I like what Kevin said--I'd love to be sniffing around an auction and find a 19th-century, playable Prichard or Thomas or even a handmade, for-the-purpose,Tennessee music box from around the mid-to-Eastern parts of Tennessee. I'd string it up, move to the edge of the Smokies, and play each day in one of the many old cabins/churches.
Doggone it Paul, Your last sentence there should be the last one in this discussion. Maybe.
I hope that it isn't, though.
The only thing I know for sure is it would have a shorter scale, not over 25.5", maybe even less, to ease the long stretches for my arthritic wrist. It would have geared tuners, I change tunings to get a different scale, not to fight with friction pegs. Other than that, I won't know it till I hear it. The luthiers I have in mind would set it up to play well, and do impeccable work. The sound would be the deciding factor. When "THE sound" hits your ears, and you know you can't walk away without it, that's when you know you found it.
Im with Ken, I pretty much build what I want, but, I would love to someday find an Original Prichard. And I must say I would love to someday build a dream dulcimer from someones ideas of what they want. Thats why I build them so others can enjoy them.
My dream dulcimer is the next one I make or the one after that or the one after . . .
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Okay--I've got many dream dulcimers & this is my newest one--love the wormy chestnut and of course the old man carved head--I really do like the little carved heads on dulcimers
It's interesting how this thread has turned. Instead of talking about what you want, y'all are talking about what you have (except for Rob, and I will say that I asked him privately to kick the thread off). I'm not sure if that's the cause or a symptom of dulcimer players tending to be nice, generally happy people. In my book, that's a Good Thing, all around.
I definitely covet the BL and the Presnell.
Please, continue down whichever avenue you prefer, or both.
Mike, I have the dulcimers I love. I will say one thing. If I had a dream dulcimer or maybe I should say a dulcimer I would love to have is one that I can make. I would love to learn how to make one. To play a dulcimer that I made myself would be a dream come true. If I'm not able to make one I suppose I would love to have a teardrop. I don't have one of those.
I suspect some here might have opinions about that involving Ed Thomas rolling over in his grave...
Can't say that felt he earth trembling here, but I think I did just hear a hearty chuckle from the general direction of Big Doubles. :D
Robin Clark said:
Well, you are going to be shocked at this one - but here is my dream dulcimer
To go with the Aura Spectrum DII'd want a trip to the Fishman studio with a full range of original old dulcimers (Thomas, Prichard, Presnell, Tignor, Glen, Ledford, Ambergy, Mawhee, Melton etc etc) to get them all recorded and added to Aura image gallery. Then I'd have a dulcimer built for noter drone playing with a well banalced but acoustically quiet sound and a Fishman p/u. And that dulcimer with the Aura and the Bose L1p/a would be my stage set-up:
I'd have a loop pedal and general acoustic effects box (reverb, echo, chorus etc).
I don't think I would see any change from $5000 for my custom dulcimer and stage rig - and that's before adding the cost of sampling the old dulcimers in a good studio to get them loaded on to the Aura Spectrum - so perhaps it will have to stay a dream
Well, you are going to be shocked at this one - but here is my dream dulcimer
To go with the Aura Spectrum DII'd want a trip to the Fishman studio with a full range of original old dulcimers (Thomas, Prichard, Presnell, Tignor, Glen, Ledford, Ambergy, Mawhee, Melton etc etc) to get them all recorded and added to Aura image gallery. Then I'd have a dulcimer built for noter drone playing with a well banalced but acoustically quiet sound and a Fishman p/u. And that dulcimer with the Aura and the Bose L1p/a would be my stage set-up:
I'd have a loop pedal and general acoustic effects box (reverb, echo, chorus etc).
I don't think I would see any change from $5000 for my custom dulcimer and stage rig - and that's before adding the cost of sampling the old dulcimers in a good studio to get them loaded on to the Aura Spectrum - so perhaps it will have to stay a dream
Stephanie, I love the look of that Presnell, but I'd rather hear it .
And she sounds as good as she looks.
My other favorite, an Edd Presnell.
Dusty Turtle said:
Yum. Blue Lion. Yum. Inlay. Yum. Rosewood. Yum.
