Thanks Ken for clarifying. I should have been more explicit that the difference in a Daaa and Dadd bridge is VERY slight, and will likely equate to only a couple cents difference. It is nowhere near enough difference to sound "off" however, if you are keen on developing your ear to hear subtle differences over time, in my opinion its good to have the most precise intonation possible.
The dulcimer I currently have is one I purchased back in the mid-1990s before we even had internet at my house. I walked into our local music store that rents school band instruments (bought my oboe for band through them). I asked about buying a dulcimer and they pulled out a catalog of instruments they can order. I think I paid just over $100 for it. No maker marks on it. Basically if I wanted a dulcimer, this is the one I had to buy.
I want another dulcimer, and pretty much have settled on a McSpadden standard 28.5" hourglass. I see one of the options is having it tuned to D-A-AA vs standard D-A-dd. Which tuning should I get, or does it really matter? I play in both D-A-AA, D-A-dd, also in D-G-cc, D-A-cc and D-G-dd. There are other tunings in some books of Celtic music I have that use CGC, CFC.
Thanks for the insight Ken. I have avoided lacquer on my finger boards, to try to avoid "sealing" them in rather than letting the wood "breathe." In general i treat the body of my dulcimers with a coating of sealant like polyurethane and just put oil on the fingerboard. In the past I have left a ton of fingerboards untreated, and typically the oil from my hands attracts grime, leaving a dark color to the areas that i fret the most often.
Hey folks I've heard before that furniture polish shouldnt be used on fingerboards. As best as I can tell, this is because they often contain silicone (like pledge for example) which apparently builds up on the wood or something like that. I have a can of orange oil based furniture polish that specifically says it doesnt contain silicone, so Im wondering if this can be used to clean fingerboards. Is silicone the only concern with using furniture polish? According to the online details, it contains orange oil and mineral oil, and specifically does not contain silicone or linseed oil.
Thanks
Nate
Ken I'm really grateful that you did; thank you very much. I was super curious, and I'll likely not have any chance to go there any time soon so I'm very appreciative for this.
It's good to hear that it will be appreciated. It's a shame, though, that Steve wasnt able to find it a home where it will get to be played. It was a very thoughtful sentiment.
That really breaks my heart.
Wow that is seriously cool. How did you manage to get such intricate cuts into the plywood? That must have taken a lot of work to make.
Sorry to hear that, i have noticed that sometimes having a "false bottom/galax board" or a built in "possum board" can dampen my sound. After several experiments I think a very rigid and thin "false bottom" is best for tone and sustain. I also think that the inside face of the "false bottom" should be coated in something that is "sonically reflective." A hard layer of shellac, polyurethane, or anything else that is super rigid.
Id love to see more pictures, the instrument looks awesome
Nate
RevDave -- I suggest investing $50 or so in a carboard dulcimer. The sound is good, the frets are dead on and intonation can be adjusted if needs be. They're a greater learner instrument, and can be 'upograded' by making a simple wooden box... The picture shows a cardboard dulcimer fretboard transferred to a Virginia-style elliptical body that a student made ...
cardboard? Really! These things exist? I once made a nominally working “organ pipe” from a sheet of notebook paper, but a cardboard dulcimer…
I assume made from corrugated boxlike material? How do they hold up?
Wow, that's pretty cool Chris. What material is the dulcimer made from? Also, do you mean that it has an additional sound board on the inside of the instrument?
It seems to me that since both options are good quality, and you cant actually play or hear either one before buying, it might be best to pick whichever one you like better aesthetically. If you like to look at it, youll like to have it out, and you'll want to play it more often 😁
Thats a pretty cool instrument. I like the tin at the end and the bridge setup is clever. Thanks for sharing
Very cool @dulcillini
I love the pattern of the one on the left and the shape of the one on the right 👍🏽
That is awesome @overdrive
Id love to see a photo of the dulcimer that has served you all this time
Nate
Thank you for sharing this story. As a child, something like a cane can instantly make one feel like a sophisticated adult. I remember how much joy I got strutting around with my grandfather's canes when i was little. it's so great to have sentimental things like that, which can still find use all this time later.
Thank for your suggestions. I'll give the new strings a go and see how they sound. Is Geee tuning somehting that anyone plays now?
WOW, that's all really terrible to hear. Really glad to hear that you persevered and kept a good spirit. Internet trolls definitely pale in comparison to the kind of real hate that exists out there. If weird comments that have nothing to do with me are the worst it gets, I think I'm getting off pretty lucky as far as internet hate goes.
They must be a total weirdo.
More than anything, I find it really funny that someone clicked on a bunch of my videos, and after seeing me a dozen times, still thought I was Nate Pultorak, the middle aged, white, bearded hammered dulcimer player. I guess they were so angry they didn't even glance at the videos?
