Lookig at the knobs on http://www.stewmac.com and they do look right. Ha, I like all but the cheapest one. There is amber ones on the dulcimer now, do I go with that or the ebony?
I have stands from the Dulcimer Bag Lady. Simple sturdy style. I'm happy iwht them.
The older cat, Tyrie, just ignores it. Maggie (she's in my icon) rubs up against the tuning pegs and generally gets in the way.
I see GROVER STA-TITE BANJO PEGS on Elderly site. They look like what I have. I'm going to a music/guitar store tomorrow with the info for both pegs and knobs and will see if they can rig up something if not will have them order one or both of these for the dulcimer. I will also see if they have right-angle guitar pegs and if that will work.
Can't wait for tomorrow now to try and take care of the dulcimer's pegs or knobs/buttons if I can find them.
Thanks everyone, I'll keep you posted
replacent knobs, I think is the way to go. They will fit???
d-chitwood, I have a dog that is afraid of her water dish! She approaches it like a gazelle drinking at a water hole with a croc waiting in it .
I sure would love to have a way to stand up my dulcimer in the den but I'm not seeing what kind to get. There's a wooden one that looks nice but the reviews aren't too keen. Several guitar style stands, well, I'm just not too sure which to get. What do yall use and what would you recommend? Thank you!
I've have one of the wonder wheels carts. I used it for several years. I just figured out how to use it as a stand up playing station with a homemade music/tablet holder and it carries a small amp also. Ya gottaa be a bit on the taller side though [I'm ~ 5'11"]. :)
Try your local acoustic music shop. They just might have some on hand; you never know.
I've been thinking in investing in another harmonica. I have a Hohner Special 20 (D) and a Hohner Pro Harp (A). Any Thoughts on other Hohner types or other brands? Also what key? I play mostly bluesy stuff, but I'll try to play along with anything.
Thanks for the laugh! My husband got quite a chuckle over your post, too!
Haha, Jan...my mind's eye read that title as "CATS for hauling your stuff around at Workshop"
! I thought to myself, "HOW did she train her cats to do that?!" Hahaha....I was picturing a WHOLE lotta cats wearing these little backpacks, LOL!! (I know, I know...trust me....silly...)
I find super cheap finds at both, if you can drill down and see the parts you need, a diamond in the rough, so to speak.
Pawn shop or flea market?
I wish I could walk into someplace and just try their knobs. The mechanical part is good, just the knob is split. I a bit nervious that I could order the knobs and when they come for some reason they don't fit. I have some uke tuners and their knobs don't fit - try them.
Sorry, I don't have any spares handy. You can also buy just the replacent knobs (pearlescent plastic) from Stew Mac for 88cents each. Here's the link:
http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Tuning_Machines/Tuner_Parts/Banjo_Tuner_Knobs.html
Marg, sorry about that, I fumble-fingered that post and put the URL in the front instead of the back of the post.
Mhttp://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Tuning_Machines/Banjo/ Marg, those look like mechanical banjo tuners. The bare one is missing it's knob and internal bushings and the cracks you mentioned are probably in the knobs themselves. Stewart-MacDonald Co. (Stew-Mac) has Grover Sta-Tite pegs that I think will work for you. Their cost is $27.65 and here is the URL for you to see:
When I went back - the shop wasn't ready to sell as is, they were going to order the pegs and finished out but a bit more of a price. Well I went back today and they are still going to order the pegs but had not done so yet and the dulcimer was just kinda taking up room, so I was able to get it for the $20. less.
I am pleased with it, the pegs are a problem for me but the rest of the instrument looks like it had never been used. I rub it with the oil I put on my other dulcimer and strings, strung it with just 3 strings till I can figure out the peg problem and tuned it to DAA. I wasn't ready to stretch the strings or other pegs any higher, most everything I play is DAD - occasions turning differently. I played 'Amazing Grace' and it sounded really nice, either the difference was my ear from my go to dulcimer or the different tunning but it sounded like what maybe a mt. dulcimer was ment to sound like. I usually like a more mellow sound but this was more bright with a nice substain. It's smaller than what I am use to so my fingers were over reaching but it will be easier to reach some finger postiions I have trouble with. It is 26.5 from bridge to nut.
OK, now I have it, now what do I do? (Do I try and glue them) or do I try and find just one knob or 1 tension peg or go for a whole new bango set. The ones left on it have hair line crack so they will break soon, probably from age. So, will all banjo pegs fit or would I need to worry about the hole? I am enclosing photos so you can help me with this next step.
Anyone have an extra laying around? Thanks for your help so far and if you don't mine taking me the rest of the way. By the by, I pd. $40 even. I like the idea it was made for Sears, a lifetime ago, I worked there.
Thanks I really don't intend on glueing my bridge down, just will learn about it.
