Forum Activity for @rocksncactus

I picked up my first (and only) dulcimer on November 9th.  I found her in a flea market.  I checked her very carefully the day I found her; she seemed to be in great shape, had one string broken.  I asked the price but didn't buy her.  I went home and researched the maker's name to learn what I could, then I went back the next day and checked her out some more.  I started talking price with the owner, but he was being squirrelly, denied having told me the price he'd given me the day before.  I finally told him I was going out of town and if she was still there when I got back I'd look at her again.  He threw a price at me "if you take it today" as I went toward the door.  I told him I'd think about it and left.  But I had decided that I was going to have to give her a pass; I had the money to buy her but was saving it for my trip.  It was just luck that I had gone by this place and that the dulcimer was there.  But I felt really bad; I wanted to get that instrument. 

Based on my research and the answers I received when I posted questions on Everything Dulcimer, I knew this dulcimer was something I needed to snag.  That just caused me more angst. But I was leaving in a few days for Native Rhythms, a native American flute festival in Melbourne, FL, something I had been planning and saving for.  Well, on the 9th as I was heading out on my trip I detoured back over to the store, which was an hour out of my way.  I had called the day before and learned that the dulcimer was still there.  I finally reached an agreeable price with the owner, though he still tried to get extra money for the case (in bad shape, has to be replaced).  I stuck to my guns and he gave in, though.

So my new dulcimer went along for the ride to Native Rhythms.  While I was there I met Marsha Harris, a fine musician on both dulcimer and native American flute.  I showed her the instrument.  Marsha put a new string on, tuned her, and gave me some pointers on playing.  She confirmed what I had learned about my new instrument and that she was in good shape.

So who made her?  She's on my lap in my profile picture above.  The maker was Morris Jethro Amburgey, the son of Jethro.  He crafted her in 1978, #73.  I know she's not really an instrument for a beginner (so I've been told, twice), but that doesn't worry me.  I feel very privileged to be the caretaker of this beautiful dulcimer.  She's not a Jethro, but she's a dulcimer that comes in a direct line from Uncle Ed Thomas through Jethro Amburgey to Morris.  I appreciate the significance of that.  I am so happy to finally be able to learn to play, something I've wanted for a couple of decades.  And I feel sure that if I ever decide to sell her I will be able to.  I'm (hopefully) posting some photos, some now and some later from my phone.  You'll note in the second set that the frets don't extend all the way across.  I've been told that Jethro would do that, too.  There is no paper label inside.  Instead the maker info is carved into the strum hollow.  I've seen photos where Jethro did the same.

So there's my l-o-n-g story of my first dulcimer.  She probably will not be my last, if this follows the same route as my history with my native American flutes.  They do tend to multiply...

 IMG_4104.JPG.jpg - 114KB

From the photo, it looks like the spruce top (?) has broken away from the fret board and some spruce is still attached to the fret board. (A good glue joint is stronger than the wood, so that may be the case.) If that's so, (and it looks like the joint between the head stock and fingerboard is firm) then the wood may have shrunk and separated. At any rate, consider fixing/filling the gap with a liberally glued and snug fitting shim. That would secure the two parts again.

   Hello CD, if the fingerboard pulled away from the soundboard then clamp as Ken said. If the soundboard pulled away from the fingerboard, then clamping would warp the fingerboard. If its the latter then add a shim between them. Its a common problem with all dulcimers over time where the soundboard pulls away a little bit from the fingerboard, usually on one side. If your dulcimer plays well as is, then you might want to leave well enough alone. Wood is very fluid over time its all a part of getting old I guess... Robert.

I'm in Louisville most of the time right now...at least til the early part of December.  I miss you all, too!

Slack the strings.

Use a large C clamp and padding right where the fretboard ends, and see if you can GENTLY squeeze the gap shut, even just a little.  If so, that's better/good.  Use thick, slo-setting superglue and clamp for a couple minutes until things set. Otherwise you'll have to fill the gap.

Use painter's tape to mask the sides and under the arch, and use thick superglue to fill the gap.  This may take several applications.

  Tomato season ended here November 10th. Longest season in my memory. Got mobbed by customers looking for their last real tomato until next summer. Even the greens went. Ill spend all of January cleaning up. In the mean time I'm  sleeping late and learning new tunes... Robert.

