Ideal for: Guitar players adding a second instrument, and beginners who want a dulcimer that plays in a familiar position

A stick dulcimer strung in guitar order, so guitar players have nothing to unlearn.

The Wildwood is a stick dulcimer, held and played in guitar position rather than across the lap. The strings run in guitar order, with the bass string nearest you and the melody strings below it. That is the reverse of a traditional mountain dulcimer, and it is the reason guitar players pick this one up in minutes rather than weeks. Solid rosewood back, spruce soundboard, three round sound holes, flat pegbox.

Warm Wildwood Tone, Approachable Price

Three string courses (a wound bass, a plain center, and two plain strings tuned in unison) give the Wildwood its characteristic dulcimer voice with a touch more melodic body on the unison pair. The rosewood back adds warmth and sustain to the spruce soundboard's clear, dynamic response.

Three round holes vs. f-holes: The round-hole arrangement on this model produces a slightly different acoustic response than the f-hole Deluxe. Some players prefer the rounder, more focused tone the round openings produce.

Solid Rosewood, Clean Lines

The solid rosewood back contrasts with the spruce soundboard, and the three round sound holes give the top a clean, traditional Appalachian look. The flat pegbox at the head is the simpler counterpart to the Deluxe scrolled version: less ornamentation, equally functional, and a price that reflects the design simplicity.

This is the Wildwood for players who want the platform's voice and playability without the ornamental upgrades.

Same platform, simpler details: The Wildwood and the Deluxe Wildwood share the same scale length, string configuration, and fretboard layout. The differences are aesthetic: round holes vs. f-holes, flat pegbox vs. scrolled.

Strung Like a Guitar, Fretted Like a Dulcimer

On a traditional mountain dulcimer the melody strings sit closest to the player, which is the detail that trips up guitarists. The Wildwood reverses that. The bass string is nearest you and the melody strings are furthest away, exactly where a guitar player expects to find them. Held in guitar position, strummed with a pick, the muscle memory transfers straight over.

The fretboard is diatonic rather than chromatic, with the 6½ fret added below the octave. In practical terms, the notes that are there are the notes that work in the key you are in. Fewer wrong answers than a guitar neck, and simple melodies come out of it in the first session.

Coming from guitar: It comes set up for DAD tuning, which means your open strings already form a D major chord. You will want to tune it before your first play.

Technical Specifications

Instrument Type Stick dulcimer
Playing Position Guitar style
String Order Guitar order (bass string nearest the player)
Strings 4 in 3 courses (1 wound bass, 1 center, 2 unison)
Recommended Tuning DAD
Body Wood Solid rosewood
Soundboard Spruce
Sound Holes Three round openings
Pegbox Flat
Frets Diatonic with 6½ fret
Scale Length [CONFIRM WITH CHRIS]

What's in the Box

It comes set up for DAD tuning. You will want to tune it before your first play.

Pick Owner's Guide (PDF)

Have questions about this instrument? Contact us or browse all Specialty Dulcimers.

Questions about this instrument?
Talk to our team or browse all specialty dulcimers.
View full details

Roosebeck Wildwood Dulcimer, Rosewood, Round Holes

$249
$249

Watch & Listen

Hear it played

Tradition you can feel, craftsmanship you can hear.
Solid tonewoods
Cured, cut, and chosen for sound.
Voiced by hand
Fretboards dressed, action set, bridges fit by our luthiers.
Made to be played
Built for working musicians, designed to sound better the more you play it.
Since 1973
Five decades of building instruments that last generations.

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