Forum Activity for @bonnieannie

Apologies if this is already posted elsewhere (or should be posted elsewhere on this forum!). I just lucked out and found a McSpadden mountain dulcimer in my area for sale on Facebook Marketplace. It belonged to the seller's father-in-law and she said he kept it in mint condition, but doesn't seem to know much about the instrument. I've arranged to take a look at it on Wednesday night – what are some things I should look for to make sure it's in good shape? Thank you for any advice you might have!

Hi kids, just me Jon again. I just thought I would pass on something that I just learned from Dean Robertson. I was watching one of his videos and I noticed that he put his middle finger on top of his ring finger to do bar chords. Hey it works pretty darn good feels a little awkward at first but much easier for me to do bar chords this way, just thought I'd share.

I had never heard of Amanda, but I've become a fan if this is typical of her work.  What a wonderful tribute to Joni.
I have been a Joni fan since I first saw her in Toronto in 1964, when she was still Joni Anderson.

Dwain gave you a very good run down on the various aspects of wound strings. In the end, if you experiment with different strings, it all depends on the sound you like. It is interesting to note (pun not intended) that the sound you hear as a player is not necessarily the sound someone listening to you play hears. Strum you dulcimer strings a few times and listen. Then ask someone to strum the strings while you sit about ten feet away from the dulcimer. Does it sound the same? Is there a difference? When you play you hear the sound from above and maybe slightly behind the dulcimer. When listen from ten feet away you hear the sound from a lateral position. Another aspect is volume which drives me crazy with our dulcimer group. Folks play to hear themselves, but five feet away your can hardly hear them. Put some force in to that strumming, I tell them. It might work for a quarter of one verse of a song.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The choice of string and string size depends on the instrument you have, the voice quality it is capable of, the voice quality you want, the tuning scheme you want for its strings, and the vibrating string length ( aka VSL, the distance between the nut and the saddle).

There are various tools to help get the right string set. But there are some surprises to be gained in unconventional string choices.

No wonder you're getting brain swell!

But if you furnish more details than listed above, luthiers and musicians can give some guidance. Regarding what you did list, here's a luthier's experience with them:

80/20 bronze refers to the mixture of copper and tin in a the windings of a wound string. It can be initially bright, even bell-like, but quickly loses its brilliance. But that will depend on the tension of the string, which is determined by the VSL and the pitch it is tuned to.

Phosphor Bronze is a warm wound string that holds its warmth and brilliance over a range of tensions, though higher tension will bring out its brilliance too.

Flat-top wound strings have the winding flattened to relieve the 'zing' during quick traverses from note to note without raising the finger. Some people do not appreciate the slight loss of brilliance that results with flattening the tops of the round winding wire.

Nickel wound strings are quite a bit more brilliant than 8/20 or Phosphor Bronze.

Plain steel wire is used for higher pitches and/or to control the finger pressure needed to firmly fret the string's note. Steel strings can be chosen by gauge (measured in thousandths of an inch, in my experience), to define the tension at which a string is operating when tuned to a designated pitch.

As for XS and XT strings, that seems to be a D'Addario innovation that alters the warmth of the string with coatings. Here is a video illustrating the difference between XS and XT strings.

As for string gauge, or diameter,  these choices usually involve the pitches you want the strings tuned to (the tuning scheme), the instrument's VSL, the warmth vs brilliance you want, and the optimum finger pressure for fretting notes. All those will depend, also, on the qualities of the music instrument you are concerned about.

Hope that helps!

Only one of my current dulcimers uses a wound bass string. I have always preferred a nickel wound string when a wound string is called for.

A string is a string is a string. You don't need to pay too much attention to the instrument type on the string package:::just the gauge, and end style. Just make sure it is long enough to fit your dulcimer.

You can purchase sets that include typical sizes for the dulcimer or individual strings of the correct size and style, plain or wound. Years ago before I started getting a friend to make my strings from bulk music wire, I purchased all ball end strings in groups of 3 of each of the sizes my instruments used. It is easy to cut the ball end out of the loop, and have a loop left if you do not need the ball end. That way you do not need an inventory of both loop end and ball end in each size.

