Folkcraft.com or Backyard Music https://www.backyardmusic.com/dulcimers.html, may have plans. Otherwise the backyards are cheap and you can create the design from their product. Backyards are surprisingly good for a cardboard model.
Hi All,
I have been away from this forum for a long time but recently a friend asked me about building them a dulcimer. I have been reading about cardboard/styrofoam kits and it has really piqued my interest.
Does anyone know of a site where I can find plans, or other info that may help me along?
Thanks...Tom
After hearing all your replies I felt confident in contacting him and letting him know he definitely did not have the Fret markers in the correct/standard places. He took the critique kindly and informed me that his confusion came because he counted the nut as fret one when he began putting in the markers. Mystery solved.
Well that solves the mystery. You helped improve things for the next person who buys a dulcimer from him! Still gotta wonder though why he didn't do two minutes of simple google research or just looking at online dulcimer images before inlaying the markers. 
After hearing all your replies I felt confident in contacting him and letting him know he definitely did not have the Fret markers in the correct/standard places. He took the critique kindly and informed me that his confusion came because he counted the nut as fret one when he began putting in the markers. Mystery solved. Thank you all.
I came to the dulcimer without any music background at all. Fret markers were just a decoration and my 1st dulcimer was a kit without markers. I didn't realize they had a purpose until I went to full chromatic fretboards. I looked at the 3-5-7-10 but they didn't make any sense to me [still don' t actually] so went to marking the diatonic frets since that layout was familiar. I suppose, considering they are really just location identifiers, that it's what a person gets used to using [without even thinking about them].
I just looked at my Folkcraft, it's marked at the 3-7-10. Didn't realize that before.
I suppose if someone played Capo 1 a lot, 4-6-8 might make some sense, maybe.
BTW, after hearing people complain about confusion over plus frets, I place a fret marker underneath the fret for plus frets as a visual marker. I drill a hole and use a wooden dowel to plug it, then saw the fret slot. Never had any problems doing so.
Thank you all. You were very helpful.
I suspect fret markers were invented for chromatically fretted instruments. Guitar, banjo, mandolin players really need them. Sometimes they have tiny inlaid dots on the side of the necks as fret markers rather than on the fretboard itself.
I agree with the others that on dulcimers, the distinctive fret spacing patterns serve as a good visual map. If someone wants fret markers anyway, the 3/5/7/10 placements would not cause objections form players. Other placements such as 4/6/8 don't make much sense to me and would cause confusions for many players.
Roughly 30 years ago I shot a 22 calibre bullet through the middle of the tip knuckle of my index finger on my left hand. I still have the finger but that knuckle doesn't bend at all. I couldn't play for a few months and when I could again I had to change how I did everything. It works well for bar chords on the guitar but I finger everything differently. It's àmazing what you can overcome if you stick to it.
Back in the day I put fret markers on my builds, but not any more. As my brother Ken says, when you make and play only true diatonic fretboards, the spacing pattern tells you everything you really need to know.
I agree Dusty. I don't put position dots on the dulcimers I build. I think I have two with position dots, a Folkcraft and Blue Lion.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
One could possibly come up with a reason to put a position dot anywhere. But since the point is to quickly recognize where you are on the fretboard, standardization is a benefit. Since 3, 5, 7, & 10 are the most common places for such markers, anything else would risk confusion.
The fact is that with a diatonic fretboard there is no need for fret markers since the fret pattern clearly tells you where you are. I have some dulcimers with no fret markers and have no trouble. I have some marked at 3, 5, 7, & 10, and have no trouble. But I woundn't even considering buying a dulcimer with frets marked elsewhere as that would just be confusing.
The problem with the diatonic fretting on the mountain dulcimer is that the root note, third, and fifth vary from tuning to tuning. Position markers at frets 3, 5, and 7 because the scale in 1 - 5 - 5 tuning starts at the 3rd fret. If you use 1 - 3 - 5 tuning, then the 2, 4, 6 placement makes sense. For those of us who use both tunings on the same dulcimer, position markers don't make sense, at least to me. So before you reply your friend, find out what tuning he intends those who play his dulcimers to use.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I see a lot dulcimers with 4, 6 and 10, 13 marked, and some 8s. I restore and mark at 3, 5, 7 and 10.
