I have not heard of Mr Johnson, but I would go by the VSL (distance between the inside of nut and inside of bridge) to make a determination, at least to start out, anyway. My dulcimers usually have long VSLs (27"- 28"), and I use .012" plain steel for the first and second strings, and .022" wound for the drone. Nice looking dulcimer.
It's t'other way around, Ken! VA at the top, KY at the bottom. That Ed Thomas sure is a beauty!
Marg, as a builder I am aware of such things. If I make a dulcimer with intricate soundholes, I'll glue some tiny wood pieces under overhangs, at right angles to them, as has been discussed below. It's just a good practice to get into and prevents breakages later. Glad you were able to repair your own dulcimer!
Thankee kindly, friends! The new owner is one of our members here. Hope she loves it!
This is a new Galax dulcimer I finished yesterday. It's mostly cherry, with a spruce top and mahogany "inner back". It's made like Raymond Melton of southwestern Virginia used to make them. The new owner lives in Ohio.
That would work out to just about $95 in the US! Talk about CHEAP! You got a great value there, Art! And an interesting piece of musical folk art. I'm glad it plays well. Good for you!
Here are 2 photos. Not very good quality, but you can see what I mean.
I once made an hourglass dulcimer completely out of birdseye maple. It looked wonderful, was somewhat heavy, had an OK tone. The wood behaved like plain hard maple when fashioning the dulcimer. I sold it to my younger brother.
Ah, the search for the elusive "perfect instrument"! It probably does not exist (just as the perfect spouse does not exist), but luthiers like me try to build the optimal dulcimer for each customer.
I have not encountered Stephens Lutherie.
Art, that looks like a nice one. Not sure of the bridge-bar either, but it may be an adjustable bridge, with the "real" bridge there just to set the height and spacing? Like a zero-fret at the other end?
Let me help you with that, Ma'am! The misty dulcimore past is calling out to you...
That triangular one looks like a balalaika (Bal-al-LIKE-ah), a Russian instrument like a mandolin.
Congratulations! What a beautiful instrument! I don't know what the plexiglass strip is for, but I can help you with the second question. I think the nut and bridge slots were cut so you could set it up for either equidistant spacing or for doubled-melody string setup: String 1 stays in slot 1, string 2 goes in slot 2, string 3 goes in slot 4, and string 4 (bass) stays in slot 6. Have fun!
That's wonderful news, Curt! These things don't always turn out so well. That's a good job of peg-fitting.
Abebooks.com has several copies available for around $15-$25
Yes, Frank, that's the CLASSIC Jean Ritchie dulcimer instruction book. It was one of the first, if not the first book on the dulcimer. Much good information to be discovered in it. Jean also wrote "Jean Ritchie's Dulcimer People" and several other books. Her personal story about growing up is in "Singing Family of the Cumberlands" and is well worth having in your library.
I shipped a large Galax dulcimore from the Detroit area to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada (Niagara Falls area) in a plywood box using Parcel Monkey. I took it to a FedEx office nearby for them to send it with the label I printed for it. Everything went well that time.
We're proud to "have you on the bus", Nate! You have some amazing ideas. Thanks for sharing them with us.
That makes 3 of us. A basic dulcimer but it might have a good sound. I too have not encountered this maker.
If you will excuse me for saying so, I think those pegs look like cheap banjo friction pegs, not worthy of such a fine instrument. The previous owner probably had tuning problems with the original wooden pegs, and had somebody replace them with these. There are nicer alternatives, including nice-fitting wooden replacements or quality mechanical tuners, such as Wittners or Perfection pegs.
Strings.com or Guitar Center. I go to Guitar Center for odd sizes, or when I run out of the proper string. They have a box of individual strings under the counter, in square paper envelopes, and can usually find me what I want.
Hi! Welcome to the site! I've known Warren May for probably 45 years now, and he always has a good word to say. He's friendly and talented and likes to talk! He'll give you more dulcimer information than you ask for. I'd visit his shop once or twice a year in the past, and he always remembered me, by name, and would ask me how things were in Detroit. Very fun guy to talk with.
I want to wish you all a very blessed day today, in which we remember the birth of the Prince of Peace so long ago.
How we need His peace today! Merry Christmas to one and all !
I've been using Perfection geared violin pegs on some of my dulcimers, and people really like the ease of use. Plus they look just like black ebony violin pegs, which doesn't detract from the appearance of the dulcimers. I just ordered a set of Wittner pegs to try out. I've heard good things about them!
Jean Ruth Ritchie was born 101 years ago today in Viper KY.
I agree with Lisa (Strumelia) that those 2 books are enjoyable and informative reading.
Thank you very much, Wally!
Hi, Matthew! It's good to have you here on this site. Lots of info and music to be learned. If at some future date you'd like to try your hand at playing a historic reproduction of early noter-drone dulcimers (some of us call them "dulcimores"), there are a few builders of them on the site. Have fun!
And now the "circle" has rejoined! What a fine development from Randal's inquiry 6 months ago! Hope things work out with the repairs.
I believe that George Looney's name appears on one of my McSpaddens as well! Looks like yours has the scroll end, before they switched to flat tuning heads. Congratulations !
The difference in size between the M-8 and the M-12 will be in the body width/size. I believe that they both use the same fretboard and scale length. Both are beautiful to play and hear.
I'm putting together a McSpadden kit right now, and the laminated sides are very substantial, high-quality plywood. McSpaddens are well-designed instruments. I'm not aware of any of theirs being solid wood.
Patty, check out the stuff on cbgitty.com They show simple pickup set-ups and diagrams. They could probably help you out.
Sorry, the only dulcimer luthiers I've come across named "Wilson" are Richard and Denise Wilson of Manitou Beach, MI. They did phenomenal work. He built the critters, then she did the beautiful inlay work. Don't think they're doing this any more.
I'm a cobbler gobbler! When I can find one, that is... Best is blueberry or peach, but I'll settle for whatever you've got!
Yes, you're correct, you'll need those slots filled with frets. Frank didn't put any "extra" frets in on this dulcimer. If you can measure the size of the fret-wire on this, you may be able to have the missing frets added back in. You could also just replace ALL of the frets at the same time, practically guaranteeing an accurate fretting job. That's an attractive dulcimer you have!
Put mine in some spanakopita, a quiche, or veggie lasagna, or just cook it with a lil' ham or bacon! Yum - o!
So, Strumelia, are you, by reason of consuming so much spinach, now able to repeatedly punch big galoots into submission, bust loose from being tied to a chair by heavy ropes, and generally wreak havoc, trying to make the world a more just and equitable place? There was a feller in the Saturday cartoons a long time ago that answers that description. The carnage was always preceded by the playing of a jaunty hornpipe.
Don't be lickin' them dulcimores, Dusty! That's a bad habit to get into. (Don't ask me how I know).
