I could not be happier with my new Premium Serenade Tindle Dulcimer, made of curly Black Walnut! It is a gorgeous dulcimer, the pictures don't do it justice and I LOVE it!

I searched for a long time to find the right luthier and when I found Mark Tindle, I knew my search was over. His is a small family owned business, with attention to detail - from the build to the shipping box! He is a quiet, humble man, gifted with multiple talents! 

First I was impressed with the classy website. Everything I needed to know was right there and easy to find the prices, options, extras, etc. I could have ordered a custom dulcimer but I found the one that spoke to my heart on the list of available ones. I appreciated all the "up close and personal pictures" and the care he took with the video sound of each dulcimer in order to compare "apples to apples."

Next I viewed several videos of Mark showing the process of how he makes these gorgeous instruments. There are many choices when it comes to finding a luthier and each one has their own style, but I was impressed with Mark's dulcimers. I recognized his expert craftsmanship, and I like the shape of his instruments. I also liked the way the strings attach at the tailpiece and was impressed with the carbon fiber reinforced neck. I loved that they have unique sound holes...maple leaves! No offense to the classic and lovely heart shaped ones, it's just that I wanted something different. I wanted my dulcimer to stand out in a "crowd of hearts" and it certainly will!

Mark Tindle is an award winning dulcimer player and a luthier so I felt confident that my dulcimer would be lovely, play well, sound beautiful and it does! It's clear and sweet and easy to play.

All in all, I highly recommend Mark Tindle to you!!!

Donna in North Carolina

I love this dulcimer! The sound is amazing both plugged and unplugged. The action is nice and low with absolutely no buzz and intonation is perfect all the way up the fingerboard. As far as looks go, it is a work of art! Another plus is the ease of changing strings being able to use ball end guitar strings. Your website makes ordering easy and you respond quickly to all questions. I highly recommend Tindle dulcimers!

-Phil in North Carolina

I’ve been playing mountain dulcimer since 2005 and have collected a number of dulcimers that I use for teaching and performing.  It’s interesting to try instruments from different builders, to see and hear their ideas.  When I play a dulcimer, I look for tone clarity and balance, intonation, ease of play.  Playing a chordal finger style means I use chords through fret 14 in my arrangements.  I have returned instruments when the sound was ‘boxy’ and the intonation was off, making notes and chords out of tune, especially above the 7th fret.   I’m a hard sell, looking for much more than someone’s beautiful wood-working project.  

I met Mark in 2005 at the last Sawdust festival.  He played 4 equi-distant strings, and I was enchanted.  Several years ago we started chatting at Winfield and I learned he had started building again.   This year I asked him to build an instrument for me that would be just what he would want for himself.  The result exceeded my expectations!  Not only is it beautiful, but the intonation is spot on, the tone is clear and true, not dull.  It is a 27” VSL, and all the frets are easy to use with the 14 as clear as any other.  I love the balanced sound and the voice that it adds to my ballads. 

I would highly recommend Mark’s dulcimers to anyone who wants a pro instrument that will meet the requirements of discerning musicians.

-Irma in New Mexico

I have been an incredibly happy dulcimer player since purchasing a Tindle dulcimer  a couple of months ago. I decided on the walnut and it's hard to describe it's beauty!

Unfortunately , in the dulcimer world ,you sometimes have to take the plunge on an instrument that you have never seen nor heard in person . This is one time when the dulcimer actually exceeded my expectations! The sound is very balanced with a tone that's hard for me to describe with words. Not too bright and not too warm, just a beautiful voice!  Mark is building a dulcimer that should, in my opinion, satisfy the masses from a sound standpoint!!  The craftsmanship is impeccable and the intonation is the best I have ever seen on a string instrument! To top it off, Mark is a true pleasure to  deal with and provides excellent communication throughout the purchase process.

It's very uncommon for me to review anything, but in this case, it's my pleasure!

-Alan in Georgia

Mark Tindle dulcimers are of excellent quality and beauty; I own two of them. One is a custom built koa dulcimer with an enchanting sound, made in 1989 and the other is a cherry dulcimer with a delightful sound, made last year. Both have a beautiful tone, crystal clear on the melody and middle strings, and a rich, clean, solid sound on the bass string,  They  have precise tuning on all strings with good sustain and are easy to play, a real pleasure, and stay in tune for very long periods of time. The pitching is excellent all the way up the fretboard. They are solidly built and retain their beautiful sound.

The dulcimer I bought in 1989 was shipped in its case inside a shipping container when we moved overseas and came through without any problems.  When we returned from overseas we even moved from a humid to a dry climate and once again, there were no problems with the instrument. Tindle dulcimers always come with a hard case that is extremely protective. At the same time, I have left mine out of the case for months at a time, just taking care to humidify in the winter when the furnace runs so much. 

Mark made the whole process of purchasing my dulcimer so pleasant and easy. He is so patient, helpful, friendly and personable, as well as accommodating and never pushy. He let me take my time and try all the dulcimers, and even played them for me so I could listen to different techniques. I had Mark install a pickup into the dulcimer I purchased this year. When I returned to pick up the instrument after he added the pickup, he had the instrument all plugged in and demonstrated the sound with the pickup, so I could feel completely comfortable with the setup. 

I highly recommend Mark Tindle and his dulcimers!

-Carolyn in Missouri

I have been thinking of purchasing a chromatic dulcimer for awhile when I found the Tindle dulcimer website. There was a beautiful chromatic dulcimer that was available at a great price. I was hesitant about purchasing a dulcimer that I only saw a picture of so I emailed Mark and I felt he was a trustworthy person. I was very impressed with his answers to my questions and also keeping me updated as to when it would be delivered.

The anticipation was building for the arrival of my new dulcimer. Alas it arrived and I was overjoyed with the look and quality of craftsmanship. I started playing it and the sound was absolutely amazing!  My new dulcimer has a soothing full bodied sound which I love. I was excited to use the built in pick up at church and to my delight when I plugged it into our sound system and played with our worship team, it was a sweet sound that was a blessing to me and all that heard.

So I want to thank Mark Tindle for his amazing craftsmanship, I am so happy with my chromatic dulcimer and I’m looking forward to many years of playing sweet dulcimer music. 

-Stacey in Pennsylvania