Forum Activity for @sam

John P has given the correct response. The slot in question is the black space in the tail stock in the picture. It is hollow. It just doesn't need filled and it also allows additional 'sound hole' function. It belongs there on a McSpadden. It is the way they are designed and built.

As for the base string buzz... try this: Carefully cut a 1/4 " inch square of black electricians tape and fold it in half, sticky side out. That's a small piece of tape and hard to handle, you may want to use a tweezer. Then loosen your base string just enough to slide the tape under the string, at the nut, not letting it extend past the nut toward the bridge. Retune the string. The tape will space it up enough to let you know if you have a high fret or a nut problem and then you can effect a more permanent repair.

Congrats on the purchase. I'm sure you will love your McSpadden.

Hi Goshi,

McSpadden's have a high fretboard that is hollowed out. The high fretboard helps certain playing styles (thumb-on-top noter)and the hollowing both make the instrument lighter and more resonant - and to some extent the shape also helps stop the fretboard warping as it is a strong cross section. Many veryold dulcimers had hollowed out fretboards, and many didn't. From my experience the higher ones were hollow. The arching that FolkCraft do has a similar effect (as you have mentioned). I think that arching is a fairly modern (late 60s) development as I can't remember seeing a pre-revival dulcimer with arching? But there could well be some out there LOL!!!!!

Robin

Sorry for adding a (perhaps) "off topic" question here:

I have noticed that gap (resulting of the fact that the McSpadden soundboards don't meet in the middle) on photos of their dulcimers before. As I am generally interested in maybe ordering a McSpadden some day, I would like to ask the experts here:

What reason is there for that "gap" between the sides? Or to put it in another way: what's the advantage of that?

The dulcimer I have got now has a one piece soundboard and three cut out "arches" under the fretboard (the folkcraft dulcimer have that as well, I think). Up to now I always fancied that a construction like that (i.e. with arches and a one-piece soundboard) allows a better resonation (because it sets a larger area of the soundboard free for resonation).

I could not find any information about the construction McSpadden uses on their website.

Are there any opinions or experience about that? :D

(Sorry if that has been discussed here already anywhere else. I used the "search" function but didn't find anything. If I missed it, I'd be greatful if someone could lead me to the right place to discuss this.)

john p said:

Or did you mean the slot that runs across the tail.

This is a consequence of the soundboard being made of two pieces of wood that don't meet in the middle, but extend only a little way under the hollowed out fretboard.

This leaves a gap made up of the end cap on the fretboard(top), the two edges of the soundboard and the pin block at the bottom.

I guess McSpadden feel it is unnecessary to fill this, or perhaps it has some effect on the sound.

john p

So that slot is normal then, John? I've seen my instructor's McSpadden a few times but never really looked that closely at the tail.

Oh yeah. The rust issue amazes me. Apparently the strings havent been changed in 20 years. This is a dulcimer that's crying out for a new home IF the price is right.

That's how it is on mine Thanna.

[edit] you can look right through and see light coming through the sound holes

john p

Or did you mean the slot that runs across the tail.

This is a consequence of the soundboard being made of two pieces of wood that don't meet in the middle, but extend only a little way under the hollowed out fretboard.

This leaves a gap made up of the end cap on the fretboard(top), the two edges of the soundboard and the pin block at the bottom.

I guess McSpadden feel it is unnecessary to fill this, or perhaps it has some effect on the sound.

john p

Bet you don't get many French subscribers to the 'Show Us Your Pets' thread either

john

This kind of inter-linguistic confusion can be offensive and comical, too. Years ago while i was living in France the family I was staying with welcomed another American for a dinner. She had just spent a few days in Paris on her first trip to France. They asked her how she liked Paris, and she responded that Paris was the city of joy--"Paris est la ville de joie"--and she wanted to say that she was ajoyous girlas well, so she said, "Et je suis une fille de joie." Horror fell on the faces of the French family. You see, "fille de joie" may literally mean girl of joy, but it the common name for, well, shall we say . . . una puta.

