Thanks for your post, DoC! Sorry things are gloomy across The Pond. Things are somewhat gloomy here as well, what with the pesky COVID virus preparation shutting things down and generally making a nuisance of itself. We need to rise above it, and dulcimers sure help re-focus us on nicer things! I'm confident that you'll make the McSpadden modifications with no trouble at all. Best wishes for a successful outcome.
That is definitely from Folkcraft Instruments, however I'm not sure if it was assembled at the factory, or if somebody just assembled a kit. It would seem likely that if it was a factory-made dulcimer, it would have labeling in or on it.
It's a very lovely melody, but I haven't heard it before. Maybe it's something from Turlough O'Carolan's pen? Could be...
Angelina, there have been different ideas posted online regarding the same issue with guitars and their cases. You might like to look some of them up? Some like to set it in the sun and wind (maybe not this time of year), wiping down with first a rag soaked in tomato juice, then a rag soaked in baking soda and water, then a dry rag. When our funeral home caught fire eight years ago, the remediation company subjected all of its belongings to an ozone treatment. I haven't smelled any smoke since.
Richard Stolze was an employee at McSpadden/The Dulcimer Shoppe for many years. It should be a high-quality dulcimer.
Welcome to the group, Rain Dog! This is a great resource for dulcimer new-bies. Ask a lot of questions if you like. One of us (at least) should be able to help you out. Have a good day!
That's right! You know, table saws are bad for damaging your fingers or hands. The tips of my thumb and forefinger on my right hand went through "an aggressive change" over a year ago due to my table saw. Things healed very nicely, thank God, but the sensitivity is gone somewhat. It's harder to pick up small objects now, but I'm thankful that the injuries weren't much worse.
You'll be fine after a while, I'm sure.
I've met many WONDERFUL folks from FOTMD in Berea, KY or in Hindman, KY the past few years. (I can't remember any of them as being awful or unfriendly!) I think particularly of those special friends in Hindman who started and ran the dulcimer project there, as well as my fellow luthiers who are attempting to raise high the banner of traditional dulcimore building and playing.
Thank you so much, friends! I had a wonderful day. Even squeezed in a great prime rib lunch in Ann Arbor!
Here is what's happening in the shop on my birthday. Found the time to make some sawdust today!
I think some of these dulcimers were branded Oscar Schmidt, weren't they?
Do you have any photos to help us?
See something a little different here? I've noticed that when I play the scale, I get "od-it-al-los-af-im-er-od..." Oh-- everything's BACKWARDS. This is a left-handed poplar Thomas dulcimore that was requested by a customer of mine.
Ken's right-- I'll sometimes use a Harbor Freight Tools heat gun to soften some Titebond glue enough to reposition something. It works quite well.
UPDATE: He just received it a couple hours ago, and he loves it! Sentiments to brighten a poor luthier's heart!
Molly, I can't see what you're dealing with, but in most cases you should be able to surface the topside of the fretboard level, then either refinish it and install frets, or glue a 1/8" thick fingerboard over the fretboard and cut your fret slots in that.
The trick is getting the fretboard flat. You could use a belt sander with a coarse grit belt, or a hand plane, or if you feel really lucky, run it through a power planer, a little cut at a time.
Thank you all for the comments. The new owner should have it in a couple of days now.
Just completed, another walnut Thomas dulcimore with a matching possum board.
James,
That looks like a mandolin tailpiece to me. If so, the pointed decorative end should lift up to reveal the string ends. In other words, there should be a hinge on the other end of the tailpiece. If it's tight, maybe dab a little WD-40 on it from a Q-tip.
Howie Mitchell's "floating bridge" design has been largely discredited. This design tends to allow the bridge end of the fretboard to bow up. Some folks just glue a filler piece of wood in the gap to solidify things. The sound doesn't suffer much from the modification.
I would guess that it's an assembled church dulcimer kit from Hughes Dulcimer Company out of Denver. These were made of luan plywood ("Philippine mahogany"), and were of simple design. If you remade the nut and bridge, you could get the 3 courses of two strings that we're talking about.
That seems unusual for a dulcimer. Usually if a dulcimer has six strings, they are arranged in 3 pairs on the fretboard. Each string pair (or "course") have a distance of about 1/8" between them, so they can be played as one string.
Tuning is generally in the DAA or CGG range (Ionian or Major mode) if it's a conventional length dulcimer. Each pair is tuned alike. Do you have any photos of it?
Welcome, Steve! This is THE PLACE to ask questions about dulcimer history, and design and building of the same.
I'll try to help you, along with many others here who have a lot of experience in the field. If you look through some of the previous posts, you should find answers to questions. Have fun!
Yes, Dave, I've made several of this very kit over the years. They are very easy to put together if you take your time and follow directions. The resulting dulcimer is a fine looking and sounding instrument.
You really did seem to enjoy yourself, Irene! What a hoot! We had an intensive 3-day dulcimer learning gig. I won't forget how my legs complained over all that walking! They still hurt, but I'm glad I went. None of the group were what you would call "spring chickens", able to walk anywhere and everywhere. I'm glad you like the Singleton. It's leaving me this weekend...
Yes, here is a photo of the original in Lexington, Kentucky. The folksinger John Jacob Niles altered the fret pattern, but I used the normal diatonic pattern for my replica.
Here's a new Uncle Will Singleton dulcimer replica I built for a player in Toronto. Its name is "Angel", taken from Psalm 34:7. Singleton was the local dulcimer builder in Viper, KY and was related to Jean Ritchie. The poplar body really rings out when played. The red heart and diamond are cherry inlays in the fretboard.
Greg,
You remember that Jean Ritchie used to play in the key of C a lot of the time?
Me too.
A good job on a beautiful dulcimer! Here's to many more!
Here is the outworking of some brainstorming I've had recently. You know how an idea gets in your head and won't go away peacefully? Well, this lil' guy is less than 12" long, but can be played-- SORT OF. It's my version of a true "pocket dulcimer". Just thought you might like to see it!
So, full steam ahead! Congratulations on building your first dulcimer. You'll get lots of ideas for future ones now.
Joolsy,
You could try sanding the back flat if the bow is minor, or you could glue 3 feet on the back like they did in the old days.
All I found was this old listing on Reverb:
https://reverb.com/item/6939411-music-crafts-mountain-music-dulcimer-4 string-vintage
It probably looks like yours. No date given, but the same labeling.
Hollowing the fretboard saves weight and adds more cubic inches of soundbox, and usually yields a little more sound.
All things being equal, it's a good idea to hollow it out. Another question is whether or not to cut holes in the top under the fretboard. I like to cut them out, but doing that may not make it sound much different. Best wishes on your repairs!
I agree with Ken. Robin Clark should be able to help you, friend.
