Dusty, Great news about your wife's job from home! There was a time when people begged to be allowed to do their office jobs (mostly computer work) from home and bosses said No way! Looks like a way has been found for many after all. It's just too bad that it took a deadly pandemic to have that happen.
Dusty, things are getting like that all over this Fall. Most of the US is confronted by rising infection rates, and here in Canada we are too.
Good for your lady, that reduces the personal risk.
Keep smiling. keep playing.. we will get through this all together or not at all.
The good news: my wife started that new job this week, so now we're all working or going to school from home. Our tight little COVID circle is intact again.
The bad news: our county is moving backwards into a more restrictive set of COVID protocols (California has a 4-tiered, color-coded system). It seems everyone gets serious about being careful and the infection rates go down, allowing us to move into a less restrictive tier. Everyone celebrates and decides we're out of the woods, and then they get careless again, putting us back into a more restrictive tier.
I've cleaned up my modest vegetable garden for the winter (it's fenced in, about 20'x40', with three long 3 foot wide beds). Most of the plants had died already from exhaustion or from our first several mild frosts.
But a little section of young lettuces and a few dozen radish plants still survived and were growing.
I know from the forecast that some hard freezes in the 20s are coming this next week, so today I'll go out and cut a couple last bags' worth of leaf lettuce and pull a few last radishes. That'll last us for another couple of weeks eating.
At that point I'll switch to buying lettuce and doing my usual kitchen growing of alfalfa sprouts in jars. We love having a supply of fresh sprouts during the winter, and it's not so hard to keep up doing.
I do enjoy taking a total vacation from garden chores each winter!
That's great. Have fun playing.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Strap came today. Did it right. The strap fits, no problem.
I so 
enjoyed this article and video of an elderly Italian man serenading his hospitalized wife outside her window, with her favorite songs played on accordion...
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/11/europe/italian-hospital-serenade-scli-intl/index.html
I just use traditional, stylish, wall hooks and a large loop of leather lacing placed over the head and then on the hook.
That's how they hang on String Swings. Maybe a better location would do the trick.
Thanks Lisa and Nathina. I knew Jim was going to help for a while, but I didn't realize he had not left yet. That's good to know. Glad you were able to learn something about your dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I am relatively new to dulcimer playing and a newbie to the forum, and was hoping for some help. I would like to hang/store my dulcimer on the wall next to my guitar. Since I've done this with my guitar I've noticed I'm playing more and hope that will happen with my dulcimer!
I ordered a hanger from String Swing and it doesn't work with a flat head (I think it's for a scroll type). When I called to do an exchange, they couldn't tell me which one would work.
So, as I'd like the hangers to match, do you know which String Swing hanger would work for a flat head dulcimer? I don't want to go the picture hanger/string route. Many thanks in advance.
Anna Maria,
I have a String Swing for a regular acoustic guitar. I just tried my McSpadden with a flat head on it, and it worked fine. My McSpadden is the 26"VSL, so the flat head is shaped slightly different than the standard McSpadden flat head, but I don't think that should matter (but then again, I could be wrong). I did notice that you have to start with the dulcimer vertical, point the head toward the wall, get it between the two arms, then let the dulcimer down toward the wall. It would not work to twist the dulcimer back and forth, while keeping the dulcimer in a completely vertical position. I tried to show this in the first picture. Hope this helps.
Jim Woods sold McSpadden and The Dulcimer Shoppe. The new owner's name is Tim, but I can't recall his surname.
Tim Grothen. Jim is helping out during the transition.
Anna Maria, I will check my String Swing that I have for another instrument tomorrow and see how my McSpadden with a flat head fits on it.
Ken, I just spoke with Jim Woods today, he is still there it seems. Did find out the age of the McSpadden dulc I bought is 1982 likely made around August or September. Full Walnut, but that's all they had.
Jim Woods sold McSpadden and The Dulcimer Shoppe. The new owner's name is Tim, but I can't recall his surname. Anyone you talk with at McSpadden will be more than happy to help though.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Contact Jim Woods at McSpadden, send him the picture of the flat head hanger, tell him your serial number and ask him what he recommends mcspadden@mvtel.net
This is for the flat head dulcimer.
