This is an aside, but still I think this is the best group to direct this question to. I'm trying to track down information about two mountain dulcimers my father bought from a maker in Stanwood at "Traditional Instruments" on Village Road. He signed his instruments "Matheson," and they're works of art that sound as good as they look. We don't play them much, and it's time to sell them. Do any of you have other instruments made my Mr. Matheson, or can you tell me something about him and how his instruments were received? I suspect Dad talked to his folksinging friends about instruments as he collected them (there were quite a few folk instruments in his estate that were divided among us).

These are both hourglass-shaped dulcimers, but aren't identical. One has four equidistant strings, one has a course of two then two more equidistant from the rest. Both are hourglass shaped and of beautiful wood.

I've tried many types of searches to find this fellow or evidence that he existed, but come up empty handed. I thought I was on track when a business in Yreka, CA came to the top once, but while they were very nice and helpful, they weren't related (they relocated from Vashon many years ago).

Any suggestions you can offer will be appreciated. His granddaughter Moonglow is in college, so the sale of one of these will go to help her with fall semester. (Maybe enough to cover a few textbooks?)

SRS