Forum Activity for @steven-berger

Government Health Warning: Playing limberjacks may become addictive. Please use with caution.

Steven

Thanks for the info Skip. I will forward your instructions to my friend so she can get started.

Ken, you lucky fellow!   Many are the hours I have listened to Almeda's wonderful recordings.  The more one listens, the more rich and skilled her singing sounds.  So lucky we have them for others in the future!  I wish there had been recordings of her singing when she was say in her 40s-  what a marvel!

Thanks for the comments Ken.  I might as well bring everyone up to date on my fret issue.  Spent the Spring in Mountain View AR.  Went to the music shop and asked if they would re-fret mY dulcimer with stainless steel.  They thought it was a really bad idea.  The sound would become tinklier and the stainless frets would saw through the strings rapidly.  So, I sort of gave up on the idea.

However a couple of weeks later I was at a jam and Jim Woods from the Dulcimer Shoppe was there and he was playing a chromatic dulcimer with EVO frets.  I asked him about the sound issue and he didn't think that EVO would make much difference in the sound but he did think EVO might increase the sustain a little.  I played with his dulcimer for a while (poorly, all those extra frets were confusing). I thought it sounded okay so I asked him to Re-fret my dulcimer with EVO.

After I got it back, I decided the following:

1. it might be a little brighter in tone to mY ear plus some other people said they thought it was a little brighter.  However the difference is fairly small.

2. The sustain definitely increased but I like that.

3. I personally find fretting easier on the EVO than it was on the German silver.

i am happy with the outcome but as usual wit's these kinds of issues, your mileage may vary.

Yes Dusty is right- just go to the little display stand for balsa wood and dowels in any good hardware store- find a thin flexible 1/8" thick flexible balsa 'plank'- it'll be just the right bounce and length/width for your limberjack.  

Dulcinina, any hardware or home improvement store will have plenty of plywood.  They might even cut it for you.

Here is Jean Ritchie with her limberjack:

Thanks, Dusty.  The search is on for a thin board.  Can't wait to take the limberjack to my next dulcimer meeting.

Thanks Ken, Was wondering when made. I have an Orthey Dulcimer I picked up from a member here, great work, I've seen but don't own one of his auto-harps,

George quit making those when he stopped making dulcimers. At that point he moved over to building his dulciharps (autoharps) full time. Enjoy your limberjack.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks Dusty, you answered my question before I asked it, the Limberjack I looked at was made by George Orthey Dulcimer, so i'm thinking pretty well made, but it did not have the board or anything with, so I was needing to find a board.

The rule for air drying green wood is one year per inch of thickness. Seal the end grain so it won't lose moisture too quickly or the peice will crack of check. I just paint the ends with whatever latex house paint I have laying around. Elmer's Glue works just fine as well. I wouldn't put the wood in a room with wood heat.  There is no substitute for patience when it comes to air drying. In the old days, a father would cut the wood his son would use.

You can get EVO and stainless steel fret wire from Luthiers Mercantile. I have EVO on my personal instruments.  On a dulcimer made in 2009, it shows virtually no fret wear. I play everyday and when I go to fiddler's conventions I play for about ten hours a day. German silver frets are relatively soft and the material is easy to work with. EVO is quite a bit harder and stiffer and is more difficult to make behave. Stainless is even more so. It's the guys who play heavy metal who first instigated stainless steel as all that tapping and string bending was very hard on softer materials.  I have found no tonal difference among the various materials. They all do a good job when properly installed. Changing the frets on aMcSpadden would be no more difficult than on any other dulcimer. If you have more questions about any of this, feel free to e-mail me.

Dulcinina, the board has to be super thin, so that it bounces easily. I am sure the ceiling fan blade is way too thick.

I have two limberjacks that came with boards. Both are rectangular pieces of plywood about two feet in length, 3 or 3-1/2 inches wide, and only about 1/8 of an inch thick.  

 I had the great pleasure of  spending a little time with Almeda Riddle during a period betweeen 1964 and 1974. She was so sharp and had a great wit. I loved her singing and her memory was nothing short of phenominal. I still miss her.

