Tim Eriksen playing MD and singing sacred harp
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Forum Activity for @robin-thompson
The Mountain Minor movie
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Friends, The Mountain Minor movie folks have released a soundtrack. I'm thinking about ordering a copy of both the movie and the soundtrack.
What Are You Working On?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I just started working on the Irish jig "The Gander in the Pratie Hole." It's an interesting tune because the A part is in D major but the B part is in D mixolydian. So the first part has C# and the second part has C natural.
Dulcimer repair question
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Exactly right. Those bits are designed to work in a multitude of situations.
Dulcimer repair question
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Ken,
Thank you for the detailed description on setting the bridge/nut height.
There is a lot of excess material on the new bridge so it make take me some time to get it sanded down. I'm guessing that they make them so big as different instruments may have deeper bridge slots?
Dulcimer repair question
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After you trim the nut/bridge to length and slot fit, you're ready for The Nickel & Dime Action Adjustment! You'll need: strings, a nickel, a dime, more of that sandpaper 60 grit and maybe 100 grit, and a hard-flat surface to sand on,
1. Put the Nut and bridge in place.
2. Put the strings on tight, but not tightened all the way to pitch tuned.
3. Set the Dime next to the 1st fret; notice how large the gap is on both sides.
4. Balance the Nickel on top of the 7th fret (not the 6+ fret) and notice the gap there as well.
5. Slack the strings enough to slide the Nut out of its slot.
6. Place some 60 grit sandpaper on your hard surface, grit up
7. Sand a dozen or 20 strokes off of the bottom of the Nut.
8. Slide the nut back into place and re-tighten the strings. Notice the gap.
9. Repeat Steps 5-8 until the strings are almost touching the surface of the dime.
Now it's time to work the Bridge end of things.
1. Slack the strings and slide the Bridge out of its slot.
2. Sand a dozen or 20 strokes off of the bottom of the Bridge.
3. Slide the bridge back in place and tighten the strings.
4. Balance the Nickel on top of the 7th fret and check the gap.
5. Rinse & repeat until the strings are just touching the nickel on top of the 7th fret
6. Now that the Bridge is lowered, you can go back, if you want, to the Nut
and lower the strings a tiny bit more using some 100 grit sandpaper, if you want,,,
This is not the absolute lowest Action height you can have, but it's a good place to start.
Dulcimer repair question
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Parts from Folkcraft arrived today. After much sanding I got the bridge piece into the slot. The bridge is about 1/4 inch longer than the slot so I'll need to find a way to trim that part off. Next, someone previously mentioned setting the bridge height. I'm guessing that I'll want the strings set pretty close to the fret board so they don't have to be pressed to hard. I'm ready for your advice folks!
While I am pondering bridge height, should it be similar to the nut height? I test fit one string and it seems to be much higher at the bridge than the nut.
Mike
updated by @wanttolearn: 10/13/20 10:56:00PM
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Dusty it makes me very happy to hear this wonderful news about your wife's new job. Yaaaaaaay!! 
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
That is great news! We've been tucked away working from home since March...with Waldo the Parrot and Sonja the Cockatiel. It is unclear if--or when--we will return to outside office lives. Fine with me...
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
GREAT NEWS! This sounds like a great new normal!
David Bennett:
Just by chance several weeks ago, before my friend sent me the link to this dulcimer sale, I had started gathering information on A.W. Jeffreys for my Today In Mountain Dulcimer History posts but never completed it. This got me jump started. In fact today I traded several emails with Jeffreys' daughter, Jan. I'm still tweaking this but this is what I have so far:
A.W. (Alois Waldo) Jeffreys, Jr. was born in 1923 in South Hill, Virginia to a tobacco farmer/auctioneer.
A.W. Jeffreys was a Naval pilot during WWII. In 1946 he was in the naval pilot's group that was the fore-runner to today's Blue Angels, then known as the Flight Exhibition Team.
After his Naval career he was a clinical psychologist. He was Chief Psychologist at Western State Hospital at Staunton, Virginia for 33 years.
According to his daughter Jeffreys became interested in dulcimers after observing local folk playing them in the mountains of Virginia where he lived. He made his first dulcimer in 1956.
About 1960 he started the Appalachian Dulcimer Company in Staunton, it was a family business. His wife ran the business side and she and the kids, Jay and Jan, helped A.W. with various aspects of the business and building dulcimers.
Jeffreys built both 3 string and 4 string instruments, but preferred 3 strings, in walnut, cherry or butternut with either heart or diamond shaped sound holes. With each dulcimer came an instruction book, which he wrote, a cloth bag, a hand cut pick, and an optional LP record made by his friend, Paul Clayton.
In the mid-1970s A.W. and his wife took over all the work when Jay and Jan left home. The business wound down sometime in the late 1980's. It is estimated that over 3000 dulcimers were made. Sometime in the 1980's Jeffreys donated much of his dulcimer collection to the Smithsonian Institute.
Jan told me her dad played the dulcimer very little as he was more of a vocalist. But the song she remembers the most was "Go tell Aunt Rhody".
A.W. Jeffreys died 29 January 1992.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
A little bit of good news for us. My wife is getting a new job that will allow her to work entirely from home. Her current job only lets her work from home two days a week, and since I work from home and our daughter is doing high school virtually, my wife's job was the only exception to our otherwise tight, COVID-free lives. She requested on numerous occasions to work from home, citing the number of people in the building who had been infected and complaining that too many co-workers were not following proper protocols, but they only gave her two days. So she's leaving. And getting a promotion, too. Probably the happiest member of our family will be the dog, who will soon have the whole pack home every day, the way he thinks it ought to be.
Heard of "The Left Hand Dulcimer Band"?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
See pages 31-33 of the book in this link. It may help you find one of the band members. https://issuu.com/dulcimerplayersnewsinc/docs/14-1
Dulcimer repair question
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Thank you Ken for your reply and expert knowledge. It’s so interesting to read everyone’s thoughts and opinions. You taught me a lot. Thank you!
Dulcimer repair question
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Ken Longfield:
When I replace my strings do they include the chenille wrap on the loop ends that looks like fly fishing wrap?
No, if you buy dulcimer string sets. I am not aware of any manufacturers who offer this.
Why did they wrap the loop end with chenille?
This is a feature of some banjo strings. The chenille was added to prevent overtones and the string rattling on the banjo tailpiece which is made of metal. Dulcimer players would buy banjo strings in the proper gauges to put on their dulcimers because they were loop end strings. This was before dulcimer string sets became readily available. Under tension dulcimer strings can eat in to the end of the fret board depending upon how they are attached and chenille my help prevent this.
If by chance you say new strings do not include chenille loop ends since that was done in the 70’s, then why not wrap them any more?
Banjos still have metal tailpieces. Again, I am not aware of dulcimer string sets that come with chenille wrap.
Do new steel strings stretch like ukulele strings after they’re installed?
No, steel string stretch, but not as much as nylon ukulele strings. After steel strings are brought up to the proper pitch, they will stretch a little and need to be tightened. Like other materials, steel is subject to expanding when hot and shrinking when cold, so changes in temperature will require tuning. So will changes in humidity as that effects the wood of the dulcimer.
You can purchase strings for you dulcimer from The Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View, Arkansas. They offer sets for DAA or DAd tunings.
I hope this helps you.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Dulcimer repair question
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
When I replace my strings do they include the chenille wrap on the loop ends that looks like fly fishing wrap?
No, if you buy dulcimer string sets. I am not aware of any manufacturers who offer this.
Why did they wrap the loop end with chenille?
This is a feature of some banjo strings. The chenille was added to prevent overtones and the string rattling on the banjo tailpiece which is made of metal. Dulcimer players would buy banjo strings in the proper gauges to put on their dulcimers because they were loop end strings. This was before dulcimer string sets became readily available. Under tension dulcimer strings can eat in to the end of the fret board depending upon how they are attached and chenille my help prevent this.
If by chance you say new strings do not include chenille loop ends since that was done in the 70’s, then why not wrap them any more?
Banjos still have metal tailpieces. Again, I am not aware of dulcimer string sets that come with chenille wrap.
Do new steel strings stretch like ukulele strings after they’re installed?
No, steel string stretch, but not as much as nylon ukulele strings. After steel strings are brought up to the proper pitch, they will stretch a little and need to be tightened. Like other materials, steel is subject to expanding when hot and shrinking when cold, so changes in temperature will require tuning. So will changes in humidity as that effects the wood of the dulcimer.
You can purchase strings for you dulcimer from The Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View, Arkansas. They offer sets for DAA or DAd tunings.
I hope this helps you.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Dulcimer repair question
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In reading this thread brings up a few questions for me. I’m fairly new to the dulcimer as well.
- When I replace my strings do they include the chenille wrap on the loop ends that looks like fly fishing wrap?
- Why did they wrap the loop end with chenille?
- If by chance you say new strings do not include chenille loop ends since that was done in the 70’s, then why not wrap them any more?
- Do new steel strings stretch like ukulele strings after they’re installed?
Lastly, my dulcimer is circa 1976 made by The Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View Arkansas. See photos.
Thank you for your reply.
Kevin
Dulcimer repair question
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Ken Longfield:
It looks like string tension has pulled the pins toward the saddle. One reason this could happen is the pins are too short to take the pressure of a tightened string. Ken's suggestion to use at least 1" brads is one solution. Another reason this could have occurred is that the wood is not very hard. And yet another is too much pressure on the pins from over tuning. Two other solutions for this problem are to use screws instead of brads or to move the brads from their current position to the end of the dulcimer. The latter might cause the strings to imbed themselves in the end of the fret board as they pass over the top of the dulcimer.
The saddle in the second photo shows quite a bit of damage and needs to be replaced. In replacing it you need to measure its size; length, width, height. If you can't find the exact size for replacement you will need to purchase something a little larger and sand it down. Two places to look for parts for dulcimers are www.folkcraft.com and https://mcspaddendulcimers.com . You may have to search the sites to find what you want.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Dulcimer repair question
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Tailpins made of nails aren't a problem with loop-end strings. When I started with dulcimers in the mid-70s, all of the strings were loop-end, sometimes with green chenille wrapped into the windings!
Ball-end strings can be converted to loop-end strings by removing the "ball". If you dare, take heavy electrician's pliers and squeeze the thing until it cracks, then remove the pieces. VOILA! A loop-end string!
Dulcimer repair question
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I suspect someone who didn't know better forced the brads down to hold the strings in place while tuning. A bad move, and probably not done by the maker.
updated by @john-gribble: 10/09/20 07:17:04AM
Dulcimer repair question
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I removed the strings a couple days ago. In two cases the brads just fell out. New parts will be here on Tuesday and I'll be back to update you all on my progress.
Also, the in other cases the strings couldn't be removed without puling the brads out. It seems to me an odd way to do something when you know you're going to have to replace the strings at some point.
updated by @wanttolearn: 10/09/20 07:10:43AM
Dulcimer repair question
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You know, unless the pins/brads/nails are loose, you don't have a problem. Typically they aren't driven all the way in, but leave a small amount of the shaft exposed, on which the loop sits. The head helps keep the string from sliding off. Consider simply replacing the strings (who know how old they are!) and find someone to help you and your wife get started playing!
New Dulcimer Day: McSpadden Ginger
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Dusty Turtle:
Beautiful, Susie! I'm a fan of the Gingers and think they sound great tuned up to F, G, or A.
Thank you Dusty. I've wanted to add a Ginger to my stable, and I'm sure glad I did. I'm loving it in the G tuning right now, but I may experiment with other tunings down the road. They are fun!
New Dulcimer Day: McSpadden Ginger
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Strumelia:
What a pretty cherry Ginger Susie! And the pair together are so complimentary.
Sounds like you did some good research beforehand as to what your preferences and needs are. Good for you!
Enjoy your sweet new bright singing bird. 
Thank you Strumelia. Yes, I wanted the two to give me a variety in my music....they are part of some other wonderful dulcimers in my life. I did do research, and I appreciate the feedback I got from the members here. I'm enjoying the new Ginger so much already.
Dulcimer repair question
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When you're ready to set the new nuts/bridges, start a new thread here so that we can talk you through the simple process of setting the "action height" -- distance of strings above frets -- to something that won't slice your fingers!
updated by @ken-hulme: 10/08/20 06:47:38AM
Dulcimer repair question
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Darn! My loss for sure. There's tons you could teach me I'm sure.
Parts are ordered, so I imagine early next week I can get to work!
Dulcimer repair question
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OK, so not around the corner from my shop!
Dulcimer repair question
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Thank you all. I sort of knew what needed to be done and you've helped me decide how to go about this. I'm going to attempt repair instead of writing it off as a poor decision to purchase them. If it doesn't go well, I'm not out much in the way of money and I'll have learned something in the process.
Oh, to answer John's question I'm in Wayne Nebraska.
