The Cabin Creek Bowed Psaltery, handmade for ease of playing,
easy on the pocketbook, big on sound and quality of workmanship and available in 3 sizes -- Soprano, Alto and Baritone. Each Bowed Psaltery is signed, numbered and dated
A frequently asked question is "What is the easiest instrument to play?"
The answer is, the Bowed Psaltery. It looks complicated because it has
so many strings, but you only bow one string at a time. Cradling the
instrument in your arm, you draw the bow over a string, playing a note,
and then move the bow to another string playing another note. Nothing
could be easier.
The bowed psaltery has a chromatic scale with natural tones (do, re, me)
on one side and the sharps and flats on the other. The sound created is
hauntingly beautiful and indeed an instrument anyone can play.
Included with each instrument:
- A very easy instruction/ song book
- Horse hair bow
- Rosin
- Tuning wrench
- A note chart that attaches alongside the strings showing the notes
- A quality padded nylon case with pocket and 2 carrying straps
Extra strings, bows, horse hair, rosin and electronic tuner/pickup are available--see the accessories page
Note: I highly recommend tuning this instrument with an electronic tuner. It makes tuning much faster and easier, I couldn't live without mine (see accessory page)
EACH BOWED PSALTERY LISTED BELOW IS FOR SALE RIGHT NOW!
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Soprano Bowed Psaltery
- Two octaves - G to G twice
- 24 Strings
- 18 inches long
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The soundboard is a creamy, light tan POPLAR with a very close patterned grain
The soundhole is in the shape of a butterfly
The back and sides are a rich brown color and the wood is black walnut
Item # SOPBP916......$199
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The soundboard is a creamy, light tan close grained POPLAR
The soundhole is in the shape of a butterfly
The back and sides are oak
This is a very pleasant instrument with a clear, crisp sound
Item# SOPBP917......$199
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The soundboard is a creamy, close grained WHITE CEDAR with a hummingbird
soundhole
The back and sides are a deep red cherry and produce a striking contrast to
the white cedar top
The sound is clear and not too loud
This particular instrument is for the person who does not like a lot of grain pattern
Item# SOPBP918......$199
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The soundboard is straight-grained, medium-brown BUTTERNUT with a few characteristic very small worm holes and a bocote wood tip
The back and sides are maple. The soundhole is a dove pattern
The sound is clear, balanced, medium-loud and somewhat mellow
Item # SOPBP963......$199
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The soundboard is a creamy, very tight grain, WHITE CEDAR with a Pennsylvania Dutch hex soundhole
The back and sides are a deep brown-black walnut wood
The sound is medium loud with some nice overtones
Item# SOPBP933......$199
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The soundboard is a close-grained medium-brown WESTERN RED CEDAR with a hummingbird soundhole
The back and sides are cherry with a few filled in spots on the right side
The sound is a pleasant medium loudness with an evenness from top to bottom – very ethereal
Item # SOPBP966......$199
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Alto Bowed Psaltery
- G to G plus extra high note to A and extra low note to F
- 30 Strings
- 19 1/2 inches long
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The soundboard is nicely grained, deep CHERRY with a wheat soundhole
The back and sides are also cherry
The sound is moderately bright and clear
Item# ALTOBP110.....$219
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The soundboard is moderately grained CHERRY with a wheat soundhole
The sides are cherry with a small knot hole on the upper left side (see image)
The back is Indonesian agathis
The sound is typically cherry bright
Item# ALTOBP119......$219
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The soundboard is tightly grained medium brown SASSAFRAS with a butterfly soundhole
The back and sides are very old maple, circa 1900, from a dismantled log home that once stood on my property
The left side and back each have a knot hole
The sound has a medium ring to it
The lower notes are pleasantly mellow
Item# ALTOBP106......$219
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The soundboard is a medium brown WESTERN RED CEDAR with a Pennsylvania Dutch hex soundhole
The back and sides are black walnut
There is a small filled knothole on the right side as seen in the photo
The sound is very loud with overtones on the lower end and brilliant on the upper endr
Item# ALTOBP347......$219
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The soundboard is a medium brown straight-grained WESTERN RED CEDAR with a dove patterned soundhole
The back and sides are ambrosia maple (wormy) with a few worm holes and with good colored streaks
The sound is medium loud, mellow and very pleasant
Item # ALTOBP339......$219
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The soundboard is a medium brown BUTTERNUT with a wheat soundhole
There are several small worm holes scattered around the top, not hindering the instrument in any way, just adding character
The left side has a small filled knot hole, again not causing any problems
The sound is clear with much sustain and moderately loud
Item # ALTOBP123......$219
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Baritone Bowed Psaltery
- G to G plus extra half octave down to C
- 33 Strings
- 22 inches long
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This bowed psaltery has a light creamy-tan WHITE CEDAR soundboard with a classic fleur de lis sound hole
The back and sides are a pretty shade of cherry
The sound is nicely mellow on the lower half of the instrument and becomes increasingly crisp and clear with some sustain on the upper end
Item # BARBP282......$249
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The soundboard of this bowed psaltery is a medium shade of WESTERN RED CEDAR, which blends well with the cherry back and sides
The sound hole is a fleur de lis design
The sound is loud, with some overtones because the soundboard is very alive and vibrant
The upper end is typically high, though pleasant and the lower end has a nice baritone mellow sound
Item# BARBP273......$249
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The soundboard is a very straight-grained light-brown WESTERN RED CEDAR with a wheat motif sound hole
The back and sides are cherry
The sound is very lively with some overtones and sustain
It is moderately loud
Item # BARBP274......$249
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The soundboard of this Bowed Psaltery is very tight straight grained WESTERN RED CEDAR
It is almost the color of the cherry back and sides
The soundhole is a stylish fleur-de-lis motif
The sound of this bowed psaltery is loud, crisp, full and resonant
Item # BARBP271......$249
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This bowed psaltery is all CHERRY with a hummingbird sound hole
The soundboard has a few worm holes scattered about giving this instrument some distinctive character
The sound is clear and even from top to bottom
It is also moderately loud
There is not a lot of overlapping of notes where one note is still playing when the next note is bowed
Item# BARBP280......$249
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The top is a medium colored WESTERN RED CEDAR that almost looks like cherry, which is the back and sides
The sound hole is a wheat motif
The sound is pretty even from high to low as most baritones are
As you play down the scale the instrument gets mellower and mellower and just begs to be played
Item # BARBP276......$249
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The soundboard of this instrument is a medium shade of WESTERN RED CEDAR with a straight grain
It is one of a kind because of its two natural open knot sound holes and accompanied by two undeveloped knots
The back and sides are black walnut
The sound is very resonant with some nice overtones
It also has a balanced sound from top to bottom
Item # BARBP294......$249
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