I think I was sounding like I was just complaining but actual I would like to know if there would be any technical or rational reason to place them there. (fretmarkers @ 4,6 &8) He is a new builder and wanted my opinion and before I tell him that, for me anyway,the markers are not in the correct positions and going forward her show move them. But maybe there is some research he did to place them there that I have not come across. I did see where the 4th fret in integral in dorian tuning. Educate me here on this before I possible lead him astray. TY
Merry Christmas to one and all and hoping for a better new year.
Thanks for the positive thoughts. It will be my go to instrument when playing with others. It has a good sound and volume.
I will then tune it to traditional...
...Since as Strumelia says, it is not necessarily a collectable, for the enhancements I have in mind it will need to be darkened some. This is a little more that a restoration but an enhancement to a restoration. Still beautiful and still itself, but with a little added art. Popular, now I know what the back is. Just couldn't remember. Ok will be tuned traditional, 4 string galax.
Other practical problems with converting/selling this Galax dulcimer into a baritone: First, people looking for a baritone mountain dulcimer usually don't want wooden tuning pegs . Also, most people looking for a baritone dulcimer will be chord style players , and this Galax is a real traditional wooden pegged dulcimer with no 6.5 fret. It's daunting to play a diatonically fretted dulcimer in chord style without a 6.5 fret. Baritone players are not going to want to retune in order to play various tunes. They want to stick with standard baritone tunings. And to play chord style in typical baritone tuning means you'll need that 6.5 fret.
Though not a precious museum antique, this is nonetheless a lovely traditional vintage Galax dulcimer (and such beautiful naturally blonde wood! ) though it seems to lack a double back. There is a substantial market for traditional Galaxes. It would be a bit odd to market this as a "Galax Baritone" since Galax dulcimers weren't made as baritones. There is also a good market for baritone dulcimers, but most folks who know dulcimers and are looking for a baritone dulcimer will avoid a wood peg dulcimer without a 6.5 fret that is obviously a Galax dulcimer. They'd want a more modern large scale dulcimer with 6.5 and 13.5 frets, and geared tuners.
And if for no other reason... I'm pretty sure you would get a better price selling this as a traditional restored Galax and not a concocted Barilax. (sounds like a Barium enema, hahah). If someone who loves vintage instruments did buy it, they'd probably immediately turn it back to a traditional Galax stringing anyway. Why not bring out its own natural beauty and appeal in what it is? Just my two cents.
Do take another look at the gorgeous droolyworthy Galaxes shown on Ben Seymour's site. They are so wonderful! I'm extremely lucky to have a custom Galax made by Ben. But this Delser has heaps and heaps of charm, especially if you let the beauty of that blonde chestnutty-poplary wood come through. 
Jim Good used to set up at the Vandalia Gathering on the grounds of the capitol building in WV. He built some really pretty instruments though I have never seen one of his early ones-- this one is lovely!
Nathina said; "I am not adverse to tuning the galax to traditional but it will be for sale."
Which is precisely the reason why I would not change it: People looking to buy are going to expect a Galax style instrument to be set up for Galax play.
IMHO you should be "restoring" an instrument, not making it into something it isn't.
Most modern players won't look at that dulcimer and say "Ah ha! A Baritone". They're going to see a traditional style instrument.
As far as stains -- why not let the beauty of the wood come through -- use Tung oil or Boiled Linseed Oil or even satin or matte Urethane and skip coloring the wood.
I can't blame you. That would be somewhat distracting if you play more than one dulcimer. I suppose you could get used to it, but yeah I think you did the right thing.
If i were to retrieve the thread you deleted, then there'd be two. Since you have added a bunch of stuff to this new one, it creates a dilemma. Which thread would you want to keep? I could lock this new thread and then you could copy/paste the new posts from this thread to the old thread and I could then delete this one. Wanna try that?