The strothers string gauge is a good place to start to help determine the gauge you need. List the VSL and the note to which you wish to tune. Some think it tends to run a bit light on the recommendations and suggest going to a slightly heavier string.  https://www.strothers.com/string_choice.html

Juststrings.com is going out of business. Another source I have used is  https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/aboutus.html

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking. That is the way to learn when you have questions.

Hey kids, here we go again. I think this musical journey is starting to hurt my head. any one out there know of a good website or link about strings.  Looks like there's 80/20 bronze, phosphor bronze, nickel bronze,  flat top, nickel wound, XS plain steel, XT plain steel, and so on. Then of course we have gauge sizes.  I think my brain is starting to swell 

You can make a stable, playable dulcimer which is only a stick. You just won't hear much without adding a sound box or putting it on a table top resonator.

The cardboard dulcimers are a good example. The structure is usually a piece of 1x2 lumber with a modest strum-hole. Once tuned and settled in, the cardboard dulcimers will often hold relative tuning for months when stored in a cloth bag, and only need a touch-up when string tension is affected by room temperature changes.

I'm not a fan of hollowed out fret boards, etc. I'm not convinced they can be proven to make better music. When I build, I like the basic stick and box construction. I think pear and hour glass box shapes, fancy woods, lots of sound holes, etc.are mostly decorative.Box size does definitely affect the sound produced.

Decoration is fine, but should be seen as such. I put ebony or mother-of-pearl dots on my simple sticks and prefer trapezoidal boxes with shaped holes to rectangles with round holes. Sometimes I paint folkish designs on the boxes.

I can appreciate fancy dulcimers just as I can appreciate an Aston-Martin car - but I drive a basic small car and enjoy playing "cheap" instruments.

That makes sense wally, thanks.

It seems there are a lot of different aspects of the build that could affect how it handles tension. Bracing, full length fretboard vs discontinuous, whether the fingerboard is hollowed, how deep the strumhollow is, how thin the boards are, how high you keep your tension, etc. 

It makes sense to me that the ends of the fingerboard would slowly and gradually bow upward, but with a quality dulcimer it sounds like the consensus is that it's negligible.

I made my first dulcimer over 50 years ago. I've accumulated quite a few since then. Some instruments may only come out of a case once every five years or more. I have never detuned the strings and have noticed no particular ill effects on the these dulcimers. If anything, the strings maybe need to be changed after such a long time. But the the dulcimers themselves are fine.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

https://ebay.us/m/EcRFQT

here’s the link if anyone is interested.

I taught engineering mechanics (Statics, Dynamics, and Strength of Materials - the courses which drove students out of Engineering) for a quarter of a century. My view is based on a lot of 'book larnin.' Over the years some of us develop structural intuition just as musical intuition grows for some and not others.

My remarks are focused on "true dulcimers" with 3 or 4 strings and a stick which runs the full length of the VSL. The body is relatively narrow and the tension of the strings is modest. The sides, front, and back are sort of a stiff tube. The tension causes the body and fret board to curve very, very slightly and the wood to "creep" slightly over a period of days and "settle in."

An acoustic guitar body has only modest amounts of bracing inside, and the heavy wound steel core strings create a much larger tensile force. Solid body guitars are very different structurally.

A fiddle body is actually a complex shell shape, and the string tensions are rather low. On many fiddles the strings have a gut or nylon core.

On a modern instrument of these families the body might actually be graphite reinforced plastic. Tension will still cause minuscule bowing of the body, but there will be no creep.

There are no simple answers or explanations for such questions. I'm still trying to fully comprehend musical modes and remember chord structures.

The advice to loosen the strings is common for guitars.  But string tension on guitars is much greater than that on dulcimers, and dulcimers have the ultimate brace (meaning the fretboard) keeping things intact.  Tuning down a little bit, as John and Nate have suggested, is probably a good idea but may not be necessary unless environmental conditions are going to change drastically. If the instrument is just going to sit in your closet, I wouldn't worry about it.  If you are putting it in a storage unit in the desert with no climate control, you may run into problems that loosening the strings won't solve.