I was thinking about limberjacks just a few days ago.  In the back of my mind I of sort of remembered having one.  Went down into the basement and sure enough there he was in a box.  The "board" I have for him is the blade of a ceiling fan. I don't think it works particularly well.  Any suggestions for a suitable board? Dulcinina

thanks Marg for the encouragement to "go where no man has gone before" with the  heat gun and a light tap or 6!  the support and friendship here is wonderful  the best > abritabroad

Set up 2 folders on a PC, 'PDF'S for tablet' and 'PDF'S on tablet'.

Download MobileSheets Companion and the manual  

http://www.zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/companion.html

Connect to WIFI on both units.

Click on the 3 vertical dots [overflow icon] at the upper right on 1st page that appears [main library of MSP] the tablet then select 'Sync to PC'. 

A popup will appear on the PC allowing you to select the tablet, selet it an click ok at the bottom right.

.on the PC, click on the upper left icon and click on 'batch import' [I think it is] and find the 'PDF'S for tablet' folder, select it and go. I may have left out some steps, going strictly from memory right now [not so good for us old timers :)].

Email Mike @ Mobilesheetspro, he gets back promptly and will answer all your questions.  Great program

I use the iPad Pro tablet now with unrealBook as the app.  I formerly used an android tablet with MobileSheets to load my PDF songs, but I forgot exactly how to use it. One of my dulcimer friends bought an android tablet and wants to use the MobileSheets program and I forgot all the details of loading songs onto the tablet. Can somebody refresh my memory so I can help out my friend. Thanks a lot.

Joe Besse

There is a master list of the known Homer Ledford dulcimers which lists the instrument number, date it was built, materials, and first owner.  Sorry, I don't have the link to that, but someone here does, I'm sure.

When you take pix, be sure to get his signature as well as top/bottom and side, and a close up of the tuning head.

Learning the dulcimer is an adventure & exciting. Part of the adventure is learning about the dulcimer; how to change strings, take the bridge out & sand it down a bit to lower the action, file a buzzing fret or put a temp 6+ in with a pin or paperclip & tape. Lots of help on this site to take you through the steps weather it's a strumming problem or heating up & tapping a bridge. Good luck, a little adjusting maybe is all that's needed but no matter what - great infomation

Fair value of an instrument like this is very difficult to determine...sorry!  Condition is always a consideration--but that doesn't mean the dulcimer needs to be in pristine condition! Some people like the little nicks and gouges because it makes them look loved and "gives them character".  There are other features that are desired by some buyers that are not desired by others...wooden tuners or geared tuners?  added frets or no added frets?  Artistically, some prefer absolutely plain, letting the pure beauty of the wood draw the attention.  Others are looking for an instrument with hand carvings and beautiful inlays.  Then, of course, there's the matter of intonation--and how it was intended to be played: noter/drone or chording and fingerpicking?  How many dulcimers were built by a particular luthier--are they easy or difficult to obtain? Is it a style, design, etc., that's in demand?  These are just some of the considerations that go into determining the value of an instrument. 

Mascis, you got a deal!  Homer Ledford dulcimers are collector items.  That was the case even before he passed away.  Check out this discussion from a few years back on Everything Dulcimer .

Depending on the condition of the dulcimer, I would think a reasonable price would be $500 to $800.  But that's just a guess; others might know better.  It's possible it's worth more than that.

Oh thankyou. Still learning here. I think it is the "DLO" that I have. I was assuming that a fixed bridge equaled dodgy intonation. I will check out your dulcimers too; of course I did not know that you were a builder as well. Why would you build an instrument that had a tuning system that did not work?! After I have taken my DLO to pieces and messed with it I will be in a better position to buy a better one! thanks again for the reply...

(Jack Whitworth of Capote Hills, Leesville Texas )

Does anyone know about Jack Whitworth dulcimers or if he is still around? 

Yes Robert, I totally get it. In fact the appeal of this instrument to me is the variety and interest it arouses. I was born in London way back!! but have an avid interest in music going all the way back to the Egyptians!!  the great thing about music is that it truly is an international language regardless of skill level.  I had a friend who was a brilliant pianist who coined this phrase which I never forgot.  "Hey mate, wouldn't it be great if we played the triangle; then we could put everything in ONE NOTE"  food for thought.  thanks again for the thoughts. 