Agreed, Strumelia! When I see someone that angry and vitriolic I have a lot of pity for them. I'm sorry to hear that someone was that vile to you. Luckily for me this person is just unwell and most of their comments made absolutely no sense, so it doesn't affect me that much. He was saying such extremely specific things that I had to google it to find out who he thought I was.
Thank you for your kind words Robin. I honestly have never received a mean comment on a video, so I was very shocked to see that someone had gone through my videos to leave a mean comment on each one, and I was totally blown away when I realized that this person is very specifically angry at some other dulcimer player named Nate. 
I really hope the guy who typed all these messages finds the Lord, and finds peace in their heart. However I couldn't help but to laugh at seeing that someone left really mean comments on a dozen of my videos, and they apparently are mad at someone else. The internet is a funny place.
A very angry guy left a bunch of mean comments on tons of my YouTube videos, and after reading several, I realized that this disturbed man thought I was the esteemed hammered dulcimer player named Nate Pultorak. 
Some folks are too angry too see straight 
However, alluding to Shakespeare, what we call the instrument doesn't change what it is, its value, or its place in the musical world.
He proposes that the dulcimer was commonly used for dances and church services. I have seen no evidence that dulcimers from our area were ever used in dances or church.
The 2024 edition of worldwide Play Music On The Porch Day is Saturday 31 August! Make music where you can when you can, friends! (Not everyone can go outdoors to play nor is everyone available on the actual stated date.)
How come nobody ever comments on how much money it costs to keep all these babies in fresh strings !?! 
I am not sure about the "one size" anecdote, but dramatically changing string size will dramatically change intonation. In the past, when I have already installed a fixed bridge, and it is only off by a couple cents, I will sometimes file a slot or two slightly deeper to adjust it. Not my favorite solution, but it shouldn't affect playability very much. For that reason, I recommend taking a tuner and fretting each note to see if the instrument is well intonated. If all the notes are in tune, I'd say leave it alone. If they're not, then it may be fair to assume that the strings are at different heights due to imprecision.
Nate
I would recommend checking the frets with a tuner before making any alterations. It may be the case that the strings are set at different heights to accommodate their location on an installed bridge. There may be very small variations in the bridge that are actually adjustments made for intonation.
Nate
My strategy when facing adverse conditions as far as playing outside is simple. I cancel any plans to play outside.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
A lot of my dulcimers are plywood, and I very often use a few layers of polyurethane on them. (for solid wood dulcimers i much prefer oil)
I am aware that conventional knowledge suggests allowing wood to breathe, but in rough weather or high humidity, I wonder if it's better to have an instrument that can "hold it's breath"
I have made two with no soundholes and with a heavy coating of polyurethane on the entire outside, including the fingerboard. They are essentially waterproof, and have traveled back and forth between inland and the coast multiple times with no noticeable warping. I left one of them on a back porch and it got rained on all night, and I just wiped all the water off, put new strings on it, and it was totally unaffected.
Probably not applicable for most people, but I definitely appreciate having a dulcimer that is specifically more weather resistant than the rest.
I gave away one of the first bundt pan dulcimers that I built to an older gentleman who is homeless and had a precarious lifestyle. Shortly thereafter he got ripped off and it was stolen from him and my dulcimer, that meant a lot to me, was suddenly being passed around amongst strangers. Eventually it was gifted to someone who gifted it to a very nice man, and by pure luck i met that man's wife, and the two of them gladly returned my dulcimer to me, that i may return it to its original recipient. Talk about a feel good ending!
Nate
In my opinion, any stiff and dense material transmits the energy well. Metal, plastic, bone, dense hardwoods, etc. Each will slightly alter the tone of the instrument, but only very slightly. I often use hardwoods out of convenience, or a metal zero fret for consistency of tone, but bone is my preference because it transmits super well, and I like the look of bone best. I'm not a big fan of the premade plastic ones because they are harder to alter, but they sound just as good.
Those string lubricant products are very strange. The feel is totally different. I think a lot of them are mainly just mineral oil. Personally, I like it, but can't be bothered to apply a product to my strings before playing. Heck, I can barely even be bothered to tune up xD
Sounds like a thicker unwound string is the way to go. I will have to check out that brand as well.
This is all fascinating! The fact that it's number 99, when he started recording them at 100 is such a neat coincidence. And also the fact that it's unfinished! The reputation of that luthier precedes him, so it seems to me that you have a very awesome opportunity to finish building a dulcimer that was done up most of the way by a master.
Thank you to Dwain for providing all the awesome context
Sadly, I've been spreading myself too thin lately and I haven't been getting as much practice as I like to on a few different instruments. I have a Magnus accordion sitting on my couch that I like to play while I'm unwinding when I get off work. It's basically a vintage plastic children's toy accordion with way fewer buttons than a real one. It's a lot of fun to mess around with.
