Forum Activity for @olddog75

Fretboard Cleaner & Conditioner

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I used F-One Fretboard oil on a used dulcimer i bought that needed some TLC. It worked very well to restore the fretboard.        In the blurb that accompanies the product on the Blue Lion website, it explains why the company doesn't use lemon oil in their products, though that could just be a marketing ploy to distinguish their product from competitors  

Jay (olddog75)

PS: You seem like you don't want to make an early misstep on your dulcimer journey, so I'd go with the F-One, then you won't have to worry about the fretbooard "dryin out" since there won't be any lemon oil on it in the first place...

A question about intonating a dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Just a thought, but have you tried contacting the makers/builders? your photo of the label shows a phone number and address.  they could give you info on the instrument, like if that blue plastic nut-like thing was part of the original dulcimer or added by a former owner, maybe some hints on how to remove it safely, etc.  It can't hurt to ask...

Dulcimer Value

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Searching google for Mark Blair dulcimers, I found one on the reverb.com website marked "sold". It was a teardrop with wormy chestnut top and walnut sides and back. The price was $250.00. It showed as listed eight years ago, but no indication of when it actually sold, though I can't see a company keeping a dulcimer on it's site for eight years.  Looks like Ken's estimate is very valid, maybe leaning a little toward the $300 side nowadays?  Hope this helps..

4 

1977 Robert Mize

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I'm relatively new to dulcimers also, I got my first one in the spring of '23.  I'll put my two cents in and tell you some basic info, I'm sure you'll get more posts from more experienced player soon. 

From viewing the photo of the pamphlet, I think that what the maker is telling you is that if you go to s music store to buy ball end guitar strings you should buy 3 high E strings and a G and that is what he originally strung the dulcimer with. He's providing this info so you can get the right thickness of strings for the instrument. I use light gauge strings on my guitars and the high E is .12 and the G is .24. You won't have to do that, though, since you bought a set of dulcimer strings. 

the VSL (Vibrating String Length: the distance form the bridge( toward the bottom of the dulcimer) to the nut (at the top of the neck) is a factor in determining the "best" exact gauge for the dulcimer, though there's plenty of leeway in that regard. The McSpadden  DAdd string set you got is for a VSL of 28 1/2".  If the VSL of your instrument is near that length, they should be good enough.  You wouldn't tune the strings to Geee or Egee, you'd tune them to DAdd. There are many more tunings possible as you will discover, I hope this helps you a little...