Forum Activity for @ken-hulme

In all all honesty, I would not change out the tuners.  You will be seriously impacting the re-sale value of the dulcimer.

The best thing to do is learn to live with and use the original tuners.  It really isn't hard.  You can get fine tuners that will allow you to dial in a tuning once you're close with the pegs.  

There really is no sure-fire solution.  There are Pegheds and Knilling/Perfection geared tuners which look like wooden pegs, but there is a better than 50% chance they will not fit the existing holes in your dulcimer.  If you enlarge the holes you'll never be able to use the original tuners again.

If you absolutely can't stand the dulcimer because of its wooden tuning pegs, IMHO you should seriously consider selling the instrument before your consider changing out the pegs to something else.

I was looking at these...

http://www.totalmusicsource.com/grover-champion-sta-tite-dulcimer-banjo-pegs-set-of-4-rosewood-buttons-870br/

Is there an issue with the rosewood pegs (broken, worn out)?  If you are looking to replace them with mechanical tuners, I'm not sure if any are available that don't require screws with the exception of Precision Pegs.  I'ml sure that some of our dulcimer making members will be able to answer that.  Changing to mechanical tuners will probably reduce the value of your Warren May original.

It has it's original rosewood tuning pegs.

I just had that problem last month. I had a brace loosen under the sound board near the middle of the dulcimer. The lose end would make a cracking noise when playing around the 7th fret. I had heart shaped holes so I could actually get a small camera and a long shrink tube with a wire backbone to get the glue to the spot.

 repair to McS 001.jpg - 33KB

What brand is that bag of yours?  

What a nice story!  I have a Sparrow dulcimer that I have successfully taken on planes wrapped in hiking socks and stuffed under my seat.  When I got nervous about the cushioning abilities of the socks, I switched to a soft ukelele case.

(I never even heard of a yoga mat bag until I read Marg's post!)

Ha, me either and to think the bag was also padded. 

Wow!   What an assortment of bags, fabrics, colors and prices!  Who'd a thunk it?  I never even heard of a yoga mat bag until I read Marg's post!

I wish I could say, I had made mine but I didn't. I thought of just getting a table runner and folding over and sewing up the sides. My (new for me dulcimer) is a slander rectangle, so would move around too much in a standard dulcimer bag or case. I went looking for something, maybe a heavy duty laundry bag but ended up with something I had not even thought of,   so funny - 'A yoga mat bag'  

 bag.jpg - 94KB

I made this bag for the Seagull Merlin, this was the instrument that introduced me to the Mountain dulcimer. It is now a wall hanging.

 IMG_9789.jpg - 143KB

OH ANNIE!!!  ~that is beautiful treasure~

Thanks, Ken and Jennifer, I passed that on to the maker. I thought I'd be in search of a hard case, until I read Irene's post! 

Annie, that's very pretty. What a nice dulcimer bag!

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Our back room has an old foundry mold (I have no idea what the product was.) with a carved rosewood elephant sitting on it. 
Maggie said, "Jim, you're not going to take a picture of that thing before you wipe the dust off." 

Sorry Maggie.

Sorry, there they are now...looks like I can't spell today, either!😉

Ok, so that didn't work I guess....or can others ee them? A.

Will try to post some pics of the dulcimer bag Melody made for me. I love to kayak, so the top is green for the pines on shore; the bottom is blue for the water. Lining covered with musical notes. 2 little pockets for noter and picks. She had bought the batik fabrics a few years ago...prettiest gift ever. Crazy quilt style, she says. To luck me, it's a work of art. 

 image.jpeg - 111KB

I'm new as well, have just bought my first MD after thinking about it for ages, having tinkered with a Strumstick type device. At the moment still at the "Go and tell Aunt Nancy" (what you folks across the water call "Go tell Aunt Rhody" ... we have an extra half-beat on you there ....)

It's a small world, I'm from Norfolk, England as well. I'm semi retired now ; I used to teach children with Special Needs (of varying types .....) and I now write Computer Software occasionally, contract work. 

I'm currently working on a (free definitely open source probably) visual TAB player for Dulcimers to help me learn, basically you feed TAB and/or Chords into it plus some timing data and it plays it back at you showing the TAB,  you can change the speed etc. If you've ever used Yousician, a bit like that, except there's no audio detection of what you're playing. 

Ken, THAT'S AWESOME!

Here are two photos of the case I built for the first dulcimer I made.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 DSCN1623.jpg - 234KB

Sooo...  I haven't finished!  I never lined it and must get to work before my new (dulcimer) baby arrives!!!!!

