Forum Activity for @recovering-baptist

Thank you Dusty for the info.  I will follow up.  No problem moving my post to appropriate forum. 

Tom

Like Dusty, I'm pretty sure that's a "real" FolkRoots Capritaurus, not a re-born Folkcraft.  Howard is easy to chat with...

I am (very slowly) working on an arrangement of the Irish Gaelic air "Song of the Books" or " Amhrán na Leabha."  It's a haunting melody. I found some sheet music for the penny whistle, which provides the basic melody.  But I've been listening to this vocal version and altering the basic melody to capture a small fraction of the nuances of the singer's voice.  The big task will be deciding on the harmonic accompaniment. Lots of minor chords, obviously, but beyond that I've yet to figure it out.

Once I've tabbed out the melody and decided on the chording, then I'll have to actually sit down and play it a bunch to see how it all fits under the fingers. More revisions to follow then.

You can rest assured I'll be listening to this tune non-stop for many days to come.

Hi Tom,

First, I took the liberty of moving your question to the Forum on specific luthiers, since it seemed more appropriate.

Second, I would guess from the model and serial number that the instrument was pre-Folkcraft, but to be sure, why not contact @howard-rugg directly?  He is a member here and usually has very good records about the instruments made by Capritaurus and FolkRoots.

Does anyone have any information regarding a FolkRoots D100S, serial number 193. I would like to know if it is pre-Folkcraft or not. 

thanks,

tom

Wow, I’ve never seen a gourd banjo before. It looks fantastic. So much to learn in life!

Glad your fingers are all there. I try to do fewer stupid things as I get older. Some days I succeed. Probably good that I don’t have too many power tools. :)

TL/DR; Nell, if ball-end strings are ok, maybe you could try D’addario “Chromes” flat wound stainless steel for the wound string. Mellow toned, and no squeak. And if you play with a pick, definitely try a heavier and/or less pointy pick, as it will produce a darker tone.

*****************

Hi Nell. I’m new to dulcimer and I haven’t tried the Curt Mangan strings, but I have tried and compared a lot of strings on guitar over the years, and recently on dulcimer. I’m pretty geeky about this sort of thing. Hoping not to derail the topic, but maybe you’ll find something here that’s helpful.

First, if you use a pick have you tried using a heavier and or less-pointy pick? Or even just rounding off your present pick with sandpaper or a nail file so it’s less pointy? The tone will be a little less trebly, and maybe that’s all you will need.

If you’re wanting to experiment with strings, read on at your peril. :)

Here are my initial impressions from experimenting within a single gauge on one dulcimer, acknowledging that Ron is right about different instruments having their own tonal characteristics and Ron, Corvus and Ken are right about gauges being important, with heavier strings generally being a little less bright.

My short experience is with DAD tuning, 12-14-24 gauges, on a 26” VSL instrument. And note that on the dulcimer I really don’t like squeaky strings that make scratchy sounds against the pick. Maybe that will change with experience.

Guitar or dulcimer, the thing I notice is how well the tones of the plain and wound strings match — I don’t like having a really bright-sounding or dark-sounding wound string next to the plain string. I don’t like an obvious difference in tone when going from string to string, and you can’t change the tone of the plain strings very much and keep the playability the way you like it. Given that, I have been sampling the tones of wound ‘D’ strings and hoping for a pleasing match with my plain strings’ tone, here is my current list of wound string impressions:

Round wound phosphor bronze .024: I think round wound strings generally sound brighter than flat, “half-round” or “ground wound” strings. Anyway, when new these strings are too bright and shimmery for me as compared with the plain 14-gauge string, but also way too squeaky. I won’t bother trying round wound 80/20 bronze because of the squeak.

D’Addario Ground Phosphor Bronze .023: Better tonal balance with the 14, but still a little bright/shimmery, and a little quiet, so the ‘A’ string jumps out. I should try .024 gauge.These are ground to an almost smooth finish, so they’re only a little bit squeaky/scratchy.

GHS Burnished Nickel Rocker .024: Also ground to a pretty smooth finish. Louder than the D’Addario ground phosphor bronze. It has a bright edge but also a strong fundamental note so there’s a nice balance with the plain strings. I really like this string.

D’Addario Chromes .024 flatwound: Darker than the GHS above, but not dull. I really like this string too. Super smooth finish, no squeak at all, and to me sounds very matched with the plain A when played open. As you go up the fretboard it starts sounding a little darker compared with the plain strings. I think this string might work well for you, and if it strikes you as dull, then try the GHS Burnished Nickel Rocker or the D’Addario Ground Phosphor Bronze.

GHS Precision Flatwound .024: Really dark and plunky to my ear, and despite being flat wound they have a little grittiness to their feel which I don’t like. They just sound dull and percussive to me.

