Hurdy Gurdy Crafters

I heartily recommend Hurdy Gurdy Crafters (HGC) for your purchase of an exquisitely crafted vielle a roué! It can be a scary proposition buying a bespoke musical instrument from an online stranger, but Mel and Ann Dorries made this a delightful experience for me.
From my first phone call to Mel I knew I would order my first Hurdy Gurdy from him — he took all the time I needed to discuss what I expected from the instrument, how I planned to use it, the relative importance of resale value vs. customization, etc. I quickly received an email confirming the specifications and pricing for the instrument we discussed, and when I had additional questions/​requests HGC’s responded quickly.
After placing my deposit, I received a great DVD that explained the «care and feeding» of the instrument. What a nice touch! Custom-​built musical instruments typically take awhile to construct and since I’ve never owned or played a hurdy gurdy this was a welcome gift and gave me something to learn from and enjoy while I waited for my HG. This was also another example of the good communication from HGC. I was also pleased that Mel and Ann shared some pictures of themselves and asked for a picture of me so that Mel could put it above his bench to see who he was building the instrument for as it progressed.
I could go on and on but should mention that I am really delighted with my custom built «Renaissance» model HG. One of my musical friends is a luthier specializing in classical guitars and he expressed his admiration of the craftsmanship and attention to detail in my instrument. As my Renaissance matures its tone has gotten sweeter and sweeter by the week. What a fun and challenging new instrument! You won’t go wrong ordering yours from HGC!