That is wonderful news, Traildad. Enjoy your new dulcimer. I still play my little Deluxe 58 Black Mountain Dulcimer quite frequently. It has a sweet and clear tone. Happy holidays.
Why would a builder place the markers at 4-6-8? I thought it had a 1 1/2 fret when I bought it because of the confusion that caused me at first glance. I had to return it as it was too distracting to play.
Oh by the way I may have a surprise to show, not sure as yet. Depends on what has to be done on the instrument. I will need some help in identifying it.
I accidentally deleted the Post on repairing the Desler and since I don't know if it can be retrieved I'll start over.
Strumelia: you asked what tuning AEA, string spacing, the same as everything else.
Dusty: the depth is this instrument makes me think it would be a good baritone. 4 strings tuned to AEAa. Although I still may try to see what it sounds like in CCCc and AAAa. This one when finished will be going up for sale. The public sadly cannot recognize a good dulcimer from a bad, thus the rapid sales currently of Horas and Apple Creeks. The tend to avoid wooden tuning pegs for Starite tuners or Planetary ones. Right now the push seems to be for baritones. Ron Gibson has started to sell baritones in one of his designs, Folkcraft as in the Utube, and many others. Nothing much really being done, (although it is suppose to be a deeper soundbox, extra support if needed etc.) I might leave it up to the public as to which tuning they want when they buy it.
Ken: I am not adverse to tuning the galax to traditional but it will be for sale. This is not one I consider keeping. It would lend itself well to AEAa. But that is still off a ways. Next to finish the stripping, and raise the grain for staining. It has now been reshaped and the unit is again solid, no holes or dings. What would you suggest as to the stain dark or red top? dark Fret board, back? sides? neck and head as well as block will be walnut, and I will two tone the strum hollow. Fretboard is chestnut, top is cedar, back is ? sides are same as back.
By the way I will be posting, once retouched and cleaned an HA Fleming 1970. This unit is beautiful and well above some of his other ones. Not sure why the difference, but the workmanship is much better than I have seen.
SORRY all about the erase. If it can be retrieved please do so.
It looks very good Nathina. It is pretty much what a new Jim Good dulcimer looked like on his sale table. For some reason I'm under the impression that Jim sold his workshop and inventory a while back, but I'm not certain about this. I remember when Jim started using walnut shells in his sound holes. Jim's wife is Brenda, but I don't know if she ever painted on any of their dulcimers. Post fire of 83 when he went to walnuts for sound holes.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
It looks very good Nathina. It is pretty much what a new Jim Good dulcimer looked like on his sale table. For some reason I'm under the impression that Jim sold his workshop and inventory a while back, but I'm not certain about this. I remember when Jim started using walnut shells in his sound holes. Jim's wife is Brenda, but I don't know if she ever painted on any of their dulcimers.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Merry Christmas to all of you, and hope for a safe and blessed New Year. 
Someone did a nice job. Are the top & back veneer? Beautiful painting, but not nearly enough sound hole area. Commercial violin pegs, but not everyone wants to take the time to carve their own (I don't!). Maker's label?
Someone did a nice job. Are the top & back veneer? Beautiful painting, but not nearly enough sound hole area. Commercial violin pegs, but not everyone wants to take the time to carve their own (I don't!). Maker's label?
I am trying to get more information on this dulcimer. Sounds great, finished restoring it last night, couldn't sleep.
Wishing you all a meaningful holiday season! Keep making music in '21, friends!
Glad it worked out, traildad!
Eleven Years Ago this post was started!! To all who were here then, and all the new folks since then, Happy Holiday, which ones you celebrate!
And a very merry Christmas to you, Lisa! Thank you for your service to all of us.
I have been discussing a Rugg and Jackel.
Our dear FOTMD friend John P. passed away a few years ago, but
this Christmas Songs thread of his is worth bumping up - it's nice to read over again! 
