Forum Activity for @strumelia

I stumbled on this great little video showing little samples of all different kinds of dancing all over the world... so fun and inspiring to watch! 

https://www.facebook.com/joa.inlakesh/videos/10207979904291206/

The down side would be if you are tuning your strings back and forth on your melody string between a low G and the high E frequently, you will stress the string and break it more frequently than if you keep two dulcimers (for C/D and G/A). Also a melody string tuned down to G on a 26" vsl may be a little saggy feeling. You don't want loose tension especially on the melody string for playing the melody.

Considering the same manufacturer, a pre break up Capritaurus W/OSSC (walnut what is ossc?) would be better ?

Any Idea as to reasonable price?

My bad, 1983. Still second one made that day.

Ken,

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I was reading the Mountain Dulcimer Noter and Drone blog. @Strumelia suggested getting two different VSL dulcimers for playing in different keys. 28 1/2 for D or C and 26 1/2 for A or G. If a 28 1/2 VSL led to broken strings tuning up to E, what is the down side to just using the 26 1/2 VSL? I can understand using two dulcimers with different string gauges for different tunings. I've read that a shorter VSL helps for chording, especially with smaller hands. I've also read that VSL is not so important for noter drone style. I've observed that VSL and the overall size of the dulcimer can make a difference in tone. I'd like to learn more about choosing a VSL for a noter drone dulcimer and the pros and cons of different VSLs in general. 

Ken 1982 or 83

I am thinking the price is a little high for this one. Trying to keep myself from the potato chip craze.

The label you have in the photograph is an original FolkRoots label from a dulcimer made November 14, 1982 and was the second instrument completed that day; a 38 year old dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

FolkRoots, once owned by the Ruggs and Steve Jackel, was sold to Folkcraft when Howard and Steve decided to part ways. Folkcraft bought all the molds for making FolkRoots dulcimers and ti was shipped from California to Connecticut. When David Marks retired he sold Folkcraft which now owned FolkRoots to Richard Ash who moved the company to Indiana. A couple of years ago Howard Rugg decided to start making some instruments again and revived the Capritaurus name.

To see an assembly line of instrument building visit the Martin Guitar factory in Nazareth, PA or the Taylor Guitar Factory in El Cajon, CA. I think McSpadden was closer to having an assembly line approach but only in the sense that today worker A may be gluing up backs, worker B is cutting fret slots, worker C is bending sides, etc. Tomorrow worker A may cut fret slots, worker B bending sides, and worker C is gluing up backs. Lynn McSpadden told me that the worker who glued on the back signed the dulcimer, but everyone in the shop had a hand in building it. I'm not sure if that is still the case today.

I suspect that is what happened in the early days of FolkRoots and Folkcraft. At one time Richard Ash's brother, Steve, signed all the instruments and after Steve's death Richard's father seemed to take over that task. No matter who signs it, there are several people involved in building FolkRoots and Folkcraft dulcimers today, but this dulcimer assembly in no way resembles the assembly line building of Martin or Taylor.

Now to your original question, which FolkRoots is better? The answer is subjective. The old dulcimers are well made and have held up over time. The newer dulcimers come in a greater variety of woods and choices of tone holes. The same mold is used today as was used 50 years ago. I'd be happy with either one.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I have never seen an established American dulcimer company that does not put together all their dulcimers by hand, with care. Any maker that sells multiple dulcimers is naturally going to make up some of the pieces in multiples ahead of time to save time- so for a standard size they build often, maybe they'll cut 6 fret boards instead of only one. Even a maker who produces only custom dulcimers, one at a time- well if they've sold dulcimers for a while, they likely have some parts already cut and hanging on the wall, ready to use on their new custom order.

I've never heard of an actual assembly line for dulcimers, or of machines that make dulcimers. This isn't China we're talking about. 
I believe that companies that sell lots of dulcimers will definitely have an organized method that saves time and is simply more efficient. Even small luthiers have ways they use to avoid wasting time and energy. Any outfit that offers their own standard model dulcimer would be losing potential customers if they didn't have a couple of them made and ready to ship.
This simply means it makes sense to put together their more popular dulcimers several at a time. 
And if a company produces a lower priced model of dulcimer based on less expensive materials such as plywood, or a standard model that they sell a lot of and therefore have some in stock ready to ship... well that still doesn't mean it was created on an assembly line, and it doesn't mean it was not hand made with care and attention. Just my two cents.

So the Rugg and Jackel are a massed produced line assembly as noted by the high Serial number. Also seems that the sticker fell out of the instrument. Price wise not on the level of the current Folkcraft. 