P.S. Congrats on your McCafferty dulcimer. I love mine, which is evidenced in how "used" it now looks.

"but, in my opinion, the minute aspects of wooden bodies' shapes are better preserved if string tension it maintained. "

Im curious to know more about this Wally. Are you basically saying that the wood "settles" when its kept under the correct amount of tension?  Or that the changes in tension would put more stress on the wood cells/finish? Both of those would make sense to me.

Id say that detuning the strings by just a little bit is a good idea. While some instruments seem to hold up really well to warping over time...other fare less well. Damage from tension, sunlight, or moisture would be cumulative over a long time. So overall, I'd say that you dont need to be overly concerned, but it's probably better to store it with the strings somewhat detuned if youre not planning on playing it for a while. It would probably only make a small difference over a long time though, if at all.

String instruments which are played regularly are typically "kept in tune" for many decades on end.

Strings may be damaged by age or environmental factors, of course, but, in my opinion, the minute aspects of wooden bodies' shapes are better preserved if string tension it maintained. If you unbox a dulcimer with loose strings it usually takes several tunings to get it to hold properly. Tension also keeps the "bridge" and nut secure.

Wooden pegs are another matter. They and the matching holes will undergo changes in roundness with changes in humidity. That's why moving a dulcimer from Phoenix to Seattle may require attention by a luthier.

If you have a 10 million dollar violin, controlled storage conditions are probably in order, but the primary benefit goes to the gut strings and horsehair on the bow.

If your dulcimer is worth less than $10,000, keep it in the case and keep it out of rain, snow, deserts, and floods. Storing it in direct sunlight probably isn't beneficial, but a lot of wall-hanging dulcimers stay playable.

Jon, I think that would be a good idea myself.  That way they won't stretch out unevenly over time.  Throwing some of those little dessicant packs in the case to keep down moisture might be a good idea as well.

Hi kid's once again it's me Jon Lilley. with one more of those silly questions. I just recently obtained my second instrument, a Terry McCafferty dulcimer, wonderful  instrument. but here's my question: if you are going to store an instrument for any length of time, should you loosen all the strings?

er wait...I guess one of the images worked....go figure

Don't bother with the attachments...They didn't turn out...

I did a quick look through E-bay and Reverb sites & completed sales..Selling on the high end for 900 ish, low end 3-4.

hundreds.

I do say though, yours is the best looking one!

I sent a link to a Facebook post about Jim Good. As you can see he made five string dulcimers; two melody strings, a middle string, and bass strings. He was an excellent craftsman and his instruments are treasured by those who own them. Your dulcimer appears to be in very good condition. Non-mechanical (wood) tuning pegs are not desired by many folks today and may affect the selling price of the dulcimer. It isn't easy to estimate a price for an instrument like this. If you put it on eBay and find a couple of folks who want a Jim Good dulcimer it could go for $500 or more. If you put a fixed price on it and sold through this website or one of the Facebook dulcimer websites you could probably sell it for $300-$350.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hello everybody! I am posting here to see if anyone has any information about Jim Good dulcimers. I recently inherited this one and it is dated from 1981. he has signed and dated this one as well. Curious to see how I could go about selling this or if anyone has any history or an approximate value.

any information is greatly appreciated!

Thanks. So good to know.

Here are some issues to consider when shipping items internationally. Personally, I can vouch for the fact that years ago I received a surprise bill from US Customs for $75 two months after receiving a custom instrument from a luthier in UK. The luthier/sender had no knowledge of this. You may or may not experience one or more of the following factors, and things can change over time. But it's good to be aware:

1-- The sender(or seller) and the receiver (or buyer) involved in an international transaction need to know if there are additional charges associated with receiving the package. On a recent transaction out of country, a receiver was charged more than $30 for taxes and import fees on a package valued at $45.. These charges to the receiver were not disclosed to the sender when the parcel shipped. When the buyer finalized the purchase he did not realize there would be additional charges due when the package arrived.

