Forum Activity for @angelinacat

Hi Susie:

Your dulcimer is beautiful.  I love the wood patterns.  I bet it sounds as sweet as it looks.

Thank you for the replies.

We actually have it in a room in another building on our property that has good ventilation in it--a slightly open rear window, and a ceiling fan in the room that we mainly use.  That overnight stay, and the beeswax furniture dressing that I slathered all over the dry wood yesterday, seems to have helped the odor.  Neither one of us really noticed the odor today when we went over to practice this afternoon.

I will be sure to pay attention tomorrow when we practice.

Lynn is starting to learn the basics and so far is learning and has played the CABBAGE song and 'Hot Cross Buns'.  So in two days, with no musical background, I think he is doing great!

Hi Folks:

It FINALLY arrived today!  I guess the dead mule was finally replaced.

It looks and seems like a nice dulcimer, but the quality between the McSpadden and the Lucky Diamond was immediately apparent once we got the new strings on and tuned correctly.

Unfortunately, it came from a smoker's house.  I wish that fact had been disclosed in the eBay listing.  If it had been, we would have passed it by.  Does anyone know how to clean that?  It REEKS!!

It also was very dirty and dried out, and soaked a up a lot of the beeswax preparation that Mr. Salt Springs recommended.

So, any thoughts?  Suggestions?

Thank you!  We will let you know.how it goes.

BTW, the 'kit' he had been looking at, sold also, but we didn't watch that one, or know how much it sold for....

Thanks everyone for your input.  It is very encouraging.

DH DID win the auction last night for the dulcimer.  He got it for around $146.50 and around $20.00 for S & H.  So we think we got a good deal and that the seller was fair.  We will know for sure when it arrives.

Hi Everyone:

As the title says, my husband has become interested in having an instrument of his own, after buying me one for Christmas.

He has been looking on eBay--that's where he bought mine--a Lucky Diamond 1975--and was looking at a very cheap model that is going down in 7 hours that we (in al of our experience--which is none!) think is a kit. 

After researching here and seeing Sturmmellia's post warning about cheap knock-offs on another popular site.

He decided against bidding on that one, but is looking at one that is supposed to be a McFadden.  Here is the link.  Any opinions???

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Appalachian-mountain-dulcimer-Mcspadden-signed-Richard-Stolze-31783-1995-SSW/274204031025?hash=item3fd7d57831:g:yq0AAOSwGj9eHjry

Thanks!

I'll have to try tomorrow when I can put it out in the daylight.  It barely shows.  However, we tried Ken Hulme's suggestion with the thin superglue.  My husband held it in position for about 15 minutes.  And it seems to be holding.  It is one of the rounded edges of the f sound holes.  It did not break all  the way through.

Lynn has gotten interested  and is eyeing a cheap one on eBay.  I have warned him of our Moderator/owner's post about cheap knock-offs on another site.....

How did you make out with this?

I just cracked one of my f shaped sound holes yesterday while practicing.  My crack sounds much like yours--except that it is much smaller, and I'm  broken-hearted over it.

Hello Everyone!  I am new here and to the dulcimer.  My husband and I have finally gotten new strings on my 'new to me dulcimer'--with out breaking them.  We broke two of the earlier set.  We also had to go ahead and purchase geared tuners, and put the friction pegs safely away until I get better. We have NOT altered the original peg holes in the peg head in any way.  We refuse to damage or alter a vintage instrument in any way.

For those that don't know, my Christmas gift was a vintage 1975 Lucky Diamond Dulcimer with beautiful friction pegs.  We tried, and tried, but Mr. Salt Spring's suggestions about peg dressing failed to help.  So we decided to put the beautiful original pegs away until I learn more.  Otherwise, I could not even begin.  Now, I have mastered three or four of the first lessons and can even do scales.  Now, I can practice, and do scales.  With my piano background, I can experiment and try other things not in the book!  Yea!!

Thank you everyone and have a very Happy New Year!!!

Not yet, but it's coming...

Thanks everyone!  I've been trying to watch some YouTube vids, and most that I have found so far are for the geared tuners and not the friction pegs that I have.  So it's confusing.

Thank you!  Now, again, over or under??

Thanks

Hi Kusani, I've got those, and also some very small, skinny, needle nose hemostats, all ready.  Thanks!

H i Folks,

I now have some strings, and I also have wooden, friction pegs.  Should I wind the string 'over' or 'under' the peg?

It's a 1975 Lucky Diamond Dulcimer, and came with six strings, and it's original pegs. 

I think I am going to start with four strings so I can learn the basics.  I have a book--thank you, Mr. SS--and will go from there.

So, Over or Under?

Thanks!

Hi Ken:  I just looked at the picture you included, and that one looks very much like mine.  Instead of the diamond sound holes, mine has the f scroll openings like a violin has, which I'm very pleased with, as I have an 1840s vintage French violin that was handed down in the family.

Hi Ken:

Sorry about that, google Lucky Diamond Dulcimers, and it will come up.

Mine is a 6 stringer also.  My husband perused eBay and found this one--w/o my knowledge as it is supposed to be a Christmas present.  But my husband liked the looks, and the fact that a long history of Diamond Dulcimers came with it.  Lynn talked the seller down $100.00, and now I have it.

I have copied the pictures that were on the eBay site, before the page goes away.  But, in my opinion, the pictures aren't very good because the wood looks very dark, and in real life, it is not.  It is a mellow, golden brown color--to me anyway.  I'll have to see if I can somehow capture some good pictures of it and post them.

Thank you

@ken:  Hi!  Are you the fellow in Inverness, Florida, that repaired a peg head on a Diamond dulcimer built for a Mike in 1977?  I found that website and found it VERY interesting.

I understand about lazy Sundays; my husband and I spent today as one of those also.

Thank you for the information.

Hi SS:  The measurement between the nut and the bridge is a tad over 28", not quite a full half inch.  If I measure from the nut to the tiny nails the string start on, it  measures a full 30".  Actually the bridge is loose.  I have read about 'fixed' bridges and 'floating' bridges.  Is it  possible mine is a floating bridge?  I can see the mark on the wood fretboard where itt is supposed to sit, but see no signs of old glue...

Thanks in advance.

WoW!

Thank you for such a nice welcome.  This looks like a very nice community.

@saltsprings:  Being a newbie to this forum, I'm not sure I have PM ability yet.  I know from other forums I have been a member of (and one I am a Moderator of) it usually takes x number of posts before one is able to PM someone.  I am very interested, though.

Thank!

Thank you Ken.  I will follow up on this.

Interestingly enough I also have a historic violin that has come down in the family.  I have had several lessons on that, but had to give up the lessons when my mother developed Alzheimer's.  My step-daughter has it now as she is learning violin, but I wonder how similar/dissimilar those pegs are to these?

Plus, I think this instrument may need to be looked at by a professional, as it is vintage, and may have problems I can't see.

Thank you for your response.

Hi Strumelia:

I am in NE Florida, East Palatka, Florida, to be exact.  We are about 30 miles SW of St. Augustine, 65 miles south of Jacksonville, 45-50 east of Gainesville, and about a two-three hour drive north of Orlando.

Hi Folks:

I am absolutely new at this.  I received a vintage (1975) Lucky Diamond Dulcimer as an early Christmas present.  I thought I would be able to start learning right away, but no.

It has wooden pegs and the strings look okay, but when I try to tune it, the pegs will not hold.  I am looking for a dulcimer luthier near me so that I can see if it needs some repair, and so I can learn.

Any suggestions?