Yes that is a legit Folk Roots label. 

Rugg & Jackel made Darn Fine dulcimers!     As Dusty says, Capritaurus and Folk Roots were two different critters however.  The Folk Roots line was more of a production dulcimer than a hand-crafted dulcimer.  Are current Folkcraft better than a Folk Roots?  Depends on your personal interpretation of better.  

Nathina, some others here would know the story better than I, and Howard Rugg himself is a member here and can fill in the details.  My understanding is that the Rugg brothers started making dulcimers under the Capritaurus name and then the dulcimer renaissance happened in the Santa Cruz area, so to keep up with demand, they separated Capritaurus from Folk Roots.  The Folk Roots dulcimers by Rugg and Jackel used some plywood and other techniques to keep costs lower and production higher.  The still had the same design, though, as the large-bodied Capritaurus dulcimers that were probably the first dulcimers made with a larger box to get more volume.  Eventually they sold Folk Roots to Folkcraft, as you know.

So are they good instruments?  Yes.  But they are probably do not compare to the high-end instruments made today, which cost a lot more and have been built on some of the design principles that the Ruggs pioneered.

If you have a question about a specific instrument, you might ask Howard. He still has records on most of the instruments they made and can often tell you the specific woods used, whether that 6+ fret was made by them or added afterwards, and more.

My understanding is that the Folk Roots line of dulcimers made by Folkcraft are made of solid wood with no ply, but they honor the large box design of the original Folk Roots dulcimers by Rugg and Jackel.  The main advantage to buying one new is that you could get exactly the features you want.  On the other hand, Howard Rugg resurrected Capritaurus Dulcimers and is making instruments again, so if the Rugg design interests you, you might see what he is offering.

P.S. I moved this discussion to the Forum on specific instruments and specific luthiers since that seemed a better fit and would be easier to find by others later on.

is a Ruggs and Jackel pre folkcraft a good instument? Are the current folkcraft better? What type of label did they use and was it inside the instrument?

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LOL, I'm embarrassed it took me so long to figure it out--I was in IT for 25 years before going to law school.

Now I've figured out the photo gallery thing, and posted pix of all my dulcimers. The cardboard one started me along the path, the walnut one carried me a good way...but the McSpadden...she is The One.  :)

Played to the CD. Wanted to see if I could do it. Still me playing, with mistakes. As I said everything else is fill in. Trying to see if I could play to a combo. Also wanted to give the Roosebeck a full try with something to blend to. It's good practice. Take out the original from the mix, and play myself into it.

Dusty, just to be clear I am not having issues with my McCafferty dulcimer. I was just checking the dime and nickel trick. I love my McCafferty dulcimer and I always get great compliments on the looks/quality from other players. Terry is having  a sale this weekend, but I did not act quick enough and the one I wanted is sold out. Snooze and you Loose!!

Since some were wondering about a 16/15 vs an EXR bass dulcimer here is a song done on the 16/15. Pure Celtic. Even a cheap Roosebeck (not so cheap in price) can sound great when reworked properly. This song would not come out as bright on an EXR. Note the overtones.

https://soundcloud.com/user-9942446/10-the-abbess-of-kildare-bridget-omalley?fbclid=IwAR0e3knC3Omoyv9AgGHzhC--67EltC3R2zYv7AutgtOULORdd39bAA0HmHY

@don-b, Are you having a problem with your McCafferty or did you just try to test it with the nickel and dime trick? It sounds like the only buzz you are getting is from improperly fretting the strings, meaning user error.  I have a McCafferty, too, and have no problem with the action or the fretwork.  If you are getting a buzz (and it's not from your own faulty fingering), then contact Terry.  He will make it right. In general, the action on his dulcimers is very low, since flatpickers generally want low action which is conducive to fast playing, but the fretwork is impeccable, and you should not have a buzz from faulty workmanship.  I contacted him recently because the pick-up jack in my dulcimer has come loose and rattles around, and I will be sending the dulcimer to him very soon, not only to fix the jack (which he has started to glue in but only after he made my dulcimer), but also to have a custom bridge made.  He is very friendly and takes his craft very seriously.

Don:  as long as you're not getting any buzzing the action isn't too low and you don't have to worry.  But if you change strings and then get some buzzing it may be because the new strings are a tad larger or less tight.  Buzzes usually happen when you fret.  If you get buzzes from un-fretted strings there is definitely an issue.

