My wife, Terry Mack, is an amazing Native American flute player. Her guitarist tunes his guitar to his flutes which makes it easier and now more of our musical friends are doing the same because they love the flute music so much.
A group of them just did a big concert as a fundraiser and it turned out great. I play, but usually more meditatively and I don't perform in public much.
Hi Garland,
I play the NA flute myself. Never had anyone to jam with that had to be awesome. I don't even have a flute circle near me. so it's just me and all my instruments.
Hi Garland,
I, too, love NA flute. Need to play them more, but love their improvisational style. I'm impressed at your jamming with it. 
Our flute circle tends to improv in related keys and on a rare time or 2 a guitar or other instrument may follow along, but that's as close to jamming as we've tried.
For years I didn't think I was musical. My wife seemed to have a natural gift for flute-like instruments so I got her a Native American Flute for Christmas.
It sounded so lovely for her, that I waited till everyone was out of the house one day and picked up the Native American flute so see if it might sing for me. To my surprise it did.
I have played for a few years now and really enjoy it. My preferred way to play it is to go out into the woods and play meditatively.
But last night I went over to our friends place. There were a lot of very talented people there with lots of guitars and various percussion choices.
The jamming was fantastic. At one point, I had a friend start a simple beat on the cajon and I started playing my flute and we got really going and suddenly all these guitars came in and it was magical!
The mountain dulcimer is new to me but it seems to have similar intuitiveness to the Native American flute so I am hopeful I will one day have a similar experience with the mountain dulcimer.
Fotmd received your donation- thanks so much Pamela! 
A small price to pay for a great site!
I'm going to do some listing, and when I sell and get the funds in hand, I will make a donation to this site.
Thanks for the notice. Very fair, and deserving. Will gladly donate.
Thank you so much and hope you sell your dulcimer quickly. :)
Strummelia, I consider that a perfectly fair (and lenient) request. I for one will be happy to comply. Thanks for the "wake up call". Sometimes we take the hard work and expense of people like yourself who provide us with things on the internet for granted.
Dewey
Please read before posting an item for sale:
For Sale forum listings must be for an actual currently existing item for sale (a CD or book, a specific single instrument, a music stand, photos of some specific dulcimer wood pieces for sale...) and the ad must include a photo of the item being sold. In other words, no open-ended, ongoing listings like "I make dulcimer stands", "I will make you a custom dulcimer", "Music lessons available", "I make bamboo noters", "Selling various wood for building", etc. It needs to be the actual existing item for sale, with its photo and price. Large items like instruments are limited to ONE item in an ad- small items like noters or earrings can be 5 items per ad...with photo and set price of actual items for sale. For complete details of what is or isn't allowed in the For Sale Forum ads, see the site rules HERE .
For years this site has provided a: For Sale forum ... free to use for all members. Over the past few years, our site maintenance costs have slightly increased, and our total member donations have slightly decreased.
To avoid falling into the red, I'd like to ask that anyone who uses this forum to advertise and successfully sells items totaling more than $100 to please make a $5 donation to Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer , to assist in keeping up with our 'rent'. This applies also to items sold on Ebay but advertised here on FOTMD. I ask that you please donate $5 for every completed Ebay sale of over $100 that you have listed here to our members.
I do not ask this of sales of less than $100 -unless you've sold enough of them to make more than $100, such as having sold ten or more CDs for example- however no donation will ever be refused.
FOTMD's Paypal Donation Button is located at the bottom of our site's Main Home page. You need not actually have a Paypal account to use the donation button- a credit card works fine with it. Donations are processed through Paypal's secure server, so no worries there.
Though it's easy to keep track of who has donated and who has not, I don't really want to have to remind or notify people, so this request is based on the honor system. Please do remember to click on the Donation Button and make your $5 contribution to the site after selling goods or services of over $100 that you have advertised in our For Sale forum.
With your help we can keep FOTMD running smoothly and all paid up!
Thanks so much,
-Strumelia
Dennis, almost all luthiers will install a pickup if you request it. I have a MMD with an internal pickup and will probably have my Blue Lion retrofitted with one as well.
I don't think you should buy a dulcimer simply for the pickup. Find the dulcimer that most meats your needs or whose sound you prefer and have a pickup installed in it.
Dennis, Folkcraft makes many dulcimers with internal pickups. I really like the Folkroots line with the Fishman pickup. It has a built in preamp so you do not need one as is the case with piezo pickups. I like that you can adjust the volume right from the instrument once you have your amp set up. Check them out on the Folkcraft website.
