Forum Activity for @kusani

On the website, entitled "Luthiers Mercantile International", I did find the following info: 

•  If you are working with minimal equipment and working space (possibly a small area or table in your home) your instrument can be effectively finished by either brushing water-based lacquer, French polishing shellac, or wiping on an oil varnish.  Each of these finishes is non-hazardous and can be safely applied in your home with no more equipment than brushes or cotton cloths.  The oil is the absolute easiest to apply, brushing the water-based lacquer is slightly more involved, and the French polishing requires the most practice and skill.  The resulting instrument finish from any one of these materials can range from merely adequate to true professional level depending on your experience and skill.

As far as the tung oil is concerned, I do use Formby's low gloss tung oil finish; which is not 100% pure. I take the surfaces of the dulcimer to 320 grit. I then use a cloth pad to apply 3 to 5 coats, depending on how it is working with the particular wood I am using at the time. I lightly scuff the surface with 320 between coats. Final is with #0000 steel wool and a wax polish. 

I would like to do that experiment sometime, but not sure my ear is attuned sufficiently to tell a difference.  Nice instruments you are making.... :)

No, actually, I have done it with other features, but not comparing oil to lacquer.  The times I have used oil, I was just not happy with the results.

That is a good suggestion Matt.   That would be the only way to know for sure, of course both the top, bottom, and sides would have to be out of the same piece of wood, on both dulcimers.  Have you already done sibling dulcimers; one with tung oil and one with another type of finish?  Is that how you know oil finishes dampen the sound?

When asking such a question, I always build sibling dulcimers.  Cut the sound board and sides out of the same piece of wood.  Then finish one with tung oil and the other with lacquer or shellac.  That should answer the question.

I have been using tung oil exclusively and am not aware of any sound 'dampening'.  There are some posts on the web that allude to a slight dampening effect, but i cannot find any serious research addressing the dampening concern. If anyone knows of such a study please let me know. Maybe my ear is not sufficiently 'tuned' to notice any 'damping'.  

I am not a fan of using oils on any part of an instrument.  I find they soak into the wood and deaden the sound.  As Bob Schuler said use wax.

Personally I would not use linseed oil: 

Wood finish [ edit ]

When used as a  wood finish , linseed oil dries slowly and shrinks little upon hardening. Linseed oil does not cover the surface as varnish does, but soaks into the (visible and microscopic) pores, leaving a shiny but not glossy surface that shows off the grain of the wood. A linseed oil finish is easily scratched, and easily repaired. Only wax finishes are less protective. Liquid water penetrates a linseed oil finish in mere minutes, and water vapour bypasses it almost completely. [5]   Garden furniture  treated with linseed oil may develop  mildew . Oiled wood may be yellowish and is likely to darken with age. Because it fills the pores, linseed oil partially protects wood from denting by compression.

What is the original finish on the instrument?

Just polish with a good furniture wax. Oil might gunk up over time... Robert

I just bought this dulcimer guitar used (but very new). I am wondering since it is mahogany would rubbing it down with boiled linseed oil every so often help it stay new or kill it instantly? 

Gale, you have gotten lots of good responses. I have a condenser mic made, according to the box for vocals (lavalier clip on) or an instrument microphone.  It comes with a pinch type clip for a guitar sound hole. 

Ron Ewing  ( http://www.ronewingdulcimers.com) sold me mine probably 10 years or more ago. He made the clip-on apparatus for the dulcimer, which looks a lot like his capos, just longer to span the body of the dulcimer. Sounds great though it takes some experimentation to find the sweet spot for mounting it. It is a pretty nifty set up.

It runs on one AA battery. The power pack attaches to your belt, pocket or music stand. You will need a cord with female XLR on one end and 1/4" male fitting on the other to attach to your amp. I use a cheap (legacy) karoke amp which has a cassette deck and it sounds pretty good. I am sure it could sound better with a higher end pre-amp and amplifier.

 Mic 3.jpg - 52KB

Hi  @fordferguson . I don't have any personal experience with Black Mountain Dulcimers, so I can't offer the kind of information you seek.  But let me point out that we have a whole Forum discussion devoted to specific instruments and luthiers .  That might be a better place to pose that question rather than this discussion where people share stories of their first dulcimer.

Your welcome, Don. I figured it was easier to post the link rather than try to summarize all the information here.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I would appreciate any input related to Black Mountain dulcimers by David Johnson

Here is a link to a discussion of this very topic at Everything Dulcimer: 

http://everythingdulcimer.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33782&p=377292&hilit=Herdim#p377292

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The best stick-on pickup imo is the Schatten Dualie.  I've used a lot of pickups since the 70s to amplify nylon string guitars and this one is better than anything I've ever had.  I actually got it when it first came out to try to get the "Willie Nelson" sound from a little Argentinian classical guitar I have.  I combine mine with a Boss GE-7 equalizer/preamp which I got in a pawn shop for around $25.  Couldn't resist it; mint in the box.  Now I've upgraded my amplifier to a Fender Acoustisonic 150, but I've been using the Boss still.  I have other effects I use as well.  Now I just have to get a good vocal mic to round out the equipment.

Oh yeah, Schatten makes a dulcimer pickup as well now.  I have not tried it as the dualie has satisfied my needs wonderfully.

