Forum Activity for @stephen-seifert

Maybe someone mentioned this already, but I learned from Don Pedi to tune EAE. The A is on the melody string at the 3rd fret.

 Like I said, guessing at the J11, but think you need to lose the second wound string and lighten the gauge, But sometimes it's all up to the "ear" as to whether slightly heavier or lighter strings "work". Either way, great find, a Bob Mize 5 string with wood friction pegs, Do you know what kind of woods?

 As for the George Orthey, still one of my faves, Not always in the mood for it, but when I pick it up and randomly strum, it draws me right in and hooks me, such a unique voice.

"Dulcimer is the voice of Angels".    George

Thanks Rob and George.... good advise all around. The pictures of the Davis help because I can see that mine was strung all wrong which does not help the sound. I'll take the strings off tomorrow and polish the frets and play around with different string gauges. I thought that J11 also meant just intonated but it definitely says J11 not J1 so I don't know.  And his fret pattern is unusual to begin with....and yes George, you did buy one of my dulcimers, the George Orthey with the flower sound holes...

I'm basing this opinion on my old Bill Davis 5 string, also I have seven 6 string and have never seen, or strung it with 2 wound strings. Although i received one that some one strung with way over blown guitar strings.

 The set up I use on the Davis, because it is a larger than average dulcimer, .011, .011, .012, .013, then the wound, .024.

 I have a Mize also so know they are much smaller than the Davis, So you might try .010, .010, .011, .012, wound at .023

 Tuned to DAD, but holds really killer in CGC too. Yeah, that's different tuning, but sounds great on larger bodied, "bassy" dulcimers.

 Did I buy my Edd Presnell from you?? Pretty sure I did buy one from you at some point, but good luck with the 5 string, I love it. The Bill Davis is dated roughly around the late 60's

  One last thing, Is it J11, or maybe JI? Just intonation?, Just guessing now.

 davis.jpg - 153KB

I know what you mean.  There are still a lot of James's in Braxton County, WV, some of which live on the same road as Sylvan did.  I've thought about contacting them and asking about his string set up.  Wasn't Bill Taylor taught by Mize?  If so he might be able to help with what the setup was.

Thanks Rob, 

I'd be curious to know how your Maxwell is set up. Right now it just sounds " interesting" ...I think that it was made really deep for a reason but I dont know what that was.  I had a Robert Mize 4 string that sounded sweet as honey in DAAA but this one I can't figure out. I don't wasn't to take the strings off until I know what's what, but it's really not playable yet.

I received a 3 string Sylvan James instrument with 2 wound strings and one plain.  Whether that "right" or not, since they were new strings, I tuned them D-D-A.  I'll have to look at my 5 string Maxwell and see how it's set up. But I'd say the 2 wound strings to D and all the others to A.  Gives you some interesting chordal harmonies.

Hi All,

I just recieved a 5 String Robert Mize dulcimer with a very deep body (2").  It is set up with 2 wound base strings and 3 size 10 or 12 strings spaced equidistantly except for a double melody. I've never seen a dulcimer with 2 wound strings before and am confused as to how to tune it and what size strings to use to replace the old ones. 

It was built in 1977 and # J11.....I don't know what the J stands for or if the 2nd wound string was a mistake. If anyone has any info or wisdom on this I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks...

Lynn

 image.jpeg - 141KB

Yes, in an ideal world all instruments would be priced to be accessible to all people.  However there are always those pesky variables like cost and choice of materials, hours and experience level of labor, construction or finishing methods, shipping costs, rent and location, etc.   Not all building options that increase the price of an instrument are mere cosmetic matters such as elaborate pearl inlays or gold plating.

It's always a bit problematic to compare established brands.  Things like appearance and tone are especially subjective.  One person might love the appearance and tone of a particular dulcimer, while another person might find the same instrument unattractive and not like the tone at all.  This happens to me all the time, yet I'm always surprised when I find I have completely different 'likes' than someone else.

I think June Apple brand tends to be overlooked too often by people looking to buy a new instrument.  I especially appreciate that they offer lesser known kinds of instruments that are harder to obtain, like hummels and scheitholts- at accessible prices.

I can certainly appreciate a post from a happy customer who is enthusiastic about a particular instrument and builder, and I understand that Greg is not being compensated.  But that said, I'm removing a couple of the specific pricing comparisons with other brands from the thread because I wouldn't want other makers feeling they had to post their own promotional comparisons to counter it.

Thanks!

P.S. Greg- how about a picture of you new dulcimer?  I'm sure we'd all love to see it!

I stick mine on the back below about the tenth fret. Works well and doesn't get in the way of strumming. In the attached picture I'm using it and you can't even tell it's there.

 Phil at StreetFest2.jpg - 133KB

Thanks Ken and Rob. Hopefully tomorrow I can start playing with it.

Short answer: as a Schatten Dualie user for 20 years now, both on guitar and dulcimer, it varies from instrument to instrument.  You have to do some experimentation.  

Where Ken suggests is a good place to start.  I usually place mine below the lower sound hole on the right side of the instrument as I'm facing it.  If the bridge isn't at the end of the body, usually sort of beside the bridge.   

It's the best stick-on pickup you can get.   I only wish I'd gotten another 15 years ago when the music store in Salisbury, MD, had them on close out.

Half way between the edge of the fretboard and the edge of the widest part of the widest bout.  If there's a soundhole go above or below it.    Avoid the place where you strum (most  of us do not strum at the strum hollow).

I got a wonderful Schatten Dualie Outside r acoustic pickup for my dulcimer and wondered where the best position to place it would be. Any tips? Thank you!

I have Scheitholt, deluxe he built for me many years ago and it is almost always a go to instrument.............top notch and just grand in every respect. 

I agree, I'm a big fan of Carl's dulcimers. My first was finding a used Cello-mer, also my first experience with the 1 1/2, 8 1/2 fret etc. I currently have 3 of his, had a custom 6 string built by him, the first with the zero fret and the "Amburgey Groove" around the top. Also picked up a used Banjo-mer which is a hoot.

 These are all hi larger styles, lots of volume. All about 45 inches long, deep and wide build. 

 The workmanship is fantastic, great sound and tone. I would agree that the smaller ones are for sure equal to equally quality built, much more expensive ones.

 I'd recommend to anyone looking for a finely built dulcimer at a "deal" of a price.

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."