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.
Howdy, Steve! A warm welcome to you here!
That's a beautiful dulcimer you have.
We'll try to help and encourage you in your activity. Just let us know what you need, and we'll see what we can do.
¡Muchas gracias, amigo!
¡Acabo de disfrutar de un delicioso chile relleno después de la iglesia!
A new maple Galax dulcimore, built for a lady in Vancouver, Washington.
I'm so surprised at this sad news! I didn't really know John, but I corresponded with him when I built his electric dulcimer a few years ago. He seemed to be a wonderful dulcimer friend and player.
Rob, I've seen lots of different kinds of dulcimers and dulcimores, but I've never seen one like yours!
Thanks, Robin!
There's one somewhere here in my stack of poplar with your name on it (maybe?).
Each year we have the Berea Traditional Dulcimore Gathering, one of the founding members builds a dulcimore to be given away at the gathering. Two years ago, Bobby Ratliff of Grundy, VA built a traditional Virginia dulcimore out of 9 native woods. This year I built the giveaway dulcimore for the event. Actually there was a choice this year: the winner could select a J. E. Thomas replica dulcimore or a Will Singleton replica dulcimore that I built. Both of these were old Kentucky designs, but few have ever seen a Will Singleton dulcimore in person. The winning attendee, Diane Peacock, chose the Singleton. Here's a photo of the presentation.
I have not seen such a dulcimer before. It looks homemade, maybe of oak. I'm not familiar with the "HRC" designation. It's not TOO old, because the frets are made of guitar fretwire. The late John Tignor used the trefoil hole pattern, but I'm sure it's not one of his.
Nate, you could tape some silica-gel packets to a string, so she can pull them out of a soundhole when she gets it.
I've used super-glue to glue in frets, and it works fine. Should you ever need to remove a glued-in fret, just hold the tip of a small soldering pencil on the center of the fret, and the glue softens in a few seconds so you can pry it out..
And I'll be packing my illustrious J. E. Thomas replica Cumberland dulcimore, which will be won by an attendee! Plus a few other things of possible interest and/or sale. Should be a great few days, folks!
"The mountaineer 'follers (follows) pickin' it' by means of a quill".
The Spanish word for "dulcimer", according to the dictionary, is "dulcémele".
My mom's Christmas cactus got mixed-up and started blooming at Easter! Is that normal? At least it was the other Christian holiday...
Venni, that's sad. May God help you heal from this devastating illness very soon.