Stephanie Stuckwisch said:
I bought my dream dulcimer a few years ago - Blue lion rosewood hourglass w /custom inlay.
I'm with Dusty! That thing's absolutely beautiful!
Yum. Blue Lion. Yum. Inlay. Yum. Rosewood. Yum.
Stephanie Stuckwisch said:
I bought my dream dulcimer a few years ago - Blue lion rosewood hourglass w /custom inlay.
I bought my dream dulcimer a few years ago - Blue lion rosewood hourglass w /custom inlay.
Errrr....sure, that's it :D
Just one of those questions that pop into your head, usually when you should be sleeping.
Why do you ask, Mike? Are you going to surprise me with a Christmas present this year?
I casually asked the question in chat here, then decided that it would be a good topic for the general forum.
If you could have your "dream dulcimer", what would it be? Describe as fully as you wish. Body Style, woods, finish, fret pattern, headstock, tuners...the more specific, the better.
An 'Indulgence' of dulcimers ?
JohnH
Hi All
ah... how about Onetoomany...
I just havea singleplain three string dulcimer with wooden tuning pegs.. not much of a collection!
Cheers Ken
I have around a dozen dulcimers. I just call them "my" dulcimers.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I call them my babies.
I call them "the big one, and the little one." But daughter Marianne calls the big one "Chupacabra." Those with a large herd might need a term for the group, but I guess a single word could stand for a variable number. 30 cattle are a herd, 100 cattle are still a herd. 12 would be a dozen, 13 a luthiers dozen. 20 would be a score. Four Score would probably upset Mrs. Wanda, but two seems to be OK with her.
I just call them my other children :)
a mode of dulcimers?
A string of dulcimers?
A chorus of dulcimers?
Never heard of a proper name for the bunch of dulcimers. So may I suggest a "strum" of dulcimers.
Rob
Ok, so after the Christmas buying frenzy, I have to update my status of the affliction known as DAD. I got it bad over the last couple of weeks. So here is the new list:
1 Clemmer Banjammer (DAD) (NEW)
2 Jesse Williams Hourglass Dulcimers (DAD, DAA)
2 McNally Strumsticks, 1 Grand (DAD), 1 Standard (FCF)
1 McSpadden Walnut Hourglass (DAD) (NEW)
1 Mark Eubank Baritone Dulcimer Cherry and Western Cedar (AEA) (NEW)
1 Mark Eubank Hourglass Dulcimer Bird's Eye Maple (DAD) (NEW)
2 Fiddles, 1 full size, 1 (1/2 size for my daughter)
1 Mandolin
1 12 string Seagull Guitar
1 6 string Seagull Guitar
So I added 4 dulcimers over a 3 day period. I look at the bright side, I didn't leave with the entire store...just most of it.
One is never enough, Two, no need to re-tune, well what could one more hurt.Then you find one so perfect in every way that you had to have it so number three is added to the family. Then from out of no where there was four.... where did it come from?
then there was eight. It had became like eating peanuts, you could not stop. you rescued them from yard sales junk shops from anywhere you could find them.you where on a mission to save the lost and abused, you would give them a loving home. For there is always room for one more.
you carefully restored them to their former glory bring back their beautiful voice. every so often people would give you one that had been in the attic for years, all covered in dust and string long gong. There always room for one more. You hunted them buy names of builders and by the year they where borne. Each being as prized as the last. There's always room for one more, I can stop at anytime you have been heard to say.
But then one more seem to a pier.
You need as many as necessary to cover all the tunings you play or ever want to play. Or you can take the approach of ...look at the beautiful woodgrain on this one...itwould look beautiful inthe house. Oryou can use whatever excuse works for you at the time,it is tough to kill theDAD infection. I had more than I couldplay but now everyone else in the house has started to play and I need to get more dulcimers in case guests come over...lol.
Steve Battarbee said:
I think I have DAD but its still in its early stages as I only have one but I know its a slippery slope. I'm constantly looking at others. Only my lack of finance and my wife (OK mainly my wife) are keeping this condition in check at the moment.
She said the other day, having caught me yet again coveting more Dulcimers 'You've got one.How many dulcimers does one man need?'
I thought I know just the people to ask!
So whats the answer?