Can anyone suggest builders that include internal pickups in their dulcimers. I am looking for one that I can use when I perform in public and need to use with an amp. Right now I am looking at Modern Mountain Dulcimers but was wondering which other builders are internal pickups as well.
Thanks
Dennis
Marg, many dulcimers are made with a nut and a bridge that can be configured for two different arrangements of strings. One is the standard three-course instrument with a double melody string. The other is four equidistant strings. I assume that is what you are talking about.
marg said:
Looking close up at the hourglass, it looks to have slits in the fretboard end for several strings . Could you put 5 or 6 strings on this dulcimer?
Looking close up at the hourglass, it looks to have slits in the fretboard end for several strings . Could you put 5 or 6 strings on this dulcimer?
Rob N Lackey said:
The hourglass one looks really nice. Not a bad price but shipping is a touch high. I think the teardrop is way too high, because, I think, and I'm not sure, it's what they call their beginner model, which wasn't that expensive new (If I remember correctly.)
Sounds like the mud from the flood was all around and got into their basement. Maybe the closing is do to the clean up.
It does say till further notice, so maybe they will - with some time they be able to continue with their life long passion.
Rob N Lackey said:
Well, that's a shame. It's hard to imagine such an established company as they had having to close.
I just found Cripple Creek's FB page, and saw this maybe due to the flood they had:
Ken Hulme said:
Do you have any idea how old the dulcimer is? What style? Was it a kit built, or made by Cripple Creek? If it has a pattern of aspen leaf soundholes it could be one of their higher grade models.
Generally speaking Cripple Creek dulcimers have been of very good quality. Bud & Donna Ford have built dulcimers for over 40 years. I've built a number of their kits and played several of their shop-built dulcimer and been very happy.
I understand that lately - say the last 8 months or so, something has fallen off in their QC though -- we've had a couple negative reports.
I don't know anything about these dulcimers but I thought it would help to see a cost on the 2 below for comparison:
NICE Vintage Cripple Creek Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer Manitou Springs, CO $225.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NICE-Vintage-Cripple-Creek-Appalachian-Mountain-Dulcimer-Manitou-Springs-CO-/271394659278#vi-content
Cripple Creek mountain dulcimer #81471 $159.
http://compare.ebay.com/like/321273168985
Ken Hulme said:
Do you have any idea how old the dulcimer is? What style? Was it a kit built, or made by Cripple Creek? If it has a pattern of aspen leaf soundholes it could be one of their higher grade models.
Generally speaking Cripple Creek dulcimers have been of very good quality. Bud & Donna Ford have built dulcimers for over 40 years. I've built a number of their kits and played several of their shop-built dulcimer and been very happy.
I understand that lately - say the last 8 months or so, something has fallen off in their QC though -- we've had a couple negative reports.
Larry, for $300 you can get a very nice instrument. That Cripple Creek could be good, but it might also have problems similar to those of recent instruments discussed in the forums I link to above. And as you can see, some of those were utterly unplayable.
Since the ad is on Craig's list, it is obviously local, and you can see and play the dulcimer before buying it. If you are really interested, take an electronic tuner with you when you go to see it. Tune it up and play a little bit. Is the action reasonable? Action refers to how high off the fretboard the strings are. If the action is too low, the strings will likely buzz. If it is too high, it will be hard to finger the strings. Additionally, high action might also lead to faulty intonation. Use your tuner to check each fret on each string as you move up the fretboard. Do the notes stay in tune or do they get sharp or flat as you move up the fretboard? Some of the other Cripple Creek dulciemrs described in those other discussions had bad intonation, perhaps due to faulty fret positioning. But that basically makes them unplayable. As you play,doesthe instrument stay in tuneor lose itstuning repeatedly? If the instrument has not been played recently and if the strings are old, it might have trouble staying in tune anyway, but if it seems to need constant retuning, that could be a sign of faulty tuning pegs.