Thank you, Matt. Those cross braces seem to me to be more a construction aid, helping to keep the shape, than a source of strength. 

With bells on!

http://www.museumofappalachia.org/events/tennessee-fall-homecoming-2015/about-homecoming

Is anyone from FOTMD planning on going to the Tennessee Fall Homecoming at the museum of Appalachia this year???

BlackDog, seems the foot stomper would be easy to come up with on your own, it is a good idea. Lisa I do like the tambo on the shoe thing too. 

John,  yea, most braces on mountain dulcimers are like bicycles for fish.  If you can safely take them out through the sound holes it is probably a good idea.  If the brace needs to stay, I usually drill a small hole in the back and glue in a dowel plug when done.  The guys at Folkcraft have done some cool work with laser cutting figures to glue in the holes after fixing, but that requires a good laser cutter.

If you are working on a baritone or bass dulcimer, carefully consider before removing the brace.  The larger sound board may need them.  Also consider the choice carefully if the soundboard is spruce, cedar or other softwood.  Those board may need the extra support.

PS. I am not your standard dulcimer maker and will probably put some people's backs up with my comment on bracing.  Conversely, I brace all of my instruments as I do not attach the fretboard to the soundboard.  To each their own. 

 18062.jpeg - 117KB

We also have a dedicated Group here on FOTMD where UK members can stay updated on local events and make new friend and local jamming connections! :   http://fotmd.com/john-henry/group/41/uk-and-european-mountain-dulcimers          

Hi. Since I acquire used instruments I often have repairs which need to be taken care of. A particular problem for me is the issue of loose braces. I'm curious how people go about reparing them. On a flat-top guitar I can usually work through the soundhole. But dulcimers are too shallow and the soundholes are too small to do this easily. I'd like to hear how people address this problem. Do you take the backs off, the way a violin repairperson might? Or do you work from the outside, with small holes, glue-and-screw, to be replaced with small dowels? Or do you simply take the offending brace out? They really don't do much and I see Warren May and other makers don't use them. 

Please teach me. Thanks. 

Alison -- being on that side of The Pond, you'll want to get to know Robin Clark, who is a member here. He lives up in Snowdonia, Wales, and has a company called Bird Rock Dulcimers.  Robin is extremely knowledgeable about dulcimers as well as guitars.   He is importing dulcimers made here, some built specifically to his design.  His website is

http://www.dulcimers.co.uk  or you can call him on   +44 (0)1654 712671

Anyone familiar with builder/player Russell "Russ" Green.  He worked in Detroit, apparently built dulcimers in his basement, and continued to build after he retired to Hartselle Alabama.  He passed away in 2000.  I'm from Alabama and am interested in makers from the state, but had never heard of Mr. Green until I came into possession of two of his instruments earlier today.  They are simple but quite well-crafted dulcimers: internal bracing, full kerfing, good intonation, clean seams and joints, etc.  They have skinny fretboards for 4-stringers (around 1.25"), but they still play nicely and have good tone with OLD strings.  Can't wait to clean them up and see what they can do.  Does anyone else here have a Russ Green dulcimer, or did anyone know him?  If he is a largely unknown maker, it is truly a shame.

Lisa, You may have invented a new shoe style.   But seriously, this is a neat idea. I wish I had saved all the little percussion "toys" from when my boys were little...

I really want to learn how to beat out rhythm on my dulcimer while playing....

This is more expensive but leave it to the cigar box guitarists to come up with something interesting! On the C.B. Gitty site there is info and a You Tube video of  their spokesman stomping it out. https://www.cbgitty.com/cigar-box-guitars/shane-speal-foot-stomper-active-foot-percussion-instrument-standard-model-1/

If nothing else, it may serve as inspiration. Barb

I wish..  I wish...  I wish....

That is just "too cute"!!!  Love it!

Cindy, if you don't look like the head of a dulcimer, I won't recognize you....

Hi Jan! It was great meeting you at Dulcimer U.

Unicoi is up in the air for me as my limited Dulcimer budget has been pretty much ransacked between Dulcimer U and Black Mountain.

BUT, I reserve the right to blow the budget every now and then, and may just wind up in Unicoi.

I will definitely see you around.

 http://fotmd.com/martin-oesterle/youtube/1811/duo-dulcimus-burggrabenfest-nrnberg-2015-dulcimer-und-djembe

One of our members here on FOTMD has some fun ways to provide percussion. Check  him out you may get a lots of ideas and he and his pal are really enjoyable to watch. Enjoy!

I really like the idea of stringing bells to your shoes.