Forum Activity for @steven-berger

I'm not totally sure if it's the same one (I think it is) that I bought from John at the Traditional Appalachian Dulcimore Gathering at Berea, KY, 2022, but it has a lovely sound, and looks better in person than in the photos. The only difference is mine has maple tuning pegs.

This is my 4th traditional dulcimore that I've purchased from John, and I highly recommend his work!

I remember Charley from Berea...nice dog!  And, at 6 months, he looks as happy as a Bassett  could possibly look!

Nice dulcimer, Steve! Great name!

There's nothing like a fretless gourd or wood-shell banjo, strung with gut or nylon strings, with a natural skin head, to make the world go 'round!

Es muy bueno, Juan!

Here's another for your list, Dusty: Stringed Bagpipe

Duckslammer, fence scorpion, waterswivel....my new favorites!...I especially like duckslammer! Thanks, Dusty!

Thanks, Dusty!

I'm taking the scenic route! Just have to make a left turn at the Mississippee, cross over at Nashville, and head north and east from there.....

I'll be there with mask and vaccination card...don't forget to bring any necessary paperwork, folks...and a few dulcimores! Now I gotta get the oxen and wagon ready for the big trek...Wagons EAST!!!

Looks good, sounds good, AND it comes with a case...all for a quality-built McSpadden at a great price! What's not to like?

That's cool, Lisa! I'm from Avenue J.

Thanks, Dusty! She's a Crown Heights girl, and I was a Flatbush boy.....and that's where any resemblance  to each other, in regard to musical talent, ends! She's fantastic!

I forgot about the limberjack.....

I have:

All poplar Tennessee Music Box (with checkerboard on back) by John Knopf

All poplar Will Singleton by John Knopf

All poplar J E Thomas (painted black) by John Knopf

Black walnut/butternut top Boar by Bobby Ratliff

Various woods kit by Bobby Ratliff

All wormy poplar Betty by Dan Cox (came with wormy poplar coffin case)

All cherry custom by Johnny Pledger

All black walnut by Johnny Pledger

All hickory teardrop by Folkcraft

All sycamore 5-string by Bill Berg

Padauk/spruce/maple Strumstick by Bob McNally

I also have:  SJ100+  Jumbo guitar by Gibson,  WL-250 banjo by Gold Tone, Tackhead banjo by Eric Prust, Mountain banjo by Jon Peterson, Mountain banjo by Nate Calkins, Gourd banjo by Barry Sholder, Nickel-plated brass resophonic guitar by OMI, Copper-plated/engraved Tricone resophonic guitar by Republic, Boxcar resophonic guitar by Gretsch, Weathered steel Style-O resophonic guitar by National Resophonic, Swan concertina by McNeela, a couple of harmonicas, a kalimba, 3 Civil War era fifes, and a Civil War era tin whistle.

Whew! L think that's it!

Thanks, guys! This'll be my third dulcimore from John....his first Will Singleton, a Tennessee Music Box with checkerboard on the back, and this Thomas replica! .....I like his historic reproductions!

Thanks, John! It looks great....hopefully, it'll warm-up a bit by the time I get it!

I like it! Any stringed instrument with resonator(s) attached gets my interest!

You do excellent work on making historic dulcimore replicas, John, and this is no exception!

Thanks for sharing, Robin!

I'm gonna name my next  dog, Fretful!

Thank you for sharing this, Robin! I don't recall hearing Kathy and Carol before...but I wish I had!

Whoever built it did a very nice job!

I like them. I bought an assortment of all 3 colors and I found the blue to be my favorite. The difference between each color pick is not so evident until you start to actually use them; the difference between the 3 points on each color is quite subtle, but it is there. What's nice also, is that the picks have raised areas in the middle which aids in gripping them. Also, they don't seem to wear out (I've been using the same pick and same point for 7 years). 

Picks are a very personal choice...I use several different ones. Some seem to work better on different dulcimers, and I use them for different effects, or even for how I feel that particular play session.

Check your local music store, or, check the Folkcraft website, to see if they have individual Herdim picks. Or, buy the assortment of a dozen, and try them...if you like them, great! If not, they make swell gifts for your dulcimer playing friends!

"Froggy Went A'courting"....No, I'm not kidding!

That diddley bow you're playing looks pretty cool...what's the slide you're using? I'd like to hear you playing it! I wonder how it would sound played with a bow? I've never thought about a glass dulcimer, but I sometimes think about one made of brass or steel, like the National guitars.

Rob, I had a Hughes dulcimer from the 80's, and it did have a strumhollow...and, I lived in Colorado at the time ...I don't know about any of their dulcimers  before that.

My favorite dulcimer and tune are the ones I'm playing at the time I'm playing.

"Is the strumhollow redundant?"....Yes...and no.  About the only reason for having one may be to provide an area on the fretboard to protect it from the wear caused by the plectrum or quill hitting it during play. 

I looked at the new site about a month or so ago, and it was still a work-in-progress (it might have been a bit longer; I don't remember). To be honesr, I was never that big a fan of the old ED, and I haven't thought to look at the new one since my first visit...maybe I'll go back for a new look.

The Berea Traditional Dulcimore Gathering has just been cancelled due to the COVID-19 bug.....now I feel like I'm all dressed (or, should it be dulcimore'd) up with no place to go!

When I sing, I make Bob Dylan sound good! Too many years of smoking and drinking have done their damage (children, take note!). Quit smoking about 35 years ago, quit drinking about 6 years ago...just before it became a problem. Haven't quit singing, though.

"Hard Crackers Come Again No More", is a Civil War parody of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More". Attributed to the 1st Iowa Infantry, it tells of the adventures of eating hardtack.

Good song, Dusty...good playing and singing, too!

Nice job!

In my self-quarantine, I have gone far beyond talking to myself...I'm now arguing with myself...and I'm not winning any of the arguments! I'm also finding it rather difficult to keep a safe social distance from myself, but, I keep trying. I wash my hands often, especially since I'm in direct contact with myself a lot of the time. Since I don't have any facemasks, I've taken to using clear plastic bags over my head...they make it a little hard to breathe, and they fog-up pretty quickly, but, they sure work in a pinch! But, the question if the coronavirus is affecting me?...No, not really!

That's a nice one. John! Is this going to a customer, or will we see it at Berea?

I agree with you, Nate, it does sound better with less water. Sounds great with no water, either. I'd bet a tricone-type set-up, and a spider bridge set-up would sound different, but, equally good.