Linda, it won't let you change your password because all the answer boxes in your profile questions are blank. Answers are required, including checking male/female box. This helps me detect spammers and keep our site spam free. The answers don't even have to be correct, but please put in some info. I'm not sure how you joined to begin with without filling in profile answers at all- or maybe you removed the answers after joining?
In any case, please fill in answers for all those blank boxes, check female, put in your new passwork twice, and then hit SAVE at bottom. That will work. If you leave any box blank it will not let you change your password. This is for your own protection as well.
Ah! That would 'splain it, Lucy!
Depends on how and with what he glued that bridge down; you might be able to un-glue it. Slack the strings -- all of them. Run your hairdryer on high at the junction of the bridgeand the fretboard (both sides), to warm things up and hopefully soften the glue. Use a short length of 1/4" or 3/8" dowel or other stick (as a punch) and a hammer, and tap on the end of the bridge (not on the front or back). A good sharp RAP will probably knock it loose without hurting anything.
Hi! Actually, I'm not suggesting it...haha, just mentioning that one who sees an unglued bridge, may think it was in error. Now I have a glued in bridge when it was intended to be a floating bridge.
Hi D-Chitwood, I think I am going to learn about just having a floating bridge, when I know where I want it to tune and adjust it I think it will work fine and make the instrument flexable to maybe add heavier strings to change the sound. I am not ready to do anything crazy so I am keeping to similar strings for adjustment and tuning.
Thank you for the suggestion, gluing it down is one suggestion that I may consider some day.
Liked the 2'nd part of Schienholt, great interview Ken. It is really interesting to learn so much history of this instrument, too bad there is not more music from the past. Maybe you'll find someone who knows of the music through the podcasts.
I have a 35 year old handmade tear drop that I undusted and took to a guitar center for strings, when I first became interested in learning to play. The guitar center guy didn't have dulimer strings and just measured mine and replaced them with similar size strings. As he was working with it, he said, "Well looky here, the bridge isn't glued in place! I can fix that!" and he glued it down. Ah, to have known.
Hey Ken, sweetwood is a common name for a laurel.
I'm not familiar with a wood having the common name of Sweetwood. Sweetgum, yes, but not Sweetwood. What other names does it go by?
Dulcimer on a table - whether 5/8" or 3" thick -- is better than dulcimer on the lap. The lap is soft and absorbs sound. Tables are hard and reflect sound making the dulcimer louder. However. Dulcimer suspended even 1/8" above a "table" gives you even more volume because it frees up the entire back of the instrument so it can vibrate.
You can test this by setting two pencils on your table and putting the dulcimer on top of them.
Personally I like dulcimers with built-in feet, like my John Knopf Uncle Ed replica. You can make simple feet about 1/4" square that will stick on with double-sided tape. For my possum boards I prefer 3/8" or 1/2" thicknes and 1/4" suspension height. I have one board that is 1/2" Balsa -- verrrrryyyy lightweight!
When your friend makes your possum boards tell him not to put any padding on the suspension parts - whether they are just simple cross bars or fitted yokes or whatever. You want the dulcimer to directly touch the wood of the supports, for maxium amplification. Any padding, such as felt, will 'cost' you some enhancement. Wood to wood contact between the suspension bits and the dulcimer will not harm the dulcimer if the other wood is sanded very smooth and finished with ureathane or whatever.
I picked up some nice hardwood planks at an estate sale for a song (no pun intended), just the right size for possum boards. I’ve got some Sweetwood (native to NC) and some pretty, but unidentified hardwood. I gave some to my dear friend Maureen whose husband has been enticed into making us possum boards. I gave him a half dozen pieces of planks, and he is off, researching, and designing my friend and me a board. The planks I provided him are 3/8” thick, because I read in my research on possum boards that this was a pretty good thickness for a possum board, and they happened to be cut that way.
Meanwhile, I started playing around with some of the other planks that happen to be 5/8” thick, and have discovered that they provide a much richer sound. I’m talking about a plain plank of wood, no supports, or elevation, just a dulci on a plank, Appalachia style.
I would appreciate hearing thoughts from some of you possum board users on your preference of board thickness, and support or no support, support height, etc.
A little shameless self-promotion here, but I want to let everyone know that Patricia and Wayne have the latest episode posted.
http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/003.html
Enjoy it folks.
Ken
"The dulcimer plays a sweet song."
This function doesn't work for me; I enter a new password twice but get the following error msg:
You have entered an invalid value for "my interests in music or mountain dulcimer: " - value must be printable characters with the following allowed HTML tags: span,strong,em,a,b,u,i,p,div,br,img,h2,h3,h4,pre,hr,ul,ol,li
I am using Safari 7.1 if that helps. I even tried putting text in the "my interests" box but that didn't work either.
Any ideas? I'd like to change password to one I will remember! Thanks, Linda
Happy Strumming!
