Forum Activity for @strumelia

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season
to all FOTMD friends, every one!! 

I'm so glad this worked out so well Traildad!  Thanks for the happy update! 

And the competed Rugg & Jackel 1986 D50S

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I brought my dulcimer back to Dave and he adjusted the action. It now looks like the nickel and dime fit perfectly. Also the buzz is gone. 👌

I agree, I have a kit dulcimer from the 80s that looks very much the same, just slightly different peg head shape. Something about the thinness of the wood, and the 'cut' appearance of the edges.

I had the same thought, Ken.  Just has a "kit" feel to it...

If you have nut files for the gauge strings you plan to use, they will work well. Not sure what you mean by guitar file. I've cut slots with a razor saw and widened them with a small triangular file. The photo reminds me of a dulcimer kit that was available around that time. I can't remember the name of the manufacturer of the kit.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

As Dusty says, nut/bridge material is up to you, the commercial ones today are usually Delrin(tm) or a harder plastic.  Most of us use a small triangular "jeweler's" file t\o cut string notches in the nut/bridge.  

Nuts and bridges can be made from hard woods, bone, or the hard plastic resins such as Bakelite.  Nowadays, the hard plastics used are usually Tusq, Nubone, or Micarta. Maybe there are some other proprietary names of which I am unaware.  In general, people assume bone to be the best, and it's probably the most expensive, but some of my dulcimers use other materials and I have no complaints.  

You might consider posting in the Dulcimer Making Group for specific advice about tools and materials.

update, I cleaned it up a little bit and got new strings and it sounds pretty good.  intonation was way off with the old strings but spot on with the new.  funny how that happens-- my uke was like that too.

I have a question though about the nut/bridge-- do people use bone in dulcimers or is plastic the norm?  this one appears to have that old dark brown pre-plastic material they called bakelite-- was that used in the 70s?  or is this stuff just weird plastic or even wood or something?  

I also need to lower the action quite a bit-- the strings are a good 4-5mm from the frets.  the new strings cut into my fingers last night. lol.  any preferences for nut files or do people just use guitar files?  

After I cleaned it up, Small surprise. The case is covered in leather, and leather wrapped handle. I though originally just the usual cardboard. Still polishing the case.

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Wow, Ken. Losing weight as well as keeping it off is really hard.  Good for you.  Robert, thank you for recommending Johnny's Selected Seeds.  I'll check them out when I need to re-order.

The broccoli seeds are ready to harvest today and mung beans are beginning to show signs of sprouting.  I've been conservative in the amount of seeds I've started since I'm experimenting with varieties and didn't want to become overwhelmed with too many sprouts at one time.

We had the alfalfa sprouts in a salad last night and really liked them.  Will try them in a sandwich today for lunch.  This is such fun!  Thank you, Strumelia, for your advice and encouragement.  Nina (aka) Dulcinina)

@ken-hulme Huzzah!  I hope the weight loss contributes to your overall health-- as long as we're kicking it's good to feel as well as we can!  

Anniversary of sorts.  After nearly a year, including the stress of Covid lockdown (and we take it very seriously), I am still 40 pounds lighter than I was in September of 2019.  Thank you WW.  No fancy expensive foods, just watching what, when and how much I eat. 

I highly recommend Johnnys Selected Seeds in Winslow ME. They have the largest selection of seed for sprouts and micro greens. All are organic and definitely not treated with fungicides. Check them out.... Robert

Awesome!!!!  So excited for you!    Those look nice and bright, fresh.

Now be sure to measure how many seeds you start with in the jar, they should almost fill the jar when done. I find that 4 level teaspoons (meaning 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon, all level not rounded) will fill my entire quart jar nicely without being so tight I can't pull them out.

For lunch today I had a sandwich made with two thin slices meunster cheese and a BIG handful each of mung sprouts and red clover sprouts, on peasant bread with a little butter and mayo. Yum!  Basically a sprout sandwich.

My first "crop" of alfalfa sprouts.  Uhh, not sure I attached the picture correctly.  Nina

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In the process of cleaning it up. 10/1/86 #3 D50S

The "normal" tuning for a standard dulcimer tuned to a 1-5-8 pattern in C would be C3 G3 C4 since we usually list the tunings from the bass note to the melody note. (I don't know who made up that rule, but it's as logical as anything, I suppose.)