No offense meant or taken. Just a gentle reminder that we are an international community here and not everyone is cognizant of Anglo-American-Canadian slang, abbreviations, and such, which can be mis-taken.

I do not speak or come in contact with Spanish in this island nation where the word is common as a diminutive for computer that I believe is in homage to Mircea Puta the mathematician.

No offense was or is intended and it just goes to show how careful everyone must be especially if like me you have lead a sheltered life.

I have heard of the Roman Goddess and a Town in Baku, a retaurant in Gothenburg,a New York record company, even a moth found here in western europe but until I googled for the Spanish definition I was blissfully ignorant.

Silly really as our daughter lives in Northern Italy where the language is somewhat similar and my grandson is a follower of Anime and has had a schoolboy giggle at the yellow-green Keronian painter Putata!

I now know why!

P.S. I thank you for inadvertently pointing me towards an education in expletives I will never again speak of that carnivorous shoaling fish that lives in Brazilian rivers by name!

Well, folks I posted that link nearly two years ago. Time change, so do websites. I'm sorry but I don't know where it's gone.

BTW Dave, 'puta' in Spanish is very offensive.Not really a good abbreviation of 'computer'. In Turkish it's the name of a type of Ottoman Empire archer's bow.

Seems like us folks here can not access this or is it just my puta?

I can find two pages of google links but they all lead nowhere and show as 'Not found on this server'

Drat !

Thanks for that link! I was looking for Cats in the Cradle and that is in the list.

I don't know if this is the same collection, but here are 200 songs: http://singalongwith.us/ .

Alas this site seems to not exist anymore. Does anyone know whether there's a mirror site or new URL? Via the way back machine I can see the main page with all the song titles, but alas, the links don't work.

Great Find Ken. Oh gee wiz's I hate to say how many of them I know from when they where on the charts. Man when did I get old.

Thanks for sharing this! I remember about 70 per cent of them, I'd guess....great to have the words to all those verses! I will definitely use this wonderful resource.

A great site. I am just learning Band-in-a-box and this is a great reference for building a song.

That's a pretty cool resource...now if I can get the skills to put it to good use. Thanks for sharing it!

WOOOOO WHOOOO

Way to go Ken!

Great find

Fort those who love the music of the 60s and 70s and beyond, here's a great lyric and guitar chord collection I discovered while searching for lyrics to Dancing Bear by the Mommas & Pappas:

http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/~aparsons/guitar/guitar2.html

I just changed the strings on my modern mtn. it has such a deep mellow sound already in cgc and I have so many dulcimers I decided to make it a baritone. I put a 16g wire on my melody a 24 wound on the drone and a 32 wound on my base tuned her to AEA and she sounds BEAUTIFUL. I love it.

Hi,

Another way to deal with the ball end vs. loop end dilemma is to buy ball ends. If you need loop ends, take a small wire cutter and carefully cut the ball away and you have a loop end ready to install.

Richard

The general string gauges will allow you, generally speaking, to tune from the key of C tunings (CGG, CGc) up to maybe key of F tunings (FCC, Fcf). Below C they will be too floppy and buzz and sound mushy, especially on the thinner strings. Around F, and certainly G, you risk breaking the bass string although the thinner strings will easily tune.

No one set of strings will allow you to tune from A to G. If you're tuning below the key of C you need new strings (most of us get a second dulcimer along with the strings). Likewise if you're tuning to the keys of F and G primarily.

Not wanting to rig a dulcimer with a separate set of strings to play the key of G - GDD, GDg etc. is what has given rise to the popularity of the so-called Reverse Ionian tuning DGd. That tuning has the same notes, but not the same 'flavor' if you will, of real Ionian key of G tuning -- GDD.

I have one dulcimer that has a 27" VSL which I keep strung with 18-11-11 and tune to GDD. Another is strung with 22w-12-12-12 and tunes back and forth to the keys of C and D tunings

Yes....thanks everyone. My VSL 25 dulcimer was strung by the maker with 11 14 and 22 which he switched to 24 due to buzzing.

