Forum Activity for @marg

rob,

is your ( early Capritaurus ) deep, this one says 4" that sounds much deeper than anyting I've seen. Does that create a really strong sound?

History:     1976 - Rugg, Rugg & Jackel broke up the partnership. Steve Jackel and Howard Rugg formed a new partnership, called Rugg & Jackel.

The Rugg & Jackel company kept the FolkRoots line, and Michael Rugg retained control of the CapriTaurus name and line of solid wood dulcimers.

So, if i am looking at one from the mid 80's, the FolkRoots line - does that mean they didn't do solid wood dulcimers if the CapriTaurus line did solid wood?

rob,

What type of price would have you going to check it our or not going?

I read someone found one at goodwill for $29 plus shipping, this isn't that low but not $300 either.

That's some of my thoughts ken, I can make a 2-3-4 chord on the 28 but can't do anywhere near 1-0-4. I would need to just play the melody where I can't reach a chord, which is what I do now - part chord, part melody, part flat picking. 

What would be a fair price for a Folk Roots, mid 80's?     No fancy woods, just good plain simple look but hoping a great sound.

Just trying to decide if I should drive over to see it. i don't want to get the buyers hopes up if it's just not the right fit, but then I guess I wont know till I do go check it out. 

I was wondering if I should go see a Folk Roots dulcimer by Rugg & Jackel, D40-s 1119842. It has the 291/4 VSL & that is what was stopping me. I play mostly dulcimer with a 27.5 & 28 VSL. I do have thumb problems now & was worried it would just be worst stretching just a bit more. I do like the history of the Folk Roots and that alone would be a reason to go check it out. 

Any thoughts on this?

(If you can see the edge, )

Edge as inside the sound hole or on the side where top meets sides

Can you tell if a dulcimer is wood or ply by it's weight?

If a dulcimer is 36" x 8" x 3 or 4" & weights about 2 lbs, can we tell by that if it's wood or only partly?

susie,

( all walnut Bob Lazenby dulcimer )

I notice in your photo, the dulcimer looks like it takes up the whole table, how long is the VSL? I saw on your page, you have a Folks Roots, is it one with the 29" VSL? Is it hard on the hand & thumb going that short distance from a 27.5 or 28 to a 29'ish?

(I love fixing them up! Makes it more personal)

I feel the same way, ha if I got a new dulcimer I would probably work on it anyway.

Below posted elsewhere but maybe better as a post here:     

     Having just gotten my new for me dulcimer and not caring for the tone from my go to picks, led me to a very interesting creative way of taking care of the problem. I came up with a  '2-Tone Pick',  once I got started making them, I ended up with several:         Taking just the picks I have collected but don't use for one reason or another, I added leather to one side of the pick.  I also had some felt uke picks & ones made from plastic cards or butter tops, which I glued leather to the other side.

    I found some scrap leather at Hobby Lobby (thanks ken for the idea of scrap leather) , several different types & had a coupon so the whole bag only cost about $3-$4. 

  I haven't seen any other 2- sided leather picks so I wonder why non of the pick companies have come up with something like this. Does anyone know or do you know if there is a pick like this?

    I would say, the leather does mellow/damper the sound some so if you like a very bright/loud sound a leather pick may not be for you, but then you have the other side of the pick and can have bright on one side & mellow on the other. 

Always an adventure, always glad when we are on it together.

steven,

Yes, that is what I have & yes I like it. 

Have fun with yours, and let us know how you do with it.

("free standing bridge" similar to that of a banjo??) (probably not a good idea)

Yes.

I don't use a wrist rest but someone from my group was asking and after I looked & thought about it couldn't see a way.  Therefore the question, just in case anyone knew of anything.

thanks, I didn't think so either

Our whole brain thanks us for playing, nice info.

thanks

With a floating bridge & no fret board anywhere near it, where or how could you put a wrist rest for the dulcimer

 tony,

Funny & you are right. I am always dropping my picks & hunting for them. Lucky you not to loose yours.