MOST dulcimers, I would say, have a moveable bridge -- at least somewhat moveable and somewhat loose enough to move (although many builder put a drop of glue to hold thing during the initial string up).  Remember, too, that this is a folk instrument in transition, not a concert instrument with 500 years of development.  Also understand that there are a couple of "offshore" makers of dulcimers who haven't any real understanding of fret-spacing, intonation, etc.  and who seem to be building from unscaled photographs.  Like Robert, below, I think you unfortunately ran into a DSO.  

When that "Apple" company started, a number of years ago, they were horrendous  - 7 out of 10 instruments were mostly unplayable.  The instruments were dirt cheap, looked decent (unless you had a good eye) and sold like hotcakes.  They've gotten somewhat better (or at least a couple of employees have) over the years, but obviously not 100%.

Hi Robert.. lol I agree. I spend as much on a set of violin Strings as I paid for that dulcimer BUT the learning experience is awesome. My expectations for that instrument have already been met so now I am going to heat up the bridge with a heat gun and try and get the bridge out.  the intonation is passable fret wise but I HAVE to move the bridge. I had no preconceived expectations for that instrument but I knew I was in trouble when I noticed that the strings had been screwed into the block!!  I am learning and experimenting and will not lose any sleep if I loosing all the glue joints and I end up with some nice kindling! I still do not understand why more dulcimers do not have a movable bridge...  btw  thanks to everyone for chatting..made my day..  Richard aka abritabroad

LOL. Rob, I'm not over thinking this. I just mean fun. Sometimes the fun comes from working out a complex tune and the good feel in in the fingers that induces. Sometimes it's just a tune that makes me smile or laugh any time I play it. Fun for you can mean anything you want it to.

As I always told my daughter when she was a kid, "It's all fun until somebody loses a finger. Just ask Jerry Garcia."

Hi all, this fun ongoing thread will be better located in our GigTalk! group, so I've transferred it to the following location, where everyone can continue participating in it:

https://fotmd.com/strumelia/group_discuss/2080/where-you-playing-next

Thanks!  

Gail, you are whatever level is higher than a rock star!  

I played at the Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention last weekend.  I played my arrangement of Wayfaring Stranger and was very surprised to win 1st place!  I'm still in shock that I placed at all with so many good players.  I'm planning to play at the Old Fiddler's Convention in Galax, Va. in August.  I'm working on Clinch Mountain Backstep and may play that, or may work something out on my Galax dulcimer - haven't really decided.  This time of year is so much fun with a lot of local festivals!

Rob, it would have been nice to see you!  Adam Schlenker is a lights-out flatpicker.  This photo was put online by the venue.  After Adam's set, we all played Black Mountain Rag to close-out the evening.  By the look of things, Mark is taking his break here. :)

Yes those Viols and their frets! I love all stringed instruments and try and play my violin and / or viola an hour a day after work. At my vintage of 68 I have become familiar with the alto clef, which was a challenge. What I am loving about the Dulcimer is, well, two things really. One..it is an instrument that you can tinker with without doing any lasting damage it seems LOL plus, it forces you to get to grips with modes.... and btw..I have a wooden alto Recorder but I could NEVER get it to not block up with the er....spit or mouth moisture. Not a cheap one and sadly not played too much. thanks for chatting!!

"No Body Knows the Trouble I've Seen", but I have retitled it to: "No Body Knows the Trouble I'm In". 

Boy, that's a loaded question and it can depend on when you mean.  When (I think it was) John Keane set up the "Cluck Ole Hen" variants I had a blast working it out as a waltz kind of in the style of Carruli or Carcassi and playing it in other ways.  But for long time instrumental fun on the dulcimer it would have to be "Soldier's Joy."  Vocal fun, maybe "Me and Bobbie McGee" or (here's one for morbidity when talking fun) "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train."

Right now I love playing "Silver Dagger" with my girls singin' with me.  That's kinda morbid, huh?  LOL