Plain .022: I don’t remember where this was on the dark-light scale, sorry. Really did not like this. Took it off after 5 minutes. It didn’t intonate well higher up the fretboard, and just didn’t ring nicely up there either.

At the moment I’m switching back and forth between the GHS Burnished Nickel Rocker .024 and the D'Addario Chromes .024, and I like them both. I realize of course that others will hear differently, have other opinions and desires tone-wise, and that I should probably just practice more… :)

- Dave

P.S. Note to Ron Gibson — Thanks that instrument is totally addictive!

It was a close call but I was able to avoid any thing getting cut on my band saw and I was doing something that I knew better i was trying to make the tail piece thinner after shaping it  by taking a 1/8 inch slice off and the blade grabbed the tail piece when i got about half way through and flipped it pulling my hand towards the blade it was a stark reminder that accidents happen when you least expect them, the bad part is i knew better than to do what i was attempting it was a stupid thing on my part that i will not do again and yes at 62 people still do stupid thing LOL me included

Super cool! Glad you're back with us.

Don, it's wonderful you're going to build gourd banjos for your kids and grandkids!  

Oh, I'm so glad you kept all your fingers in the process of working that snakewood!

To start I tuned it to standard G tuning which I did for a reason I wanted to see if it would hold up to the strain or literally come apart I left it that way for 4-5 days and then i de tuned it down to C# A C# E A that tuning is starting at the fifth going to first strings.

The moon inlays I hand cut out of a 8mill copper sheet with a pair of scissors I used Jacks green patina to age the moon inlays, since I wanted it fretless I wanted some kind of markers for as to where all the frets would have been if they were there

the sound hole is also man in the moons facing each other the neck is hand carved from a 2x4 piece of zebra wood i had laying around the peg head is the only thing I had to use a power tool to cut out

I am pretty happy with the way it came out but there are things i will not do the same on my next one like bolting the neck on solid which made it extremely difficult to install the goat skin head  i have four more I will be building because my son and daughter want one and two grand kids also want one

this one i just finished is my trial run to learn what and what not to do

I currently have it strung with nylon La Bella (Classic 17) .019, .022, .028, .025, .019

forgot to add my twist on the tail piece I used a piece of snake wood I had laying around that I cut out with my band saw and almost lost some fingers in the process, LOL

Love that gourd banjer!  The moon inlay! And the copper tacks?

Wow i bet it has a wonderful deep voice. How are you tuning it Don?

I like the sound of gourd banjos with deep voices, Don.  Enjoy playing your new build!  

Thank you @ken-longfield it only took me about 6 months to build but i am happy with the way it came out the gourd pot is just over 12 inches across and 4.5 inches deep it has a very deep old voice

Very nice Don. Have fun playing it. Welcome back.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Well I have been fairly busy for awhile between taking care of my wife and building her a Dulcimer and me a Gourd Banjo I have finally completed my Gourd banjo and wanted to post up a couple of photos

so here they are

 gourd banjo.jpg - 41KB

A nice honor. Congrats Don.

Yay for Don Pedi !!

Thanks for sharing this, Ken!  Don is a treasure!  

Thanks Kenl. Great read. Don is quite a fellow.

Many of us know Don Pedi and his career as a dulcimer musician with an interest in the North Carolina dulcimer community. I came across this article today: https://www.bpr.org/post/spotlight-bpr-music-host-and-dulcimer-master-don-pedi#stream/0

Congratulations Don!

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I don't use fret markers. As Dusty said, "The diatonic fretboard IS your fret marker." I have never put them on any of the dulcimers I've built either. Doesn't seem to be a problem for anyone.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

My first dulcimer had no fret markers, and I managed fine. The diatonic fretboard IS your fret marker. The first skinny fret is 3. The last fat fret before the three skinnies (assuming you have a 6+) is 5. The last of the three skinnies is 7.

Since then I've bought instruments that have fret markers, and you do get accustomed to them. But unlike the banjo, the dulcimer does not need them.

I think now the main reasons to mark at 3, 5, and 7--even if you don't play only on the melody string--is because that's standard and you want to get used to the way most dulcimers are designed so you won't get confused if you switch dulcimers. And yes, those fret mark stickers look great and come off very easily.

Thanks Susie, Ken and Tukano, I've gone ahead and ordered some stickers. I just hope they're as removable as the vendors say because I'm sure I'll have to reposition at least one of them. The information about why people mark those particular frets was most helpful, Ken, and I thank you for that.

Lorilee

If you really want to have choices for fret markers, I'd suggest this place:

https://www.inlaystickers.com/

I've used them on occasion for various instruments (for different purposes) over the years. Easy to apply, look really nice, and you can remove them without residue.

When I recently purchased an instrument without a fret marker on a particular fret that I was used to, I added a sticker to the fretboard. Here's that instrument. All but one of the markers are actual inlays, one is a sticker. Can you tell which is which?