I agree with Ken Hulme. Let David Johnston take a look at it. It will be worth the wait to get any concerns figured out. Keep us posted. I know you are excited to finally have that dulcimer. I know you had a wait a while. 

regarding the dime and nickel - on my McCafferty dulcimer the dime at first fret is very tight and the string needs to rise ever so slightly to get the dime under it. At the 7th fret the nickel is loose fitting with the string just over the nickel with out touching. So should I be concerned. This appears to be equal with all strings. I also do not hear any buzzing unless I do not push down on the string correctly. When people say they get buzzing, is that with plucking open string or fretting them?

Nathina, woah, you are so cool to figure how to download a program on phone and then up it on here.   and your dulcimer is simply beautiful.   Lovely mellow sound and it will be fun when you figure how to show us you playing your lovely.  aloha, irene

@lisavb , that sounds terrific!  What a lovely mellow tone, and you have a nice touch when playing.     I'm also impressed that you figured out on your own so quickly how to get a sound clip up in your post.

LOL, @nathina!  That's why I didn't try to simply do a video.  I'm sure my thumbs would have been even worse!  Not my best rendition of that bit of melody.  Oh well.  

I get all thumbs when I even *think* I'm being watched.  I learned Tom Waits' Rain Dogs pretty decently. I wanted to play a duet with him (him on CD, not in my house) on my guitar.  Whoa, parts I was OK, parts I was a train wreck.  And he didn't even know I was duetting with him.  Sheesh.

I usually call them "its," but this one is just so curvy and graceful, seems like a LADY.  :)  I'm no good with trees' reproductive habits...I majored in zoology in undergrad!

So I found an app to download to my phone to make a simple MP3.  I think she sounds better in person than in the recording, but it's not too bad. She's in CGC for this, has a double melody string.  I had a little performance anxiety with the phone staring at me, LOL.  

McSpadden clip.mp3 - 928KB

I wouldn’t do any more than try a heavier string. Any thoughts on the best way to fix it? Shims or a new saddle?

If you are getting together with the builder, DO NOT DO ANYTHING until he checks it over.  If you live that close to the builder, don't be doing things yourself.  That's just silly.  Let the builder do any modifications he feels are necessary.

Strings stretch, wood contracts or expands with humidity. Every wooden instrument needs to be retuned every few days. Try a hammered dulcimer. 15 minutes of retuning normally.

Yeah on the question, Yeah on the answers and Yeah for us learning lots here.   Happy winter playing to all of you.  aloha, irene

Ok I rechecked it. The dime does fit nicely between the string and fretboard at the first fret. The nickel won’t fit anywhere between the frets and strings. Should that be corrected before I try other fixes? What would be the fix? Shim the saddle or replace it?

I have emailed David about the buzz when fretting at the 9th fret. We are supposed to set a time to get together. Later it started buzzing when played open. It is stored in its case in my closet but it is cold. It did seem to begin as the weather changed. So if the heavier string fixes the buzz do I leave the action set as I described it or bring it up so the nickel will fit as prescribed?

edit to say the dime fits correctly.

Weather changes can cause buzzes.  Please, go with the easy experiment suggested by Strumelia.  

I agree that it might be because of the winter changing the tension on the strings. I would also reach out to David Johnston of Black Mountain Instruments. You bought the dulcimer new so he should be willing to make it right. I would call him up and discuss your problem. I tried to email him a while back and he does not respond.  

Any luthier worth his salt would make his product right for you.  

This is a common thing- once winter sets in, the bass string begins to have a buzz against one or more frets. The Winter Buzz. That's due to the shrinking/expanding of the instrument and the resulting lessening of tension on the strings. The bass string has a wider vibrating arc when played and it's also the fattest string, so it happens there most often.

The first and easiest thing to try and also the least invasive:  replace the bass string with one that is a step thicker.  If it's a .24 wound string, replace it with a .26 wound string, for example.  The tighter tension will pull the bass string tauter and prevent it from swinging around so much when played. 
Please, try this simple string change before you start sanding things and altering bridges!

You've got the nickel & dime idea WRONG. 

The strings should just touch a dime setting next to the first fret.

They should also just touch a nickel balanced on top of the 7th fret not the 6th fret.

If open strings are sharp before playing  -- how sharp is sharp?? A few cents?  Half way across the dial?  If the instrument is in tune when you put it away --- and is sharp when you come back to play again -- you have some serious environmental issues going on.  Where are you storing it.  in direct sunlight at any time?  In a cold back room?

Yes they are pretty, but I couldn't distinguish any tonal quality changes. The center of the jig is "proud" of the frame, when you tighten the bolts it bends the panel into place. Wetting the panel in hot water in the bathtub, then using a hot air gun whilst torturing the panel in the jig. Hope this helps, always fun to experiment!

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