Forum Activity for @dusty

Beautiful.  Two instruments.  Two voices.  Infinitely joyful.

Will they scrape off? The fretboard probably has no finish to damage [oiled?], so you could try using a new single sided razor blade [or fine {400} grit sandpaper on a popsicle stick edge?] and carefully scrape between the frets without marker dots.

Thanks Ken but the little dots are in the Ebony fret board, they are not the pearl place markers. I will look into the fret board conditioners, that would be good to have on hand. 

I have cleaned the dulcimer and it now looks like new. You can see the difference between grimy strum hollow before & updated photo attached. 

I lower the action, just a hair to make it easier to play and sing as I slide up the fret board. It is a Prussia Valley Butternut & Walnut 3" deep dulcimer, I knew under the grim it would be beautiful with a full tone - and it is.

Thanks for all your help

Oh, I blacken the 1.5 until I get use to it - it will wear off in no time.

 Gary Sager.jpg - 58KB

The little dots look like they are stick-on and not inlays, so any cleaning or oiling of the fret board is going to loosen them. If you like the dots, you can have a luthier inlay pearl dots in the same spots. It requires drilling holes in the fret board, gluing in the dots, and then leveling them with the fret board. Ebony fret boards do dry out over time depending upon how much they are exposed to sun and air. A good fret board conditioner such as those sold by Fender, Dunlop, Taylor, Music Nomad, Lizard Spit, etc. will restore your fret board. Use as directed.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Ryan, I like the concept of model designations that give you information about the instrument. When someone says they have a C.F. Martin D28 you know exactly what this is; a rosewood dreadnaught with white binding, etc.  If some tells you they have a Taylor 314ce, you know that is has sapele back and sides, sitka spruce top, Venetian cutaway, electronic pickup built in, and is a grand auditorium model. Both Folkcraft and McSpadden used various abbreviations in their model designations to let you know what you features you had.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

BUT....

I completely confused the point of my naming question.

I'm not as concerned with the family name as the model name.  Like Fender has Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, etc.  What would be an interesting thread of naming for these?  I'd go with wood names but that would be pure confusion.  Or maybe it could be wood abbreviations on a simple name that actually is like "Model 1" with, for example, a Maple-Cherry combination making it "Model 1-MC'31" where the '31 is the length in the event that I make different sizes (which I intend), or "e" if I get to electric models.

Does that make more sense?  I mean, what does that spark for folks here?  I've been noodling on this matter for over a year!

Lol, "Lancelot"... I think it'll be of such a higher quality that I will probably avoid too much association with the Merlin, tho it does have some inspiration in the Merlin's predecessor, the Woodrow Instrument Co of Asheville.

Friends, Sarah Kate Morgan is joined by Megan Gregory on fiddle to play and sing a Hazel Dickens song.  I first saw it last evening and enjoyed it so.  So, I'm sharing it here: 

Salt, I remember when you posted that Fritz was bitten by a rattlesnake.  I'm so sorry you lost him.  Those are hard times when we watch our pet decline despite all we are trying to do to save them.  Cheers to the new pup.

Mary, I met you folks and your dog a couple years ago in Berea. Love the costumes.

Nina (aka Dulcinina)

Yes, the pup can be adorable, she's a Lab and Bulldog I think.  Really high energy 24/7.  There were 8 of them at the shelter the day we got her. I think she's 4 mos. old today, ........old Fritz was one of the best.....when a big old Black Bear pinned my old Beagle against the backyard fence and was going to do her in, Fritz covered the 300 ft in a split second and wailed that Bear and rescued the Beagle....never got a scratch, when our 16 year old cat was lost in the forest after a hurricane tore the joint up.......I turned him loose in the forest and told him to find that old cat.........an hour later he brought her back...........125 lbs of spit and vinegar with a penchant for Boar's Head roast beef and fried chicken from Popeye's on Sunday. Bears at the kitchen door....he would run 'em off.  Coyote's no sweat....'nuff said.

Love love love the butterflies and the butterfly pup!  @mary-z-cox

I am so sorry about Fritz, but on a happy note - what an adorable pup @salt-springs  

I enjoy seeing the critters!  

@salt-springs I'm sorry about Fritz.  

Look at that sweet little babe!

Ok, I got rid of the grime - thanks, that's all it was in the strum hollow -

The ebony fretboard still has the little dots (not as much but still there) and looking like it's needs oil or something to bring it back & protect it.

New Pup after Fritz was lost due to long term complications from a Rattlesnake bite......

I've had good experiences with Howard Feed N Wax , but if there is tangible grime like adhesive on the instrument you might want to try to get rid of it first.

Maybe try cigarette lighter fluid if it's an adhesive of some sort, or try just a little dish soap and water on a rag to start?  

It's likely just sitting on TOP of the wood, not IN it.