This is for a scroll head dulcimer
This is for the flat head dulcimer.
I am relatively new to dulcimer playing and a newbie to the forum, and was hoping for some help. I would like to hang/store my dulcimer on the wall next to my guitar. Since I've done this with my guitar I've noticed I'm playing more and hope that will happen with my dulcimer!
I ordered a hanger from String Swing and it doesn't work with a flat head (I think it's for a scroll type). When I called to do an exchange, they couldn't tell me which one would work.
So, as I'd like the hangers to match, do you know which String Swing hanger would work for a flat head dulcimer? I don't want to go the picture hanger/string route. Many thanks in advance.
I did it. Drum roll please. Worked exactly as planned. Added rubber washers to distribute the torque.
I've never seen one of the old ones. A call to Jim Woods at McSpadden may be helpful.
Tic Toc, Ahaa, Have to do it. Plans drawn, applied, drill set identified. Fate favors the fearless. Be Back in 15 minutes, either happy or ....... Although I am not bad at this.
I have studied the contruction of the McSpadden and hopefully the construction blocks remained the same from the 70's to now. Sounding on the toe indicates a possible space however so I will drill a micro hole into that tomorrow. The neck is solid but I think I might use a slip strap on that if it will feed under the strings. The Scroll head has some spacing differences from the new scrolls. Will check further tomorrow and still may drill it. Have measured, sounded, scoped there is a full block on both ends. Drawing up diagrams now for placement. It is going to be within millimeters, to miss a "stay" or something more solid in the neck, and not overshoot the block on the base, while still accessing the hitch pins. And I am using oval buttons. Now if I only had an xray.
The McSpadden looks great! Enjoy it!
Do you know if the toe block is solid down to the back board? I have enough space to place an oval button there if I drill a micro exploratory hole.
I installed one on a similar instrument. The one on the scroll was on the bottom of the scroll with the screw pointed more or less towards the nut. The bottom edge of the button was just above the scroll/bottom corner. There are 2 options for the rear one, on the side of the tailblock facing the listener, the other option is more difficult, re-position or share the anchors, and place the button between the anchors.
In this older one the hitch pins are near the the bottom, and the this one has a scroll head with the scroll going into the instrument. No block
Usually under the flathead near the bottom and the same low-location on the tail block.
While the Rod Gibson is done. Added strap buttons quickly. I haven't decided wither to go horizontal or vertical with the button on the neck. Still have no where to drill on the old McSpadden?
I am going to add the strap buttons today. No problem on the Gibson, lots of standard space. But the McSpadden, has no room on the pin block and virtually no room on the neck. Where should I install them on the McSpadden?
Changed the string out. Noticed it wasn't a .014. looked closer to .008 or so was really fine. Now have the A3 on the middle. Checked the Octaves. Everything now where it should be.
So the middle string will be below the melody strings. I will have to lower the middle string back to A3.
It's a miracle you even were able to tune your middle string up to a high A4 without it breaking. What gauge string is it?? I'm wondering if you are sure about what octave it's currently tuned to... maybe it is currently in A3. That's a real easy mistake to make.
And here is the McSpadden fixed and ready to go. Brand new condition. Tuners hold now excellently. Scroll top, Entirely walnut and pre 1980 horseshoe brand. Now to add a piezo and some end strap buttons. Still out for debate is whether the nut and bridge are linen marcite, or bone or possibly ivory. Unlikely Ivory, but the yellowing is not consistent which may indicate bone. I am betting on linen marcite, definitely not canvas marcite. Will find out more from Mcspadden hopefully. The handles on the tuner are wood. Picked it up cheap, got lucky.
[edit, added by Admin] Nathina added:
Spoke with Jim Woods, the McSapadden was made near the end of Spring/Summer/Fall of 1982. Full Walnut top sides and back. Micarta nut and bridge, apparently linen micarta as I can see the layers. Added the strap buttons just missing an insert by mm (as planned), and everything is a go.
Yes the middle string is usually a lower tone than the melody strings, --or the same tone, as in DAA tuning.