I am enjoying ordering the next three thru Just Strings...(thanks for suggestion), as you can buy single strings.

According to strothers string gauge calculator the strings for a 3 string 25" vsl dulcimer would be

11p d
14p A
21w D

However, after receiving my 25" vsl back from my luthier yesterday, he used

11p d

16p A

23w D

He said he tried the 1st and found they were a little light, particularly to tune down to CGc. After playing all night (almost) on it, I have to think he was right. I'll post up some pictures of it to see if anyone might recognize the unique head and be able to tell who the maker was.

Anyway... trying different string gauges would be good to see what works well for YOU! YOU are the one who must be satisfied with the tension of the strings and the sound they produce.

I haven't used bronze wounds on a dulcimer but I do use them on my flat top guitars. I may try them, but it is hard to find the singles locally in the correct gauge. I have seen others use them and I don't think they "hurt" the sound at all, even though I was surprised to see them on a dulcimer. I may have to experiment on at least one of mine with them.

Robert

Nancy - use a String Gauge Calculator such as the one at www.strothers.com to determine which diameter of string (but not Maker) is appropriate for a given VSL and the note you want to tune to. Know that you can go a gauge or two up or down from what the calculator shows; that's how players "tweek" their instruments.

You absolutely must know the VSL of each instrument and the notes to which each string is to be tuned.

Virginia - - VSL always has something to do with the diameter of the strings and the note you're trying to tune the string to. This is a basic 'natural law' of stringed instruments. Too thin or too thick of strings, and you'll be breaking strings or have them too floppy for the notes you're trying to tune to.

Nancy

Many thanks. When you say your "smaller one" can you give me the VSL of what your smaller one is? I have a 25 inch VSL so that's why I'm curious.

okay ...thanks for the responses so far...Do you recommend nickle versus steel? phosphor bronze, etc... why and why not? I'm sure many of you have experimented with different kinds.....what have you found to be the difference?n Thanks

What John said!

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary....

I wouldn't worry too much about the MAKE of strings. There are remarkably few string making factories in the world and they generally make strings for a variety of different brands. You've been given some good advice so far, and you won't go far wrong if you bear in mind what Ken and folkfan have said. After a while you'll get to know your own preferences.

Lots of players would disagree, but personally I've never been keen on 'squeakless' strings. They sound a little bit lifeless to me, and I'm happy to accept a bit of squeak from wound strings (within reason) as part of the sound and verve of the instrument.

Unlike Ken, I do hear a difference between bronze and nickel wound strings, with bronze wound giving a slightly warmer sound - which may or may not be what you want!

If you're a chord-melody player and have problems with squeaky bass strings I would suggest a "flat wound" or squeakless bass. Some folks claim to hear a difference between phosphor bronze, steel, nickel plated steel.... I sure don't. YMMV

If you do get individual strings, be sure to know whether or not you need ball end or loop. Ball ends are more common, at least that's what I've found. All my dulcimers will take both so I'm lucky. Some dulcimer will take only ball ends and others will take only loop as the ball won't fit over the peg or nails used on the tail block. If you're in the loop only situation a ball end can be adapted for the peg by looping the end through the ball forming a loop.

Just Strings carries loop end steel bulk from .008 to .018 in the unwound and the thicker strings in the wound. It also carries several brands of packaged dulcimer sets.

http://www.juststrings.com/dulcimer.html I think the Martin set is $1.98.

If you just get generic guitar strings you may not be happy. Guitar strings are generally not in the same gauge range as dulcimers, to start with.

First know that there is no such thing as "guitar strings" or "dulcimer strings. There are just strings, made by a handful of manufacturers for several labels.

Many acoustic music shops carry sets of strings assembled for dulcimers under names like D'Arco, D'Addario, Martin and GHS. Some sets are labelled Mixolydian or Ionian. Any of those sets will be more than adequate for your dulcimer.