2- Get a firm commitment from the recipient in writing that he or she will accept the package even if there are additional charges for which he or she would be responsible..

3- The sender should provide to the shipping company an email and or a phone number for the recipient. 

4- The sender needs to know if the parcel is not deliverable for any reason if the parcel will be returned or destroyed. If the parcel is to be returned to the sender is he or she is then responsible for any import fees or taxes prior to return of the parcel. If the parcel is to be destroyed will the insurance cover the cost of the item in the destroyed package.

5- Mark the package return to sender if undeliverable, if that is what you want and if you are willing to pay the cost of returning it to you undelivered.

6- Tracking information for international shipments is not always accurate nor up to date.

Though I'm not sure, I think Mr. Gallier is no longer building.  

Hello everybody once again it is just me Jon trying to pick everybody's brain. I was looking into getting a Gary Gallier Dulcimer

I'm intrigued with his innovative design. Anyone out there have one and what is the V.S.L. on these things?  I noticed that he Gary is not really big on communicating. Thanks again

On reflection-I still play,but would hesitate to record, the music of my youth(Ottawa Valley style).A lot of it has been recorded many times over,why do it again?

Well, John and Lisa, I've been building dulcimers for over 50 years now, and I've already made tens of dollars...

Jamie, I used to whack out a few Appalachian Old-Time fiddle tunes.  Mostly, I play slow stuff these days.  

Right after I make my 2nd million in instrument sales......[I've given up on the first]......

It's a nice looking dulcimer, but I don't have a clue as to who made it. I've never seen one like it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I think the swelling member count is due to the free swag bags of merch being offered to new members. String sets, jars of "jam", and Turtle polishing cloths........

I remember when FOTMD was just a babe.  

Well Dusty right at the moment we have about 2700 members. However, because people often 'move on' to other interests, I like to now and then go in and remove members who have not logged in in several years, just to keep things current. Many times the member count has gone over 3500 and then I've done my housekeeping and gotten it down to 2500 again. Quality versus quantity!
I do however remember the thrill we had here back in the beginning of things when we were so new and small, and we'd reach another hundred members. Good times. And nice to remember members who were a big presence here, who've passed on.

That is one beautiful dulcimer. I hope you are able to learn more about it.

Wow.  2009? I think that's around the time I joined.  How many are we now? 2000?  3000?

@davisjames, I can't speak for other people, but as I was learning the dulcimer I would post videos of standard old timey fare as I learned the repertoire: Bonaparte's Retreat, Mississippi Sawyer, Cripple Creek, Whiskey Before Breakfast, etc.  But as I've advanced in my playing, I tend to record only stuff that's a little different, meaning originals or pop tunes or lesser-known fiddle tunes or Celtic airs or whatever.

I still play traditional, old timey music in jams, but I tend to no longer record the well-known standard stuff.  So the video and audio that I post is not reflective of the music I play on a regular basis.

Hello all, I wonder if anyone knows who made a dulcimer my stepmother just gave me. She told me this dulcimer was “made for her by some guy she met riding a train down the east cost of the US in about 1970.”  She does not remember much of the event, only that the man was very nice and upon learning that Jane (stepmom) was a music teacher, offered to make her a customer dulcimer.  Her choices for peg box decoration were a dog’s head or a woman’s head, and she chose woman’s head.  

The carving reminded me of some of Ron Cook's work, so I reached out to him and asked. He graciously replied right away, but said it wasn't one of his. He thought it was an "old style Tennessee version" of a dulcimer, and thought it was nicely made out of cherry wood with an oak head. I have examined the instrument thoroughly, going so far as to put an endoscope video camera into the sound holes in inspect the inside... but I found nothing.  

Any idea as to its provenance?  Anyone recognize the style? Seems like it was made by someone who knew their craft well.  Photos below. 

 Dulcimer-02 .jpg - 118KB