Need to clean an older dulcimer, I just got and I'm not sure how it was protected in the past - 

What would be the best to use:

Murphy oil soap, or lemon oil, or Howard's wood feed, or an instrument cleaner and what type. Mostly in just this spot of the strum hollow but a few little dots on the ebony fretboard.

Can it be cleaned or is it in the wood?

see attached photo

thanks,

m.

 strum hollow.jpg - 115KB

I think we can all agree that how to name an instrument is not the same as how to classify an instrument in terms of its organology.  An autoharp, a hammered dulcimer, and a mountain dulcimer are all zithers, yet they are played in completely different ways. So that classification is useful for museum curators but not very practical for musicians.

Although what is commonly called a "stick dulcimer" is not technically a zither and therefore not properly a dulcimer, that term tells us exactly what the instrument is: a diatonic instrument with three courses of strings that stretch over not only the box, but also a neck.  The term is therefore simultaneously technically wrong but also extremely accurate.

In terms of how one would play this instrument, the fact that it has a diatonic fretboard and three courses of strings, the highest of which is doubled, means that the instrument resembles a dulcimer far more than a guitar or lute.  I would avoid guitar or lute in the naming for that reason.

I like the idea of giving it a name reminiscent of geographical features of the Nashville area and then describing it as a "dulcimer-like instrument" shaped like a guitar with a diatonic fretboard and three courses of strings.  If you have different models, perhaps they can be named for different bodies of water, or different neighborhoods, or different railroad lines, or whatever.

I agree that "technically" it's not a zither, but the double melody course belies the dulcimer intent. That deserves a mention.

The design reminds me of a Merlin (by Seagull guitars) but with enough frets to be useful. And the design reminds me of a '57 Danelectro. So maybe something that plays off of both of those ideas? "The '57 Merlin".... or maybe just "The Lancelot."

Just my 2p 

Yes I like "River lute" as well. This is part of a topic that usually inspires some debate. But yes technically a mountain dulcimer is defined as type of zither (box with strings going over the top, and no real neck). Lute family is broad and includes guitars, and lutes all have necks. Yours can be most accurately described as a (mostly) diatonically fretted guitar.

@fharlm , the ones in your link are all pretty big. I had a personal sized indoor rebounder for a year or so. I liked it at first, but eventually found it made me a little dizzy. I occasionally have bouts of vertigo, so that's not the greatest fit. If not for that it might have been fine. I do suggest you get one that is made specifically for one-person fitness use and not for multi-kids fun use. And pay attention to the weight limit suggestions.
I switched over to having a rowing machine in my living room, which seems to suit me way better. 😃

I have always like 'mustached' dogs. They remind me of my very first dog Facha, and my big sweet mixed breed dog Jasper.

Here is a working link to Ken's article:

https://fotmd.com/strumelia/group_discuss/2316/ken-hulmes-i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what-article

What a cutie.

He IS handsome!

A lot of people who use straps tile the dulcimer slightly upward so that the bottom doesn't sit flat on their lap, thus enabling the back to vibrate more freely.  That makes a noticeable difference in volume, and perhaps a slight difference in tone as well.

Thanks, @Strumelia. I am considering adding a mini-tramp to my home workout equipment. Specifically, I am looking at the "Urban Rebounder". Jumping is supposed to be good for you, and has less impact than jogging (which I hate). I feel like it would keep me in shape for my tap dancing and other activities. I also ride bike daily, and do some light strength training. Anyway I was wondering if you uses one of these ?, and if so, what kind of results do you get, and any other thoughts you may have.

My handsome fella

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I hadnt thought of that, thanks for the reply. 

I have seven dulcimers.  Over the years, I have made thirty nine of them.  I have a new one underway.  It will feature Gonca Alves, Lacewood, Zebrawood and either the Honduras or Nicaraguan Rosewood, I'll have to check the packing slip to see for sure.  I have been purchasing my wood from The Wood & Shop Inc.  They ship high quaility wood products and usually get the stuff within a week of ordering.  Most generally I use Cedar, Mahogany and Walnut.

If there are anyother dulcimer enthusist in the Cheyenne Wyoming area, we have dulcimer practice at Salt Life Church at 6:00 p.m.

Ken, I'll pass this along to Kristin, Sadie's mom. Sadie is back into gymnastics, music, voice and dance in a studio and the dulcimer has been lain aside for a bit. Thank you for the info.

The fret spacing does not define it as a "dulcimer" anything -- the instrument has a neck.  Lots of instruments in the past 1000 years have had diatonic fret spacings.  Dulcimers, by international definition, do not have necks.  It is a small bodied diatonic guitar, a member of the Lute family of instruments.    River Lute isn't a bad name...

No, as I don't use straps.  However, it may seem different because you aren't pressing down on the instrument so firmly, and thus allowing it to vibrate more.

I have a new to me Folkcraft, took it to a luthier and had strap buttons put on it. I swear it sounds different now. Has anyone experienced this? TiA.