Oh man, once tomato season winds down, I lose all interest in working in my veggie garden, and the weeds always get the best of me.  Dang!  I love gardening digging/planting/weeding/picking in the Spring and all Summer.... but by Fall my spare time energy usually turns to sewing, knitting, cooking, and playing music (aside from my regular day job, I mean...I'm not retired yet).

This Fall the weeds got especially out of control since I was sick for a couple of months at the end of Summer.  What a mess the garden became...difficult to even walk through it.      And the perennial flowerbed, and the overgrown thorny raspberry patch and the masses of 7 feet tall decorative grasses...  I really needed someone strong to come in and help clean up before Winter.  But I had a heck of a time finding someone who either wasn't all booked up or didn't cost a fortune.  The fellow who has helped me in the past had moved away.  I kept making phone calls, following leads...and the days were ticking by and it was getting colder.    The forecast is predicting some snow and sub-freezing after this next week, so I was really getting nervous that I'd have a horrendous mess on my hands next Spring if I couldn't get someone in time.

The good news is I found a fellow who was available, happy to work for a decent rate, and who knew what he was doing.  

Yay!- this swell feller came today with his pickup truck and wheelbarrow and hedge trimmer and clipper....and he was like a tornado going through the beds and paths pulling weeds and raking and clearing.  I bought a ton of mulch at Agway and he went to pick it all up with his truck, and he'll rototill my veggie beds, then spread the mulch for me... 40 big bags of wood chips/a whole pallet, and 8 bales of straw.  He's going to save my lower back for sure, and i won't spend the winter dreading Spring!      

Yes -- there are McSpads that are 3" deep.  There are several models of McSpadden. Some as shallow as 1.5", commonly at about 2" deep.  At least some of the older ones with a 28.5" VSL were that deep;  I found the dimensions in a listing of McSpaddens for sale.

Ken, are there McSpaddens that are 3" deep?  Mine is only 1.75" deep.  That would change the cu inches considerably, or am I missing something as I often do?

Awww, Jan, tooo sweet!  Was good to see u for a minute at Etown.  Hope ur coming back to N-ville soon.

I'm impressed so much in how far you've come in 4 years! And I can tell that magic spark is still there.  You're fun to work with because when something "clicks" for you, you light up the room!  Hope we can play together soon!

Thanks, Greg. Sounds like Carl is very good to work with for a custom.

Here's a link to June Apple Dulcimer.  The smaller model is the June Apple Model.  The larger model is the Poplar Hill Model.

https://www.juneappledulcimers.com/collections/mountain-dulcimers

I have a June Apple dulcimer.  It doesn't have the light silvery sound of the J.E. Thomas  reproductions that I own.  Nor does it have the resonant sound of the larger bodied dulcimers.  The sound falls somewhere in between.  You could probably describe it as a balance between the two.  Keep in mind that Carl and his staff at June Apple Dulcimers manufacture several different models of dulcimers and dulcimer ancestors.  The June Apple model has a somewhat smaller size than other models made by June Apple, so it's not surprising that the sound is somewhat closer to traditional than it is to guitar-like.  June Apple also makes a larger-bodied dulcimer.  I don't have personal experience with the larger model, but I would assume that its sound is more resonant and similar to other dulcimers with wider, deeper soundboxes.  In short, the difference in sound is more  a combination of volume and resonance.  Everything else being equal, smaller-bodied dulcimers have less volume and less resonance.  Larger-bodied dulcimers have more volume and more resonance.  Other factors to consider are the type of wood used, particularly the soundboard (top), and the thickness of the top, back, and sides.  I'm not a builder.  A builder would be more qualified than I to describe the various factors affecting the sound of any given dulcimer.

Thanks Ken. That is a great explanation. 

It is a known dulcimer maxim that the larger the interior volume of the instrument, the more bass/baritone/guitar-like the sound; conversely a dulcimer of the same basic size with a smaller volume will have a more traditional "high silvery" sound.  The way most dulcimers add to the deeper sound is by increasing the depth of the sides.   Shape (hourglass vs teardrop vs TMB) has nothing to do with the sound here; only the interior volume.  

 The dimensions of the June Apple are given as 1-3/4" x 6-1/4" x 35-1/2"

So although it's only 6-1/4" wide, it's 1-3/4" deep, and multiplied out, that gives you 388 cu. in. of interior body.

Compare that to my traditional Virginia Hogfiddle which is 1-1/8" x 5-1/4" x 35-1/4", or 208 cu. in.   

