Fred Martin dulcimer help, please
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Rob and ken,
thank you for the help and insight.
i will start this project when i return from vacation.
Forum Activity for @whocindylou
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Fred Martin dulcimer help, please
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Greetings!
I found a beautiful, but filthy, Fred Martin dulcimer at Goodwill and need help in learning how to clean it, how to string it (what gauges would be correct for this dulcimer, wound bass or not?), and how best to get the most out of the tuning pegs.
The dulcimer has 29" scale.
Per label it is made of native black walnut back, sides and headstock (how about that eqyptian??? What a beauty!), maple soundboard and tuning pegs, oak fretboard.
The string pins are dowels angled into the tail.
the nut and bridge feel like bone, not a highly polished or glassy dense bone, but something more akin to the way cuttle bone feels. Anyone know what he and or edsel used for their nuts and bridges and whether they did set up four equidistant or not? The bridge is REALLY high (suspension bridge high, and no way to play above seventh fret without bodybuilding first)
I had originally hoped to find both an edsel and a fred martin more for the woodworking, americana aspects than for playing, especially since i cannot play a long scale in my preferred style.
BUT, i have tuned the greasy gunky awful old strings to CGC and given it a quick run at rosin the beau and am pleasantly surprised. The pegs are holding the tuning pretty well, and intonation is far better than i expected. So it looks like I will be learning noter drone.
So, oldtimers and seasoned pros..
how do I clean the wood (prior owner braided a hunk of baling wire to make a very primitive strap, some of the broken wires scratched the back of dulcimer and i would like to clean that up if possible)
How do i get the pegs turning and tuning properly...very afraid i am going to break one as i tighten strings. What gauge strings should i be using? How do i properly lower the bridge so that strings are in same zipcode as frets?
is there anything else i need to know?
thanks a million for your help in preserving, and playing this nice bit of history.
Rebels, trailblazers & champions...OH MY! Black Mtn Festival
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hi Jan! It was great meeting you at Dulcimer U.
Unicoi is up in the air for me as my limited Dulcimer budget has been pretty much ransacked between Dulcimer U and Black Mountain.
BUT, I reserve the right to blow the budget every now and then, and may just wind up in Unicoi.
I will definitely see you around.
Rebels, trailblazers & champions...OH MY! Black Mtn Festival
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
i am not seeing much chatter on Black Mountain Music Festival.
I was hooked from the moment I saw that bold, audacious, completely mind-boggling lineup of talent, all in one place for four fabulous days! OH, and the location just happens to be the gorgeous Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, in autumn's full majesty!
As a newbie dulcimer player, I didn't realize this is a first year festival. Kudos to the organizer for managing to pull this kind of talent; covering such a huge spectrum of personalities and musical styles, together for our benefit.
So, who else is heading to the festival? What are you most looking forward to???
Me--I am loving that I get FOUR consecutive days playing the blues with Bing, singing and playing sweet Appalachian tunes with the lovely Sarah Morgan, finally getting a chance to learn to arrange my own songs with Tull--master of arrangers for the dulcimer, learning how to memorize and make the songs I love my own with the inimitable Erin Mae, and working on finessing my technique with Stephen Siefert.
Yes siree, I know how to have some dulcimer fun! How about you?
updated by @whocindylou: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM