Forum Activity for @nate

A lot of my dulcimers are plywood, and I very often use a few layers of polyurethane on them. (for solid wood dulcimers i much prefer oil) 
I am aware that conventional knowledge suggests allowing wood to breathe, but in rough weather or high humidity, I wonder if it's better to have an instrument that can "hold it's breath"
I have made two with no soundholes and with a heavy coating of polyurethane on the entire outside, including the fingerboard. They are essentially waterproof, and have traveled back and forth between inland and the coast multiple times with no noticeable warping. I left one of them on a back porch and it got rained on all night, and I just wiped all the water off, put new strings on it, and it was totally unaffected.
Probably not applicable for most people, but I definitely appreciate having a dulcimer that is specifically more weather resistant than the rest.

My strategy when facing adverse conditions as far as playing outside is simple. I cancel any plans to play outside. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Any of my traditional pieces. The old finishes are not in any way prone to cracking the way the lacquers can and so long as you are under 140 º and don't loosen the glue you should be O.K. Pegs are often not conducive to the changes in humidity but remember what Jean said, "spit on it".

Tell us what you do when you have to bring a dulcimer for playing outside in iffy weather.  Whether you are camping, at a festival, lots of car travel, or have an outdoor gig/jam... in hot/humid/rainy, or cold conditions. Which dulcimer do you pick to bring along so that you don't have to worry as much about it getting damaged? What's your dulcimer choice or your strategy when facing adverse conditions?

The only place I've used delrin is as John noted; bridge caps on the hammered dulcimers I've made. For mountain dulcimers I've used ebony, rosewood, walnut, oak ,and micarta. Each provides a pleasant sound. As to McSpadden using micarta, that would be for the bridge/saddle as they don't really have a nut since they use a zero fret. Now as to whether these materials are better than bone, it is subjective. Bone tends to give a sharp, crisp sound as does ebony. The other woods tend mellow out the sound depending upon hardness; at least to my ears.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks for sharing this delightful story Nate. Yep, it was a wonderful way to start the day with good news.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

What a great story Nate!  Nice thing to read in starting my day.  😊

Oh, I'm glad for the good turn of events in this story, Nate!  The bundt pan dulcimer can bring joy to the older gentleman to whom you gave it again.  

The dulcimer 

 PXL_20240804_102852099~2.jpg - 120KB

I gave away one of the first bundt pan dulcimers that I built to an older gentleman who is homeless and had a precarious lifestyle. Shortly thereafter he got ripped off and it was stolen from him and my dulcimer, that meant a lot to me, was suddenly being passed around amongst strangers. Eventually it was gifted to someone who gifted it to a very nice man, and by pure luck i met that man's wife, and the two of them gladly returned my dulcimer to me, that i may return it to its original recipient. Talk about a feel good ending!

Nate

In my opinion, any stiff and dense material transmits the energy well. Metal, plastic, bone, dense hardwoods, etc. Each will slightly alter the tone of the instrument, but only very slightly. I often use hardwoods out of convenience, or a metal zero fret for consistency of tone, but bone is my preference because it transmits super well, and I like the look of bone best. I'm not a big fan of the premade plastic ones because they are harder to alter, but they sound just as good.

Welcome, Jon, to our little world!  We're glad you're here.

As to your question of the differences between bone and Micarta or Delrin, all I can say is that I've used bone and Micarta, but not Delrin.  All sounded fine to me.  Bone is a bit disagreeable to cut (gives off the same smell as a dentist drilling your teeth), but has excellent sound conduction because it's so dense.  It's also very traditional for use on dulcimers of the past.  McSpadden makes extensive use of Micarta, and they claim it's superior to bone.  I think it's fine for nuts and bridges. Delrin is known for its lubricity, and is sometimes used for HAMMERED dulcimer bridge caps.  Seems strings would be less likely to hang-up when tuning.  I haven't yet encountered it as a dulcimer nut material. 

Hi kids hoping to pick everybody's brain. has to do with nut and saddle Material 

I know folk craft uses (plastic) nuts and bridges, Micarta, Delrin.  My question has to do with the material, are These materials better than bone? or is bone a much better material ? Okay that's it kids thanks again for all the good information.  So what do you think 

Sorry for taking so long to reply, but it has taken me a while to search for them. I did find a reference to Joyce and Richard Angell in her mother's obituary in 2009. I also found a reference where someone mentioned Joyce as the maker of her dulcimer. And that's it. There still is a Richard H. Angell living in Texarkana on McKeehan Lane. His mother-in-law's last name was McKeehan. I don't know if that area had a split in area code as the phone number begins with a different on than on the card but follows with the 799 prefix. The listing gives two female relatives neither of whom is a Joyce. His age is listed as 71. This was all I could get for free. I have no idea if this the dulcimer maker.

Now as the dulcimer itself, I think you can assume that the dulcimer was made by one or the other Angell. It appears to be well built and is nicely decorated. As to value it is anyone's guess. Obviously the Angell's are not well known as dulcimer makers. My guess is that on a site like eBay it would probably bring between $200 and $300 dollars.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I’m in deep creek,  Valdiva st.   Mtn dulcimer 

This dulcimer was given to me many years ago by my older sister who has since passed away. The accompanying folder contains instructions on how to use it and 9 songs.  Attached to the folder is a business card "Angell Dulcimer Handmade Instruments".  Am I to infer that this dulcimer was made by Richard Angell?  Will this information be sufficient in helping me determine the value of the dulcimer?  I am looking to sell it.  I also want to sell it to someone who appreciates the craft and hopefully will play it.  I'm getting up in years myself and am selling possessions that I would like to know are in the right hands. 

The folder came with the Dulcimer.  I had to crop the folder pictures because they would not upload. The card has "Angell Dulcimer Handmade Instruments". Would this infer that R H Angell made this Dulcimer?  I was not able to reach that number.

 Dulcimer 1.1.jpg - 51KB

I got mine from strings by mail.

Thanks for the specific recommendations, @skip.  The D'Addario option is similar to my current string (La Bella), but I'll try to locate one of those flatwound strings you mention.  I'd prefer not buy a whole set since I only need one string, but if it will work I'm not opposed to the idea.

@Strumelia, that's good advice, and I already have the specific gauges used by the builder, who, incidentally, is also creating an alternative bridge for me should I choose to string the dulcimer with steel strings.

An "occasional squeak" would not be objectionable. I find it a nice reminder that making music is a tactile experience.  But one of my philosophies of dulcimer playing has been to keep your fingers down as you move from one chord position to another to facilitate a fast and smooth transition.  That strategy is not working on this dulcimer, at least not on the bass string at present. I find myself re-evaluating my technique.

If/when you do order more nylon strings, keep in mind that depending on what note you are aiming to tune to, the thickness of nylon strings suitable for a given note won't be the same thickness as for metal strings... so you may not want to order solely by gauges we commonly use with metal strings. But I'm sure the maker has advised you on the nylon strings needed for its current setup.

I have to say that i personally enjoy the occasional squeak of a wound string. I listen to a lot of classical lute music and I like that about it- makes it feel more alive and richly textured, like the musician is sitting right there with me while playing.

There are some flatwound, nylon core strings being used by the ukulele community. I think they are used on classical guitars. Thomastic Flatwound .027 & .030 is one, there are others.

https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com 

Edit:

D'Addario has some strings that may work also. NYL028W [melody on my Blue Lion bass]

I have some of their PB023/PB024 phosphor bronze I haven't tried yet.

You may need to use fingernail polish/superglue at any cut line.

@dwain-wilder, I've already started adjusting my technique by lifting up any finger on the bass string before moving to a new chord position.  It's a challenge, though, for on the dulcimer we slide much more than do classical guitarists who have a greater range of notes in any left-hand position than do we.

Thanks for your comments, @matt-berg. It's a really special instrument.  Bob Stephens has some really innovative design principles.  The instrument sounds incredibly soft and warm and the intonation is spot on. I'm still figuring out what tunes sound best on it.

Buying a new bow probably makes sense. The cost of re-hairing one in the USA is higher than a new one from China.

A half-size violin bow is probably a pretty good choice, but also look at child size Cello or Viola bows. They will be a bit heavier.

Dusty Turtle,  I do not have a solution to your bass string squeak.  I do want to congratulate you on getting a Stephen Dulcimer.  I have had the opportunity to talk with Bob about lutherie and was blown away by what he builds.  Enjoy your new instrument.  Matt

Classical guitarists deal with this issue by learning to handle the wound strings differently, and accepting a little squeak as part of the instrument. Kind of like accepting that a pipe organ will have some "chuff."

There are squeakless strings, though.

Thanks, @stumelia and @nate. One issue I have is that were I to move to a non-wound string that was thicker, I'd need to adjust the groove cut in the bridge, something I am not eager to do just yet.

Those string lubricant products are very strange. The feel is totally different. I think a lot of them are mainly just mineral oil. Personally, I like it, but can't be bothered to apply a product to my strings before playing. Heck, I can barely even be bothered to tune up xD
Sounds like a thicker unwound string is the way to go. I will have to check out that brand as well.

Dusty, Nylgut brand (sort of imitation gut strings but made of nylon) strings for banjos have some sets with thick nylon bass strings that are solid nylon, with no outer winding. They never seem to break for me, and have a wonderful resonant sound. I prefer them on my nylon strung banjos. Banjos have basically the same length strings as dulcimers, so you could check out a set from them. I know of three types of banjo sets Nylgut makes- Minstrel (for lower tunings, slightly heavier), Classic (thinner, work well for higher tension oldtime tunings), and they also some sets with 'red' strings that some folks really like but i have never tried those and don't know what advantage they might have. I highly recommend Nylgut strings. Long ago I used classical guitar nylon strings on my banjos, they were quite heavy and broke much more often than my nylguts.
Once I bought a used banjo that had Nylgut strings on it that had not been changed in over 10 years. I figured I ought to put a fresh set on, but when i played it, the old Nylgut strings sounded just wonderful and i played on them for two more years before i then sold that banjo... with the same strings still on it of course.      Just sayin'!

I moved from wv to Florida and now live in punta gorda.  Deep creek area.  Looking for a dulcimer group.   Anyone have any contacts or interested in helping start a group.  

Tuning keys or wrenches are readily available from many places online as are violin bows. I don't have either of my ukelin bows available to measure at the moment, both are with a friends who is going to re-hair them for me, so I can't give you an exact measurement of length. Looking on the internet I found this bow which is probably a little longer than the ukelin bow. It should work fine for violin uke. Violin bow And while this tuning key is a bit more expensive than others you will find on the internet, it is my favorite style. Tuning wrench These are not necessarily recommendations. They were just what I found in a quick search. Of course if you are an Amazon Prime member you'll get free shipping on them. There may be some music stores around or near Manheim where you can purchase them. I have some local music shops up here by State College where I sometimes pick up items like these.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I just received a beautiful new dulcimer by Stephens Lutherie built with nylon strings.  The sound is incredibly gentle, round, and warm, and I am overcome with the desire to play lullabies and other soft music.

However, the bass string is a wound string and squeaks a lot. Because the nylon strings are quieter than steel strings, the squeak is much more noticeable than on steel strings (but even on my other dulcimers I use flat wound strings to reduce the squeak).  Dulcimer playing involves a lot more sliding than does guitar playing, so it is likely that the squeaking is much less of a problem for classical guitar players.

Any remedies?

I do see that there is something called "tape wound" nylon strings.  Does anyone have experience with those?

Additionally, some classical guitar discussions online mention using Fast Fret or Finger Ease to smooth the friction of the strings.  I am not eager to start using such a substance on my instrument, but perhaps I could isolate its use to the base string.

Any thoughts?

Ken- yes, i'm pretty sure it was almost never used. the only info i have on it was that my friend was tasked with cleaning out a friend of theirs home after they died. this person happened to be a hoarder of sorts, and the violin uke was found in a closet, and they asked me if i wanted to buy it. no case, no bow. i've seen some weird instruments over the years and this one fascinated me, so i bought it after doing a little research on it. 

I'll dig around for a zither tuning key or whatever is applicable. Thanks for the advice!

Correct, Ken!  Bernd is an extremely talented luthier … and renaissance man!

I'll answer for Jerry as I'm sure it is Bernd Krause. Here is his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KrauseInstruments/ He makes some very nice instruments.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Daniel, scroll down three posts and click on the photo.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

@jerry-posner - do you mean Bernard Krause the bioacoustic soundscape musician/artist?

I have a Bernd Krause dulcimer with the 1.5 fret.  I play (my version) of excerpts from Orff’s Carmina Burana on it. I’m also learning a few new ukulele tunes on my Magic Fluke Concert Flea.

Can you please share a photo hehe

I never thought one handed concertina where a thing.