Gale, for the record, Robin has a lot more experience with this stuff than I do and you should take his advice over mine in a heartbeat.  He plays gigs far more regularly than I and has also created phenomenal recordings.  I trust his recommendations wholeheartedly.

I can only share what I have gone through.  Over the last 5 or 6 years I bought several cheap and one rather expensive ($120) external pickups hoping to be able to amplify one or more dulcimers.  I gave or threw the cheap ones away and never use the more expensive one (which I would gladly sell for a hugely discounted price so long as the buyer does not blame me for the disappointing sound).  I also bought and later gave away a small, cheap amplifier.  I was never able to achieve anything close to acceptable sound quality.  I consider all that wasted money and time.  If you add up the external pickups and cheap amp that I bought, together they would represent almost the total cost of an SM 57 and a small, portable, Roland amp.

If you just want a quick and cheap way to amplify your sound for an upcoming gig, there are indeed options available. But you might want to think more long-term about a permanent way to create a satisfying amplified sound. 

Hi Gale,

I wouldn't look to spend too much on a pick-up system if you just intend to plug your dulcimer into a small amp like the Kala one you have.  Although, as Dusty says, a mic' will give good quality sound, that amp will not take a dynamic mic' like the SM57.

The simple solution I would suggest would be some sort of clip or stick on peizo pick-up.  I played a gig last week and used a cheap Cherub WCP-60V violin pick-up (less then $10 from Amazon).  The pick-up has a long slender clip that will fit into almost any dulcimer sound hole.  You could plug this direct into your Kala amp and, with some experimentation on positioning, should give an OK sound.  You can improve the sound by wrapping an elastic band around the clip to make it pinch together a little firmer.

If you want a better tone (peizo pick-ups can be a little harsh) then you can add a cheap pre-amp.  I use the Behringer V-tone Acoustic ADI 21 for gigs.  It is a great bit of kit for improving the sound of cheap pick-ups and lifting their output to line level.  It is a little technical to explain but basically this box will allow you to plug your dulcimer into any amp or p/a system and control the tone and volume.  When using it I can get one of those cheap Cherub pick-ups to sound very natural through a small acoustic guitar amp or into a p/a system.  They are about $30 from Amazon (remember to get an additional lead to plug the box into your amp).

Overall a mic' will give the very best sound but only if it is plugged into a very good sound system.  When using small guitar amps cheaper solutions are a more pragmatic option.

CC, a dear friend of mine plays a Clemmer and it sounds fantastic up and down the fretboard.  

Mike makes a heckuva dulcimer.  I particularly like the looks of his "fiddle sided" instruments.  I've met him as a couple of festivals, and had the opportunity to play his instruments several times, and I like them.  They're not my "high silvery" sounding traditional favorites, but they have a beautiful tone, intonation and look.  You could not go wrong with one of his creations.  He's easy to work with, as well.

The very best!

DAN

I did a search for 'Clemmer dulcimers' on here & a photo gallery popped up with the different members who posted their Clemmer dulcimers, not sure if they still have them or not but you could contact the members & ask them about theirs

I have hear they are well made & sound nice, like my Sam Carroll they have 5 strings & are fiddle shape.

Good luck with others who have one letting you know what they think.

Dusty has a good point.  I was recently introduced to the condenser microphone, which isn't like the usual hand-held stick mic.  It's a sort of Omni-pickup that you put on a stand in front of you.  Nothing attached to your instrument.  They pick up both the instrument and your singing very well.  I've seen them on Amazon for around $75.

Gale, as Ken demonstrates, there are some very affordable options out there.  My advice if you want to be able to amplify several instruments would be to get a microphone rather than an external pickup.  The industry stand-by is the Sure SM-57.  If you look online you can find deals where you get the mic, a chord, and a mic stand for around $100. I made that purchase a few years ago and then more recently bought the Sure SM-58, which is basically the same mic but for vocals.  And I'm sure there are less expensive mics out there that would also do the job.

I just think that whatever you spend, a good microphone represents a better-sounding and more versatile option than an external pickup.  I have never been satisfied with the few external pickups I've tried.

But you might also pose this question in the Technology/Software/Amplifying Group here at FOTMD.  Some people have a great deal more experience than I with amplifying instruments.

I use simple contact piezo pickups that I get off the Net; cost about $3-$5 each.  The sticky tape does not bother the dulcimer's finish.  Sometimes I replace the tape with 3M double sided tape...

 PiezoPickup.jpg - 5KB

Hi all -

   I am looking for some advice on any moderately-priced external pickups that work well with a mountain dulcimer and would work with the cute Kala amp I bought for my tenor uke this past summer. See attached for photo of amp and cord.  My DH gave me a gift certificate to Elderly Instruments and looking to use that if possible.  I don't have a lot of knowledge of "electrified" dulcimers but trying to learn from this site and others. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 Amp.jpg - 200KB

Here are the last ones I saw!

 back.jpg - 25KB

I will keep a watch out!

I kept photos of the others she had on the page....I will find them and post here!

Nice.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

A dulcimer-carrying Santa is cool.  

Don, have fun!  Playing in different keys takes practice and it's a great skill to acquire.