My main instrument is a MasterWorks 16/15 chromatic hammer dulcimer. It was built by Russell Cook in Arlington, Texas, and I purchased it through the mail after trying out a model owned by a friend. It is my fourth dulcimer, and I am very happy with it. It has excellent tone, it stays in tune for long periods of time without needing tweaking, and the strings have a nice bounce that make it a fun instrument to play.

This is not actually a picture of my mandolin. I own an F series Flinthill mandolin, patterned after the old Gibson mandolins. Sometime I should take a picture of my mandolin and scan it, but I doubt that will happen any time soon. However, my mandolin looks a good deal like this one. I really enjoy the mandolin, especially when I play jazz, and it's the only other instrument that I practice as much as I practice the dulcimer. I use the expensive Elixir strings because they slide easily and last a long time.

When I'm at home I play a Yamaha acoustic F310 guitar. It has a nice, mellow, clean sound, and the action is ok. However, if I ever record or perform on the guitar, I usually borrow someone else's.

The banjo I have at home is an old Kay banjo that used to be my aunt's. The strings are too old, and it's a bit rusty, but it's enough to mess around on. Like my guitar, if I need to record or perform on the banjo, I usually borrow someone else's. Since I don't play banjo very often, this is a nice, inexpensive model.