Dulcimer repair question
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Thanx Ken, I completely missed the bridge in that second photo. You're right, that looks like a common Delrin(tm) bridge from McSpad or Folkcraft, and it really needs replacing.
New Dulcimer Day: McSpadden Ginger
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Beautiful, Susie! I'm a fan of the Gingers and think they sound great tuned up to F, G, or A.
New Dulcimer Day: McSpadden Ginger
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
What a pretty cherry Ginger Susie! And the pair together are so complimentary.
Sounds like you did some good research beforehand as to what your preferences and needs are. Good for you!
Enjoy your sweet new bright singing bird.
Dulcimer repair question
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
It looks like string tension has pulled the pins toward the saddle. One reason this could happen is the pins are too short to take the pressure of a tightened string. Ken's suggestion to use at least 1" brads is one solution. Another reason this could have occurred is that the wood is not very hard. And yet another is too much pressure on the pins from over tuning. Two other solutions for this problem are to use screws instead of brads or to move the brads from their current position to the end of the dulcimer. The latter might cause the strings to imbed themselves in the end of the fret board as they pass over the top of the dulcimer.
The saddle in the second photo shows quite a bit of damage and needs to be replaced. In replacing it you need to measure its size; length, width, height. If you can't find the exact size for replacement you will need to purchase something a little larger and sand it down. Two places to look for parts for dulcimers are www.folkcraft.com and https://mcspaddendulcimers.com . You may have to search the sites to find what you want.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
New Dulcimer Day: McSpadden Ginger
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I received my new McSpadden Ginger (all cherry). I absolutely love its sound, workmanship, and beauty. It is clear, articulate, and balanced. The sustain and volume are really good, even though it is a smaller dulcimer. I went with the G tuning, to give all my songs a new voice. It's going to be fun, whether playing at home or at festivals. It completes a great duo, with its big sister, an all walnut standard McSpadden (26"), and complements my other (brand) dulcimers. I did a lot of thinking before ordering this and even contacted some members here for their insights (thanks again). I'm very happy with my choice to go with the cherry, an under-rated tonewood, in the world of walnut dulcimers. I don't think the woods make a significant difference, and cherry can be so visually appealing in its own way.
updated by @susie: 10/07/20 11:57:28AM
Dulcimer repair question
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Those brass brads are very common as string pins even among the best of dulcimer builders; they do not get tapped in to hold the string in place. Pressure of the strings being tightened is what holds the strings on the pins.
Are the existing pins actually loose, or are you just interested in making them look more aesthetically pleasing?
The 'odd' bit is that someone used a ball-end string to make a loop-end rather than using all loop end strings. I suggest using only loop-end strings on instruments with this string-pin arrangement. Or, if you want to be able to use ball-end strings as well as loop-ends, use headless string pins of small enough diameter that the ball of ball-end strings can be slid onto the shaft of the pin.
The simplest repair is to just put new 1" brads in place a half-inch up from the old positions. Sink them in about as far as the existing brads -- say 3/4" deep, Then sand and fill the old holes with glue-dust or wood putty.
You didn't post any photos of the nuts/bridges, so we can't tell what kind they are, how they are set into or onto the fretboard, or whether they actually need replacing.
Dulcimer repair question
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John, Ken: Thanks for your quick responses. One other thing is that both instruments will need new bridges and probably tuning pegs. Do you know of a reputable website for purchasing these items?
Thanks again,
Mike
Dulcimer repair question
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Ken's right-- it would be best to see a photo or two. The fix shouldn't be that difficult, based on what you've said.
Are you by any chance in Wayne County, MI?
I ordered my own dulcimer
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I read the Calistoga fire evacuation ended. I’m not sure how long it lasted. Thankfully nobody was injured and the town was spared. Hopefully it won’t delay my dulcimer too much. I’m sure he’s got other things on his mind right now.
Dulcimer repair question
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Mike, without a photo to see exactly what is going on with the dulcimers, I'm giving advice blindly.You could pull out all the string anchors and fill the holes with some type of wood. If it is a small hole, you might be able to use a round tooth pick. for slightly larger holes you might find a dowel that fits. Once glued in you can put in either small brads or nails. Not knowing how thick the end block is, it could be that the anchors don't go far enough in to the block not to bend. Another option is to use small #2 brass screws of 1/2" to 3/4".
I hope this helps with your problem. If not, feel free to ask again.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."