The Woodrow
Our Start. Our Heart.
Dan Williams first got inspired to build his very first prototype back in the late 1980’s. Being a full time stone mason though he didn’t have much in the way of woodworking tools. Fortunately his friend Woodrow allowed him to play around in his shop. Eventually, happy with his results and satisfied with what he had built, Dan decided to name his creation after his friend. Today we use the name Woodrow to define our instrument allowing it to set us apart.
What is a Woodrow?
This is the question we answer happily everyday. The Woodrow is essentially an upright variant of our traditional mountain dulcimer (also referred to as a lap or Appalachian dulcimer). Our instrument functions like its traditional kin but holds like a guitar or ukulele. Dan has flipped to strings and adjusted the build of the instrument to make it ergonomic to this play style.
The thing we love the most about our Woodrows is that they are one of the easiest instruments for anyone to learn. Like its relative, the mountain dulcimer, the frets work along the do-re-mi scale pattern and the player needs only to navigate one string set to play it. Its ease of playability is at the heart of our philosophy which is to share our culture as well as empower anyone who has ever wanted to play music. Check out our Lesson page for more info on playing the Woodrow.
Our process
Our family is our biggest strength. Dan and his family have been, and still are, at the core of the process. But along the road Dan has met many folks to that have added to what we are able to do. We work with folks out of Ohio for our lumber needs. The species of wood we use is primarily sourced from North America with some exceptions for astounding exotics such as purple heart and sapele. And finally we retail at our local store in downtown Asheville within the historic Grove Arcade where we will work to ensure that anyone who walks in learns to play in a few minutes. We also work with other wonderful people of small business for our supplies and resources.
The journey
Although Dan was a native of Tennessee he built his very first prototype in Woodrow’s workshop while he was working on a construction crew in St. Augustine, Florida. Before long he and his family moved up to the Asheville area where he continued to build the Woodrow full time. He and his sons vended in street stalls outside of the Grove Arcade in town while also attending arts and craft shows all over the country. You might have seen the family in Vermont, Florida, California, or a number of other states. Eventually we decided to get a shop inside of the Arcade and that is where we can be found today. While we don’t travel as much as we have in the past we still occasionally like to load up one of Dan’s converted sleeper vans and hit the road.
Where we are today
We still build our instruments here at our long time home of Asheville North Carolina. We strive for simplicity and beauty with the Woodrow and our business. When you reach out to us can be sure you’re speaking with Dan or our friends in the store. You can find us most days at our little shop inside the Grove Arcade at 1 Page Ave. Suite 126, Asheville NC, 28801. Phone: 828-450-0569.