;-)

     A very bad photo of the 2-Tone Picks - sorry,  some are on the leather side & some are on the reg. pick side. You can see once I got started I did several.

     Ken, I did have some felt uke picks & I ended up putting leather on one side of them also. Taking just the picks I have collected but don't use for one reason or another and adding leather to one side. 

    I ended up finding some scrap leather in a bag at Hobby Lobby, several different types & had a coupon so the whole bag only cost about $3-$4. I was curious if the different leathers would also make a difference & I think they do depending on if they were thin or thicker, rough or smooth. 

I haven't seen any other 2- sided picks so wonder why non of the pick companies have come up with something like this. Anyway, having just gotten my new for me dulcimer and not liking the tone, led me to a very interesting creative way of taking care of the problem. It is interesting where changing the strings up or down a bit doesn't make much difference & yes I could change the tunings but wanted it in DAd for a performance coming up - trying different picks make a big noticeable difference. I would say, the leather does mellow out the sound so if you like a very bright sound a leather pick may not be for you, but then you have the other side also and can have bright on one side & mellow on the other. 

Always an adventure, always glad when we are on it together.

thanks

 2tonepick.jpg - 265KB

WOW, what a difference a leather pick makes with toning down the plucky tone

Interesting a 2 tone pick:  I took a pick I didn't like and glued a thin piece of a leather belt on one side, cutting to fit. Love the sound but on some of the picks I made, they sound better on the other side than the leather side. 

Has anyone ever thought of a 2 tone pick, bright on one side & mellow on the other side?

(What's a leader?)

Sorry leather 

I took a pick I didn't like and glued a thin piece of a leather belt on one side, cutting to fit. Love the sound but on some of the picks I made, they sound better on the other side than the leather side. Interesting a 2 tone pick.

leather picks:

can we buy these somewhere or do we make them & what would be a good leather to use?

ken-h

You posted this elsewhere but could go here also:

" "sounds bad" because you aren't accustomed to hearing the new sound.  "

Just saw this

 IMG_0102.PNG.jpg - 115KB

Rob,

Not sure on how the sound matches, But I will say it has such an easy action for hammer on's, better than my other dulcimers. Or it's just louder & brighter so I can here when I put my fingers down up the fretboard, even when not trying a hammer in. As in ' Shoilder's Joy' 4242, etc. when I hit the 4, I hear it before I strum, interesting.

skip,

Thanks, I had it with me at our group practice today. I had taken off one of the melody strings, it was plenty loud enough without it. One member tuned it to DGd and really liked it, another put it back to DAd and played it the whole practice. We talked about maybe making it into a bass but they all thought it was nice as it was. Also going to heavier strings for a bass would need to address the slots for the wider strings to sit in.

Ha, maybe it's me. I like mellow better than bright & not as loud. All in growing and learning in this dulcimer adventure. I will say sitting across from it I like it better than when I am holding it & strumming. Maybe ken has something with making a recording.

I will continue to play with it until I can settle on it's voice.

Thanks all

ken,

thanks but I have now (I tuned it for DAdd, .11 for melody, .14 for A & the bass has either a 22w or 24w but I'm not caring for the sound.)

I was wondering if as Cedar Creek says (Standard "G" tuning: .10 for melody & middle strings & .18 for the bass, giving it the pluckier tone.) if rob had changed his strings if he is in DAd & what he has on his now.

I am not sure how you could use just .10 for all 3 strings in "G" tuning, unless I am reading the string calculator wrong

rob,

( I have kept it in DAd, but I'm thinking about making it my DAA instrument.  It needs restringing anyway so heavier strings might be in order. )

Did your dulcimer come with strings (.010 for melody and middle strings and .018 for the bass.) 

and how does this work for DAd, or do you have other sizes on now?

rob,

Yes, Heatherwood Craft was started by a former employee of Cripple Creek Dulcimers - James Crier and Esther Cockerill. I don't know either what has happen to them or if  Heatherwood Craft is still in business. 

Rob,

Also, what do you think of Heatherwood Dulcimer?

