Archie Smith Instruments

Welcome to Archie Smith Instruments. Here you will find information on the different types of instruments that I make. Please use the links at the bottom of the page to navigate the site. Most pictures on the site enlarge if you just click on them. Now let me tell you a little bit about me.

In the tradition of the fine Old World Craftsmen, I work alone. I design and plan, “scout out” and acquire the varied and specific materials that I want. I then cut, saw, resaw, bookmatch, glue, sign, date, number, drill, clamp, trim, carve, inlay, shape, sand, spray, buff, press, string, tune and play my instruments. (I also sweep up the sawdust.)

My bowed psalteries and dulcimers are individual entities to me. They are not “stamped out with a cookie cutter.” No two of them will look (or sound) exactly the same. They are created by me for a single specific purpose and that is to bring pleasure and joy to those who play them and to those who hear them. I build them as works of art - to have a visual beauty to accompany and enhance their voice that speaks to the spirit deep within all of us to bring us that fullness of spirit which is pleasure and joy.

Most bowed psalteries and dulcimers are made from either hardwood laminate (plywood) or straight-grained woods (walnut, cherry, spruce, etc,) which may, or may not, be bookmatched and are rather plain. This is not bad. These instruments can be good quality and sound fine, but neither are they very exciting, unusual, or artistically pleasing to the eye (and artistic senses) as well as the ear.

For my lap or mountain dulcimers, which were first made in the Appalachian Mountains by the Scotch-Irish pioneers in the 18th and 19th centuries, I tend to choose highly figured woods which are native to North America. For my bowed psalteries, whose origins can be traced back to Europe and, ultimately, the Middle East, I carefully choose woods from all over the world, not only for their acoustic qualities, but also for their visual artistic beauty, exciting grain patterns, rich colors and subtle hues.

After having searched for, selected and acquired each top quality piece of wood, I then resaw and bookmatch the top and back for each psaltery and the top, back, sides and neck for each dulcimer to create a unique, one-of-a-kind instrument that offers multisensory stimulation to its player. While the psaltery projects an ethereal, haunting sound, the dulcimer produces rhythmic, toe-taping tunes. At the same time both offer the visual, symmetrical beauty of the wood while the sense of touch is tantalized by the subtle vibration of the wood responding to the vibrating strings as they are played.

Many of the owners of my dulcimers and bowed psalteries choose to display them. Indeed, some have purchased my instruments solely to display as visual art, but I would remind you that my instruments, in reality, should be viewed as functional art, delighting the visual as well as the acoustical senses.

Custom orders for instruments from special woods of your choice, custom sound holes, inlays or left-handed instruments are welcome. Orders may be placed and queries be submitted by e-mail, fax or phone.

I invite you to compare. Remember, you can find less expensive dulcimers and bowed psalteries, but you will not find ones that are of better quality or more beautiful than mine.

Archie Smith,
Archie Smith Instrumentst