Forum Activity for @greg-gunner

I got the urge to buy a new mountain dulcimer three or four weeks ago. After scouring the internet, I decided on one of Carl Gotzmer’s June Apple Dulcimers. Carl has a website through which he sells several models of dulcimers and dulcimer antecedents. I settled on the June Apple Model, which has a base price of $295.00. The following options were added: heart-shaped soundholes, a wenge fretboard overlay, additional frets at 1 ½ and 8 ½, a single melody string, abalone position dots, an upgrade to planetary tuners, and a padded case. With all the options I added, the June Apple dulcimer was still priced at just $425.00. At this point, you might be thinking “But what about quality? How does a June Apple dulcimer compare to Brand X or Brand Y? Surely, a June Apple can’t be of the same quality as a mountain dulcimer selling for two or three times as much?”

I have owned mountain dulcimers made by many of today’s finest mountain dulcimer builders. My June Apple Model dulcimer compares very favorably with the best of them. From physical beauty to ear-pleasing tone, the June Apple is a top-notch instrument. Carl book-matches both the top and bottom of his instruments. The grain of the western red cedar top is beautiful to behold. However, it is equaled or exceed by the beauty of the book-matched walnut back. The wenge fretboard overlay has subtle streaks of brown which bring out the beauty of the wenge. I originally asked Carl for an ebony overlay, but he said he no longer uses ebony because the quality of available ebony has deteriorated, and it is hard to find ebony that has been properly aged so that it won’t crack. Now that I can see the finished instrument, I am glad I went with the wenge. The physical beauty of the finished instrument is equaled by the tone. Initially, the dulcimer was strung with heavier gauge strings than I am used to using, so I replaced the original strings with slightly lighter gauge strings to get the same flexibility I am used to when fingering the melody string. The result was a pure, sweet, mellow tone with just the right amount of sustain. It is perfect for both finger-picking and strumming.

So how does the June Apple dulcimer compare to the more expensive popular dulcimers? I compared it to Brand X and Brand Y, two of the most popular dulcimer brands. 

Price – June Apple Base Price = $295.00
Appearance – June Apple = A+, Brand X = A+, Brand Y = B
Tone – June Apple = A+, Brand X = A+, Brand Y = A+
Willingness to Customize – June Apple = A+, Brand X = A+, Brand Y = C

While any of the three dulcimers above would be an excellent choice, the June Apple is the real bargain. It compares favorably with Brand X, one of the most well-respected dulcimer makers in the country at less than half the cost. It also compares favorably with Brand Y, which is less willing to customize changes from their basic design.

Should you be considering the purchase of a mountain dulcimer, I would like to highly recommend one of Carl Gotzmer’s June Apple dulcimers. Carl offers quality at a fair price. By the way, I have no financial interests in Carl's business. I'm just a satisfied customer.

There is a community living in Newfoundland whose ancestors come from the south east of Ireland (Wexford, Waterford area ) They still speak with the same accents and dialect and a lot of the traditions are the same. The Wexford area still has a very strong tradition of Mummers.

Val, I thought it sounded like an Irish tune on the video... Very cool.

It's a tradition that is still very strong here in Ireland. Back in the late 70's a local play write, wrote and composed the music to the Mummers of Rellig. Myself and some friends were the orchestra for the play. We performed at the Listowel writers week and came away with the top prize. 

It is beautiful each year Lisa, truly enjoyed it again!

There is a link within Strumelia's original post link:  Mummers Song by Simini - Newfoundland Original Uncut Version  in case you missed it. Looks like so much fun. Makes me wish I was a Newfy. 

OH WOW WOW WOW....I'm going to look this up on Google.  Never heard of it before...but in Hawaii for 30 years....a lot of stuff I didn't learn about, but other stuff I did.  now off for learnings.  how fun, a whole parade playing banjos and looking like this?  aloha, irene

I enjoyed this again this year, so thanks for the reposting. The Christmas/Solstice season is most fun for me when I stay in the here and now, and don't go wandering down memory lane. 

There you go, Robin.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks so much Friends!  I feel I should add though that this video was recorded last December...Brian and I are busy working on a large job with little time for music recording at the moment- and the sentiments are the same this year!    ;)

Happy Solstice, Lovely Holidays, and Merry Christmas back to you all!  

@ken-longfield  My friends are from Philadelphia.  :)

The Mummers may be making a comeback up north, but here in Pennsylvania they are an 118 year old tradition.  http://phillymummers.com . I always liked the string band tradition. All those folks walk down the parade route in fancy costumes playing banjos. I'm glad to see it being picked up again in Newfoundland.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song." And the banjo can be loud and raucous.

Thank you Lisa and Brian, you two just make me smile and Smiley sing!!!! Kinda want to jump into a snow drift....

Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas, I wish you Love and Peace. 

Wow!

I have music friends here in Ohio who first told me about a Mummers parade their hometown (not in Ohio).  Had never heard of Mummers until then.  

I enjoyed this article about the resurgence of an old 'Mummers' tradition in Newfoundland...

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/15/americas/cnnphotos-mummers-newfoundland/index.html

Happy Solstice!  Great playing Lisa!   Tonight was our weekly Open Mic and I closed the evening with Jackson Brown's The Rebel Jesus!

You two done good. Thanks Lisa. 

Awww, just so sweet and lively and pretty. I'm with Dusty with the sentimental and crying!  Group hug!

Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice to you two, too!

That was wonderful!!! Merry Christmas!!! I must say I am looking forward to the days getting longer (more daylight). 

