Teddy, it's a great time for you! That dulcimer will probably smell like fresh wood and lacquer-- the "new dulcimer smell", not unlike the "new car smell" that everybody knows.
At least you won't have to wait an hour after delivery for the box to warm up, like you do in deepest winter!
"PLUCK" is an amazing and unusual book. I obtained a copy and read through it with much interest and wonder. So many people, so many events being interwoven for David's entire life. Quite extraordinary.
Lisa, that's the very secret of success in dulcimer-building! Spend lots on tools, equipment and lumber, and you'll get a guaranteed meager return! It's the (modern) American way!
This is horrifying news! Several states are dealing with floods right now. Hindman, home of the James E. Thomas dulcimer, has been especially hard-hit. Troublesome Creek often floods, but not like this. Doug Naselroad, who runs Troublesome Creek Musical Instruments, the dulcimer museum and the downtown luthier shop has massive flooding problems right now.
Jim, I have an old John Maxwell dulcimer that was missing a peg when I bought it. I fashioned a new one of maple that looked similar to the original. His pegs were distinctive.
You can use just about any wire cutters with steel strings. Harbor Freight Tools sells them, as do dollar stores, admittedly not the best quality, but serviceable for a while. Don't tell anyone, but in a pinch you can use nail clippers too, if you don't care to use them on your nails again!
I haven't seen that sort of dulcimer before either. There are nice ones offered on Shop Goodwill Online from time to time.
I like to buy old dulcimer kits and put them together, whenever I see a good one on there. Hope you enjoy it!
I too am a leftie who has had no trouble at all learning and playing in the usual manner.
Usually going up or down a string gauge doesn't cause big problems on a dulcimer. An .024" will give a little more bass sound than a .022". It should be fine.
You can't go wrong with a Warren May dulcimer unless it has been damaged. He makes a world-class product.
Cardboard dulcimers sound much better than one would expect. I sometimes wonder why I build from wood when cardboard sounds so wonderful.
So sorry to see this. Naomi gave us some memorable music along with her daughter.
Teddy, we're fortunate to be communicating with you at all! What a horrible experience you've been through! So glad that you haven't succumbed to those serious infections and complications.
Monkeying around with a new dulcimer should be fun for you. It's really a forgiving instrument, and you get nice sounds out of it most of the time. Best wishes, and let us know if you need help.
Have fun, Alphie! I finished a McSpadden kit last Saturday! It's so much fun building, especially when all the hard work has been done by somebody else. Good to have you with us. We'll try to help you with whatever.
There are two traditions involved here: that of including a strum hollow, and that of NOT including a strum hollow.
Old Kentucky dulcimers have them (such as the J. E. Thomas design), but old Virginia dulcimers do not. There are many of these with significant scratching or even wood damage due to strumming over the end of the flat fretboard.
"Scoops" (scallops) are not necessary to get good sound or volume from a dulcimer. Some people just like them and think they improve the sound of the dulcimer. Scallops free up the soundboard because the fretboard only contacts the soundboard in a few small areas. Some builders will also channel-out the center of the fretboard as well, to create even smaller contact areas.
Do I scallop my dulcimer fretboards? Nope-- never have. But I DO channel them, almost every time. Some Tennessee music boxes have "false scallops" on the sides of their fretboards, but they're just notches for decoration -- they don't go all the way through the fretboard.
Welcome to our little group, eh? from a dulcimer/dulcimore builder north of the Ontario border (suburban Detroit).
We hope you'll have fun and learn some things from us. That's a nice find you have there! Thanks for letting us know.
Welcome, Walt and Megan! We look forward to answering your questions and helping you out where we can.
Etsy and eBay are good sources for micarta. Luthier's Mercantile sells Richlite fingerboards, which looks similar to micarta.
Best wishes on getting a playable dulcimer, Steven!
Why anybody would want a left-handed dulcimer is beyond me. I've built one recently, though, by special request.
You're welcome! Is it made of luan plywood, by any chance?
Welcome, Steven! We're glad to help. Yes, you should measure the distance from the inside of the nut (right edge) to the octave fret, which is usually the seventh fret. Double that, then add about 2 or 3 mm extra length to compensate for string stretch when you push the strings down to the frets. That should get you real close. DAD and DAA are very popular tunings for the dulcimer.
I agree with Ken. I like Thomas' birthday of March 19 (1850).
I've met Tom Fellenbaum several times over the years, and I know that he build excellent instruments. I bought one of his bowed psalteries years ago, and it was wonderful in craftsmanship and in sound. I don't know what he's up to now.
Ron, it could have been built by a home hobbyist, not a renowned maker. That seems more likely than a builder who is known by the dulcimer community. The number listed is small, unlike a "known maker".
Have a very happy and meaningful Thanksgiving Day everyone! Time to count our blessings.
The head design looks way off for an Amburgey. Jethro always marked his, as far as I know. It appears more "modern" than Jethro's work. And the fiddle edges are very wide. Maybe somebody's interpretation of his dulcimers, with differences added?
Wally's probably right about the body length being determined by the plywood sheet size. The same issue crops up when building Tennessee music boxes-- the wood pieces from the lumberyard are 48" long, yet the body length is something like 27" long. So either you "waste" half your wood or downsize your design to accommodate the size of the lumber.
Art, you can use loop-end strings on anything. Ball-end strings are hard to use on some dulcimers, but you could always break the ball out with heavy pliers, or run the free end through the ball to make a loop, though it doesn't look very good.
You could shop at www.juststrings.com for some great prices and quantities!
Yum-O! Tomatillo sauce is the spice of life, as they say!
Ken, "Perfection pegs" are made by Knilling. That's their brand name. And "Pegheds" are made by an different company. As are Wittner "Fine-Tunes", I believe.
That scroll design is unique in my experience. Looks as if a large hole was bored in the scroll, and a rounded-off plug of wood was glued into it.
Friends, I have the solution you crave for tuning multiple dulcimers for children: Use zither pins for tuners, and give tuning wrenches only to the instructors! Tune all of the dulcimers ONCE, and let the classes begin!
There's not a lot to go on here, Bridge. Doesn't instantly remind me of any particular maker. Dulcimer-building is all about putting one's own unique style and design to a piece. If you get any further photos they might help! Sorry.
Cardboard dulcimers can sound SURPRISINGLY GOOD!
I know I'm shooting myself in the foot when I say that, being a builder of dulcimers, but it's true.
