Hey Robin, I wish you could have experienced Almeda live. You would have loved it. Getting to know her just a little bit was a wonderful and expanding experience for an upper middle class kid from the big city.
Lisa,
Almeda was a total hoot as a person. A great sense of humour. You would have really enjoyed spending time with her and of course her singing was wonderful. She always held the end of a handkerchef in her hand and waved it back and forth as she sang. It all transported you to another place. I pictured scenes described by Sharpe and Karples while she sang. It was a wonderful experience.
The rule for air drying green wood is one year per inch of thickness. Seal the end grain so it won't lose moisture too quickly or the peice will crack of check. I just paint the ends with whatever latex house paint I have laying around. Elmer's Glue works just fine as well. I wouldn't put the wood in a room with wood heat. There is no substitute for patience when it comes to air drying. In the old days, a father would cut the wood his son would use.
You can get EVO and stainless steel fret wire from Luthiers Mercantile. I have EVO on my personal instruments. On a dulcimer made in 2009, it shows virtually no fret wear. I play everyday and when I go to fiddler's conventions I play for about ten hours a day. German silver frets are relatively soft and the material is easy to work with. EVO is quite a bit harder and stiffer and is more difficult to make behave. Stainless is even more so. It's the guys who play heavy metal who first instigated stainless steel as all that tapping and string bending was very hard on softer materials. I have found no tonal difference among the various materials. They all do a good job when properly installed. Changing the frets on aMcSpadden would be no more difficult than on any other dulcimer. If you have more questions about any of this, feel free to e-mail me.
I had the great pleasure of spending a little time with Almeda Riddle during a period betweeen 1964 and 1974. She was so sharp and had a great wit. I loved her singing and her memory was nothing short of phenominal. I still miss her.