Again , thanks for your concern.  When I awoke from a 2 hr nap this afternoon,  I felt so much better.   I was even able to hold some baked fish and potatoes down.  

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat....."

One of my favorites. 

Terry, 

Sorry you were ill but the seniors will enjoy another time of music when you can make it. I played for seniors at a nursing home and we gave them some bells, they enjoyed taking part.

Sweet time to share, Merry Christmas

Thanks for sharing those lovely tunes.  Happy Holidays to you, too.  I am tempted to say more, but I'm likely to get all sentimental, start crying, and then get really embarrassed even though I'm all alone in front of the computer.

Thank you! Best wishes to you too!

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Keep safe and warm everyone, and play a favorite tune today if you can... 

Happy Winter Solstice  (December 21 2016) to all our wonderful and cherished FOTMD friends!!!  

Ouch Terry - not a good thing to happen. Please take care and I agree with another post to stay hydrated. Hope you are up to doing that gig next week!

Aww Terry so sorry you got so sick, food poisoning is scary, oysters got me and I am amazed that I can tell the story.

I hope you do what Lisa, your wife and daughter tell you "Drink Water" and me....feel better soon.

Can you reschedule your gig, aww gee sure am thinking of you and your family.  

Guys and ladies

Thank you for your kind comments.  This is one of the many reasons FOTMD is such a wonderful community.  Kind of like an extended family.  I love it.

Gail, my wife, and my daughter, a 25+ years RN, are constantly reminding me of how important additional fluids are to speed up recovery.   Like mother hens.☺😊😊

Terry, much of that weight loss may be fluids and dehydration- so be sure to drink lots of water for a while now!

I was at a music party just last night and an older gentleman collapsed and was unresponsive for a couple minutes- quite a scare.  We all thought he had a heart attack but apparently he was just severely dehydrated and it was made worse when he had a glass of wine and his blood pressure suddenly dropped- thank goodness one of the guests was a nurse who monitored him til the ambulance got there.  At midnight his wife emailed us all to let us know he was ok and they were home from the hospital, and about dehydration being the cause.

So Terry, just saying that you surely must be partly still dehydrated after your ordeal-  so take that seriously and 'drink like a fish' for a few days...water, that is!

I'm so sorry you got so sick, Terry.  Most of that weight loss is water weight, and you will gain some back after you are completely stable.  There is nothing more distressing than food poisoning.  I'm so glad to hear you are out of the hospital and back home. That is good news.  Feel better fast, and have a very merry Christmas!

Terry, I can believe it. I knew someone who got bad spinach a few years ago. She dropped a lot of weight. She did say it was a blessing in disguise as she said she needed to lose some weight. Well, she did, unexpectedly, but she did. She said she would have preferred to drop the weight another way but she was happy that she did. I hope you feel better soon. I'll say a prayer for you. :)

Thank y'all for commiserating with me.  Feeling better but still having trouble keeping food down.  My weight is a consistent 155, but now down to 145.  

Can you believe that?  10 lbs in 5 days.  I need to go on TV and sell a new weight loss program.  "The Chittlins Less Diet".😅

Ken, I think I gained a couple pounds just reading your post!  Seriously, it sounds yummy!

We get the real "Figgy Pudding"  a.k.a.  Christmas Pud.  Lady Sally's Mum started it this time last year, and it has been "maturing" for the best part of 12 months.  This year we're having our English Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day rather than Boxing Day.  That day I'll simmer the Pud in its container for 3 hours or so before unmolding and pouring brandy over it to be lit.  Mum's version is very dense like a fruit cake, but without the big chunks of fruit, and we serve it with Custard and whipped cream.   

Our dinner is traditional roasted beef stabbed with garlic cloves (this year a 6 lb Rib Roast) with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots, and green beans.  Sally also makes her family's moulded Yorkshire Puddings, made in cast iron open top molds.

Oh no!  I'm so glad you're feeling better.  Good on ya for knowing enough to go to the hospital when you needed it.  I know people who were too stubborn and almost missed the boat.  Now I'm wishing you good luck and a great time on Tuesday!

That looks identical to Randy's tab arrangement 

Terry, having had food poisoning many times in my life (including many bouts with "holiday food" that makes me deathly ill but doesn't seem to make anyone else sick), so I can really sympathize.  My system will even selectively choose certain ingredients to reject, having no problem with the rest, or will reject the food I ate at dinner, but not the snacks I had at the party several hours later.  I can't for the life of me figure out how my body does that, but it has, for sure made for some unpleasant holiday memories!  On the other hand, isn't holiday food lovely?!  Merry Christmas, everyone, and may we all have our version of "figgy pudding" to eat in good health! 

If that's the case, It could be a "Fredsel Martin", sorry, couldn't resist!!

I had also read that early on, Fred and Edsel worked together, then started doing their own, Maybe?? A joint venture? (Being in Colorado,) "joint" venture doesn't have a double meaning.

Thanks for all the input, very interesting piece, and like some earlier input, intonation is good until you get up to the higher frets, than seems a bit off.

 But also played a lot, no grooves in the wood in all the usual lower frets, but can see, and had to do a good deal of clean up at frets all the way up and down the board. Also on various strings. Can see dirt and finger oil; impregnated into the wood all over the scale. So indicates it's been around a long time, well played, but taken care of.

 Either way, not disappointed,  always looking for the unique, historical, and different. This is a nice one. Also came with the vinyl, gave me a reason to pull the turntable out. Now I really am dating myself.