Again, let me reiterate that $300 is a fair amount for a used instrument. In fact,I've paid that price for a used Blue Lion and also a used Laurel Mountain, both of which are probably better instruments than the Cripple Creek.I would advise definite caution here.There are fine new dulcimers that you can buy in the $300 range. For example, FOTMD member David Lynch sells several model dulcimers for $325 and a student model for $125. I have one of the student models which I use when I travel on the east coast. It is a wonderful instrument. I can only imagine how nice David's higher end instruments are. Check out his website here . You might also keep an eye on the For Sale Forum here at FOTMD. Periodically instrument come available there that might be better risks than the Cripple Creek. Or you might start a discussion asking about recommendations for dulcimers in the $300 range. A bunch of folks will probably recommend luthiers they know and trust.
Before making a purchase, take a look at this discussion from some time ago. And in there I link to another discussion from a few years earlier.
While I think Ken is correct that in general Cripple Creek dulcimers were quality instruments for some time, there have been difficulties going back further than the 8 months or so he recalls.
Do you have any idea how old the dulcimer is? What style? Was it a kit built, or made by Cripple Creek? If it has a pattern of aspen leaf soundholes it could be one of their higher grade models.
Generally speaking Cripple Creek dulcimers have been of very good quality. Bud & Donna Ford have built dulcimers for over 40 years. I've built a number of their kits and played several of their shop-built dulcimer and been very happy.
I understand that lately - say the last 8 months or so, something has fallen off in their QC though -- we've had a couple negative reports.
Hey, Dana! You're welcome! Have you tried them, yet? If so, what do you think?
Dana R. McCall said:
Hey Dewey thanks for the info on the Elixir wrapped strings.
Thanks for all the info everyone. Have my first replacement strings coming from Prussia Valley.
The Elixir wrapped strings sound intriguing Dewey.
Now I just have to spend more time playing and less time on this forum!
Ken, thank you for reminding me of that site - I had ordered from them years ago and found them fast and reliable.
Ken Hulme said:
A good online source for strings, individually or in sets, brand name or inexpensive generic is www.juststrings.com . There is little or no difference between a brand name string and a generic, as the same handful of wire-drawing companies make all of them as spools of wire which are cut, ended and packaged by a lot of companies.
Hey Dewey thanks for the info on the Elixir wrapped strings.
Welcome to the forum, and the world of dulcimers, Garland. I personally use .024, .016, and .012. on my Gallier A-frame. I have tried several different sizes and combinations, but keep coming back to these 3 sizes for my A-frame. I think my McSpadden has the same sizes as yours.
By the way, if you get tired of the scratching noise when you slide your finger on the wrapped base string (you'll really notice it on recordings), I find that the Elixir brand wrapped strings are virtually silent. They are micro-coated with something to fill in the cracks between the wraps, and also make the string slicker. They cost a little more but they last a good deal longer than the common brands as well.
Dewey
A good online source for strings, individually or in sets, brand name or inexpensive generic is www.juststrings.com . There is little or no difference between a brand name string and a generic, as the same handful of wire-drawing companies make all of them as spools of wire which are cut, ended and packaged by a lot of companies.
One careful squeeze with a small pair of well positioned pliers is all it takes ! The resulting 'loop' may be a tad smaller than expected tho ?
JohnH James Phillips said:
As well, they can pop the ball out of the guitar strings as well. I don't know about your local music shop, but I know CV Lloydd does that for free, at least for me.
As well, they can pop the ball out of the guitar strings as well. I don't know about your local music shop, but I know CV Lloydd does that for free, at least for me.
Garland, regardless of what gauge strings you use, please note Dana's original post. There is no difference between dulcimer strings and guitar strings. You can just go into any local music store and ask for acoustic guitar strings. There is no need to buy complete sets and no need to buy anything specifically labeled "dulcimer strings."
Thanks everyone,
I did find strings at Prussia Valley Dulcimers. Their shopping cart was nicely laid out and let me specify whether I wanted ball or loop ends. I ordered two more of each string I needed.
Good point about trying different guages, Garey. I was really just going with what the maker specified for now, As I get braver, I may try other ones. For now, I just wanted backup strings in case one broke.
You can by individual strings. They are guitar strings. Just order those sizes in the ball end. Most music stores carry single strings.
My first mountain dulcimer just arrived. I would like to have a backup set of strings so that if one breaks, I don't have to stop playing.
The maker, Tom Fellenbaum strung it with .012, .012, .016, .026 ball-end bronze wound strings. His instructions say I can vary them by up to .002 without affecting the sound or playability.
I had a look online for strings, but am having difficulty finding a set that comes close to this. Can someone point me in the right direction to find a source?
Thanks,
Thank you for that addition, Wout!
