Jim Trantham has been building musical instruments for over thirty years. He is a member of the "Southern Highland Craft Guild" in North Carolina and has been a member of the "Village of Yesteryear" of North Carolina State Fair for twenty-nine years. Jim is employed by the state of North Carolina as director of the "Village of Yesteryear."

Mr. Trantham builds Lap Dulcimers, Hammer Dulcimers, Banjos, Guitars, Bowed and Plucked Psalteries, Lap Harps and Irish Harps. All instruments are constructed with quality acoustical wood and feature relief carvings and hand-carved rosettes. Today his instruments are found in all contiguous states and twelve foreign countries. Music has always been an important part of his life. For the last fifty years he have focused on the music of the Southern Mountains, collecting and performing our Old English and Scottish tunes and ballads. He has also performed in many of the colleges and universities of the Southeast and six European countries. Today his son Doug and his children work with him making three generations who cherish and enjoy our rich southern mountain heritage.