Folks use bits of Avery labels for temporary fret markers.  There is no standard for marker positions, but as @tukanu says, markers at frets 3, 7 and 10 are common.  Why?  Fret 3 is the start of the Ionian modal scale,  Fret 7 is the end of the Mixolydian modal scale (which starts on the open fret).  Fret 10 is the end of the Ionian modal scale.  

Here is a short video about tempered tuning that may be of interest, especially to those of us in the learning mode. It was presented on another site [autoharp] and I'm 'borrowing' it.

3 7 10 are pretty common

On which frets is it customary to have markers? I've not seen enough dulcimers yet to know (ask me about banjo fret markers--THAT I can tell you!) I'm thinking of putting some temporary stickers on my frets so I'll know what the heck is what. Eventually I'll learn where my fingers are, but it would be nice not to have to stop and count all the time! Thanks!

I have always found that thicker unwound strings produce a slightly louder and more mellow tone than thinner unwound strings.Regarding the wound D string, you are clearly aware that the different materials used can produce slightly different tones (though I've never tried the string brand you mentioned), and like the unwound strings a thicker wound string will produce a slightly louder, more mellow tone, compared to a thinner wound string made of the same material.

For the 27" VSL you mentioned, tuned DAD, I'd suggest the following string gauges for a loud, yet more mellow, tone ..... 13 13 16/or17 and 26 for the D wound string. Those gauges will provide a strong, sweet, slightly more mellow tone. With those gauges, if you have a high string action then it will be marginally more difficult to press the strings down, and if you have a low string action then the dulcimer will be just as easy to play with the thicker strings.

I would take Dusty, Susies, and Strumelia's advice. To play in DAd, you should have a larger middle string like Strumelia suggests. You can easily call or email the company and ask if they are ball or loop end. Since they sell single strings to might be able to make up your own set. Reactions to Curt Managan strings on guitar forums mostly seems positive. I have no personal experience with them. If I every get to Cortez, Colorado, I may stop in for a visit. I like visiting factories.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

One little thing- that set you picture has all same gauge except a thicker bass wound string. That means it was generally intended for a tuning where middle string is tuned same note as melody string(s)... such as DAA.

Using these strings for a DAd tuning is certainly do-able and should work ok, but for 'optimal' results in DAd you would want a middle string that is slightly thicker than the melody strings. For example 11-11-14-22w instead of 11-11-11-22w.

Maybe contact them directly with your questions. I've found most places to be very responsive and informative.

https://www.curtmangan.com/contact/

Unless it specifically says "loop end," the strings will be ball end since that is the standard for guitars.  (Notice their mandolin sets specify "loop end.")  But they sell single loop-end strings, so it seems that would be the way to go.  A single phosphor bronze loop-end string only costs a couple of bucks.  Why not buy one and check it out?

Hi Mountain Dulcimer Friends

I'm hoping to have a question answered and would also be interested to know what anyone who has used the Curt Mangan FusionMatched (#90840) strings thinks of them.

First the question. I'm guessing these strings probably have loop ends but I don't want to assume they do. I've looked high and low but haven't been able to find a description that mentions the end type. Are they loop end strings?

Second, what is your opinion about them? I'm hoping to achieve what could typically be described as a sweet, mellow tone as opposed to a bright tone. I'll be putting them on an hourglass dulcimer with a 27" VSL.(1.75" deep, upper bout 5.75", lower bout 7", waist 4.5") I use DAD tuning. I've calculated the string tension and it seems suitable to me. If you've used these, did you notice the tone to be noticeably more sweet and mellow and less bright than, say for instance, what you might hear using a set with the low D made of materials such as round wound nickel, stainless steel, or 80/20 bronze? How do they stack up in terms of quality? Do you have any other tips or might you suggest any other strings available that would achieve what I want to do?

Thanks so much for any advice you can give me on this. 

 Curt Magnan dulcimer strings 90840.jpg - 125KB

Yes, thank you for the photos @slssld!  Enjoy your Black Rose!  

Hi Robin, 

I posted the pictures of my Black Rose at the beginning  of the thread.  Cool that you live so close!  

Thank you to all that commented!

I'd like to see a Black Rose mountain dulcimer-- I only live about 20 miles from Nelsonville OH.

Great info. interesting story of how the name came about

I have been trying out Dgd. I watched a couple YouTube videos on approaching it, which were helpful. I think that will really work for what I want to do.

Two obvious reasons why I can't just play a tune out of D, since that's what I'm tuned in. Number one is my fiddle player. If a tune is in G, then, well, it's in G. And some of those awkward tunes that obviously were written in a different key because they are either too high or too low for the middle voice of the instrument. 

This will be really quick to tune to G when needed (my brain won't be so quick, so the first after re-tuning is always a throwaway, easy tune). 

I will try to be content with this new challenge (on top of still being challenged with the standard tuning) for a little while before I start chasing the next tempting thing.