Do you know when the builder died?  

Rob,

What do you think about the fret board stopping and having a floating bridge hanging out in the open? 

Strange but when played with my fingers or slowing with the pick on one note at a time, sounds very nice but when I strum across all the strings I hear strings not the notes.

What do you have yours tune to?

26.5"

pluckier - loud, bright, metal ring tone.

Hard to say but not mellow which I was hoping changing the strings & tuning from "G" to DAdd would do but it just doesn't help the sound. Sounds more like it's out of tune but isn't. Maybe I just don't like a tone of a banjo on a dulcimer.

Banjo Dulcimer
A 4-String dulcimer that looks and plays like a dulcimer, but has the  pluckier loud tone of a banjo! 

I just picked up a Heatherwood dulcimer, James Cryer invented this style and sold it under his own label in the Cedar Creek store years ago.

Suggested - Standard "G" tuning: .10 for melody & middle strings & .18 for the bass, giving it the pluckier tone.

I tuned it for DAdd, .11 for melody, .14 for A & the bass has either a 22w or 24w but I'm not caring for the sound. Is there a way to make it a bit less pluckier or is the "G" the best tuning for itthis dulcimer

Does anyone have this dulcimer? Image not mine but looks just like this one

 Heatherwood copy.jpg - 134KB

Thanks lisa for the info.

The nut & bridge look fine and since the 9 should fit snug I wonder if the 10 or 11 string maybe wouldn't fit. Only way to tell, is to try. The 9 just seems loose, could be it's just time to change out the strings anyway. Why did you go with a 10, did you not have a 9 or just wanted to have it a bit heavier? I may try the 10 first, to make sure it fits. A new string maybe all it needs.

Other than that, I do like this dulcimer. It packs a lot of wonderful sounds 

Thanks ken,

That is what I was thinking, just too thin. The 11 does make more sense. 

27.5"

DdAdd

The inside d string is tuned like the 2 melodies. I got it used & this is how it came but looks like original stringing.

   I was wondering if instead of the 9 string maybe I could try an 11, unless there is some reason for the 9

Thanks

 5 strings.jpg - 206KB

I have a 5 string Berg, The inside string next to the bass is a thin string, tune high d as the melody strings. The heavier wound bass, the outside string tune lower D. the 2 strings are close together, like the melody strings.

I just asked a question on these strings on the General Mountain Dulcimer discussion about maybe trying a bit heavier string next to the bass

String gauges on it now:

.024 for the wound bass string

.009 the string next to the bass string

.013 the middle string

 011 for each of the two melody strings       

I have a 5 string, elliptical long scale BERG dulcimer

Question:  It has 2 base strings:

 The heavier string is the outside string, the thiner string inside next to it.

            Sometimes I feel they are hitting themselves from the strings vibration; 

1. Should I try & strum differently? 
2. Should I try putting on a bit heavier string on the inside one?

String gauges on it now:

.024 for the wound bass string

.009 the string next to the bass string

.013 the middle string

 011 for each of the two melody strings                .                                                                                                                                                

Terry, 

Sorry you were ill but the seniors will enjoy another time of music when you can make it. I played for seniors at a nursing home and we gave them some bells, they enjoyed taking part.

Sweet time to share, Merry Christmas

 dan-hess

      I have a small Warren May and no 6+ but slipped a piece of medal in the spot where the fret should go and just tape it down, works great.

Just a thought, maybe someone else can tell us a better way but this takes care of the problem.

Great find, enjoy

A toothpick, I can do that. I have already changed the strings back to the size that came with the dulcimer, I had gone from a 14 to an 11 so I could tune higher. I am back to DAdd & the 14 for an A, for a performance . The next time I want to go up to key of F or G (The tuning I did for 'This is My Father's World' - with chopstick as a hammer and a wine stopper as a noter ;-) will give all these ideas a try. I have several slots and only when I changed to one of the extra slots did the string ring. 

Below is the ring, prepare for horrible: 

Thanks so much,

m.

https://youtu.be/yj_pi8tjAzk