I would not assume that someone putting a .005 string on a dulcimer actually knew what they were doing. It could have just been whatever strings they had lying around or perhaps someone thinking lighter strings would be easier on their fingers. The strings that @nathina suggests from John Pearce are within a normal range for a full-size dulcimer (though still light for my preferences).

I saw a fellow on YouTube playing with a system that clamps on the neck just ahead of the strum hollow and I’m sure he was using a Lawrence acoustic guitar sound hole pickup with the sound hole spring clamp removed. In this application the pickup is inverted over the strings. I have one of those pickups and also a Dean Markley pickup that fits in the sound hole. When I got my copy made I realized that the Bill Lawrence one wouldn’t work unless I removed that clip and I wasn’t willing to do so. I guess I should have built the mount a bit wider. The Dean Markley pickup works fine but has a more compressed sound than the Lawrence. Either way I can now make enough volume to play with guitar players and actually be heard and I don’t have to alter my dulcimer in any way.

Update: I tuned the dulcimer to CGC, sounds great. This dulcimer has a 27" VSL. It sounds pretty cool.

Thanks!

No not one of hers.

some photos

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There comes a point on a 27-28" vsl where the strings required to reach a very high note become so thin that they will probably break by virtue of their own thinness. I found this out once with .008 strings, tuning up somewhere around high f. Went through 2 strings before I decided I probably needed a shorter scale length.  ;D

How Jimmy Stewart's WWII experiences shaped It's a Wonderful Life... and how this affects us today.

Zu Zu's petals...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/19/entertainment/its-a-wonderful-jimmy-stewart-world-war-ii-service/index.html

Probably way off with this, but David Crosby of Crobsy Stills and Nash? This luthier made some for him. https://lapidusmusic.com/bio

The first question is -- What is the VSL of this Jeffreys dulcimer?   THAT is a major determinate as to what the gauges should be.

I went to the Strothers String Choice calculator to see what I could see...

If the VSL is about 27" and the owner wanted to tune up to Ggg, then strings around .005 and .015 are good choices.

Hi nik;  

I've not heard of David Cosby as a builder, but it appears that this was his second dulcimer build (#2), back in 1978. 

A series of wide and close up photos may help use better identify things.

hi all, newbie to dulcimers here but I have a lot of other stringed instruments.  just picked up a dulcimer with a label inside that says "David Crosby, #2, studio three, 12/21/78, 528 state street madison WI" with a signature (that does not match CSNY's david crosby's autograph fwiw).  does anyone know anything about this luthier?  you can imagine what I get if I google David Crosby, lol.  it's an hourglass shape, 4 string, heart shaped soundholes, caspari type tuning pegs I think (maybe schaller?), pretty rough carved scroll, 6.5 fret is present.  I can post pictures tomorrow if they would help.  Thanks!

Interesting, just bought bought a 1974 A.W Jeffrey's dulcimer and found that the strings are really small in diameter. Ever hear of the strings that (1st).005,(2nd).005, (3rd) .005 and (4th) string .015. I have ordered new strings and just waiting for them to come in. I wonder if they are actually original however they really can't be right?

@slate-creek-dulcimers Santa Claus put some stuff in the mail early this year.  :)

It helps prevent confusion if we all use the same terminology when describing instruments, and the terms used for dulcimers are not necessarily the same as those used for other stringed instruments. 

Mountain Dulcimers have a head block, a scroll or flat tuning head, a tail block, two sides (usually), a top, a back, a nut and bridge (but no saddle usually) and a fretboard which may also have a fingerboard on its top. Some have feet on the back. 

A "heavy, square" tail block is not necessarily a Galax style element; many instruments from different regions have large tailbocks of various shapes.  What normally distinguishes the Galax is it's double back, it's wide (7-10") elliptical shape (not teardrop), it's extreme depth (2.5" to 3.5") and usually 3 strings of the same thin gauge tuned normally to ccc or ddd.  Check out Kudzu Patch Dulcimers -- Ben Seymore is the "king" of Galax instruments...

This one I do not have. A lot of work went into the carvings,  Built by Freeman D Jones.

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old joke-
How can you tell if the stage at a bluegrass concert is level?
-the banjo player is drooling from both sides of their mouth.