Then compare those to a more or less standard McSpadden at 3" x 7" x 36" = 756 cu. in., which has a more modern "guitar-like" sound. 

So... compared to most common dulcimers, the June Apple model will have a "more traditional" sound, certainly.

June Apple's website describes their June Apple model as based on the Huntington design. Has anyone played one and does it have the more traditional sound or a more modern guitar like sound?

Any feedback welcome.

Thanks, everyone.

I've looked at those pictures a couple times, and frankly I can't see any "slight separation" between the fretboard (not neck -- dulcimers do not have a neck) and the top.  I don't see any "area that has dropped", either. 

If you must do something other than just play it, as Irene suggests, I would tilt the instrument 45 degrees on its side, and using either a fine squeeze tip from  superglue bottle, or a toothpick, put a couple drops of 'slow set' superglue right in the joint.

I say that this "slight separation" isn't enough to worry about.  Just enjoy playing her.   aloha, irene

Greetings! Some time back I picked up an Edd Presnell 6 string,the wood was in good shape but there were separation issues on the tail, crack on the back, yada, yada ,yada, have it nicely fixed up. I still have not tried to fix the seam separation right where the neck meets the top surface. There is also a slight indentation right where it is separated.

 2 questions,

 Should I try "lifting" the area that has dropped? And if so how do I do it safely.

 second, What would you suggest for gluing the seam without a big mess? I have considered an exact o knife or scalpel blade to clean up the separated area, but as to applying glue, what is the best, cleanest way to do that.

 Attached pictures, let me know what you think. Thanks everyone.

 Presnell 4.jpg - 145KB

And thank you, Marc, for that article.  I hope you don't kind that I downloaded a pdf copy for my own purposes.  I also greatly enjoyed your more recent DPN article on "Partons la mer est belle." 

Thanks, Lois, for your work in helping us find this hidden material.  Much obliged! 

Is that a hollow fret board with four strings above and four inside it?

I would put some super glue in the crack and use a clamp to see if the crack closes up and glues together. Actually I'd try the clamp first and if the wood moved with the clamp then I would remove the clamp, put glue in the crack, and then clamp it. A little accelerator sprayed on the crack after it is glued and clamp will harden it up quickly.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That's a crack in the headstock, not the fretboard.  They are two separate pieces. So there should be no danger of the crack spreading into the actual fretboard.

As Matt describes, carefully add drops of thin superglue to fill up the crack.  Then you'll be able to tell if the crack is spreading.  

Dusty brings up a common problem in deciphering tunes; embellishment! Getting a clear melody is difficult at best in so many arrangements. Most tunes are out of reach for me as I hear different from most folks. If the tune doesn't "speak" to me I'm even more lost. Finding a tune in an old Hymnal is wonderful as they are generally broken down to the syllables of the lyrics and translate a pure tune! As for the others, studying several versions is the way to go......

@dulcimerjones  I'm always working at developing a better ear.  And learning the instrument-- what I think I can do with the mountain dulcimer within my playing capabilities.  It's a lifelong journey, I think.  :)

Figuring out a tune can take me months.  Most often, I prefer to work from a fiddle version(s) or a banjo version(s) of a tune to figure out the essence of a tune and how the tune will lay-out on the fretboard of a mountain dulcimer. 

Very interesting article.... thank you!!!

The builder did a wonderful job of putting together a unique instrument.  Eight strings on a thin scroll head is a lot of pressure.  The sides of the head are perhaps a tad thin for that many strings.

Every instrument has the danger of cracking.  An instrument as detailed as yours needs continuous care, especially to maintain constant humidity.  It cracked once and could crack again.  If you know a luthier nearby, ask them to look at the crack.

I am so glad to hear some of your experienced players talk about working on a tune for years.  After 4 short years of playing mtn. dulcimer, I begin to realize I can't learn every song in a few days, or weeks.  When something seems out of reach, I put it down for a while & inevitably when I return to it, I find there is more to the tune than I previously thought.  I understand now that it's not the tune, but me who's changed-learned more, sharpened skills, etc.  Wow, still feels like magic to me! 

Hopefully this is as far as I need to explain it.    https://web.archive.org/web/20040330202706/http://dulcimersessions.com:80/ for Feb '04 issue was scanned on March 30 '04. If you go up to the top of the Wayback Machine where the little lines of scan are, you can also see blue arrows pointing forward and back in time.  Just click those to work your way through what was saved.