Forum Activity for @guy-babusek

Thanks Frank

How is the action? I tend to like instruments with a fairly low action.

I'm thinking of getting one, they sound beautiful & seem to be loud even without the hook up. Would you say yours is mellow or bright or can it be both depending on where you strum. I have watched a few video and they sound different but I'm not sure it's not the players. I don't have a collection of dulcimers, only one other so this may end up being my go to. The few people I know that have one don't seem to play their much, is it just for sometimes or could it be for all the time.

Thank you for your reply so fast.

I love mine! It is one honking instrument. Definitely a presence in a crowd. It sounds great.

WELL, I am also learning clawhammer banjo and mandolin so I don't have much time to practice. I had no trouble playing it but I am a bass player used to playing with some force. I did not notice any hard pressing necessary.

Now that you have had the dulciborn for almost 2 months, what can you tell me about it. Is the action ok & strings easy to press or do I need to work at pressing them?

Just got my used Dulciborn from eBay and it is fab! I put a lab strap on it to keep it from falling off my lap. It has volume!

Weissenborns do have hollow necks, as the sides of the guitars come all the way up to the nut area. The strings are set up very high, to keep the steel bar from hitting the fret board. You can't play them with your fingers in the normal way, you have to use the bar. But by slanting the bar, you can get notes in between the frets. The frets may be inlaid strips of wood or metal, rather than actual frets. Most lap/console/pedal steel guitars have painted on frets. The frets are only used as visual guides where to place the bar. All of this also applies to resophonic guitars, such as National and Dobro models. The "hubcap thingie" is a resonator, hence the resophonic name.(Banjo resonators are a different thingie.) I love the sound of those Weissenborns, more than the resos, and electric steel guitars, but that's just personal taste.

Paul

Weissenborn guitars were some of the 1st made to be played exclusively Hawaiian style, with a bar. They have a longer body that comes up the neck (which I believe is hollow.)

Here's a video of Cindy Cashdollar playing one made in 1927.

What it seems you have in a dulciborn is that type body with a dulcimer fingerboard with frets. You get the deeper sound of the guitar with the fretting of a dulcimer.

Rob

Chuck - once you try it, I think you'll love the Possum Board effect. If you want to play quieter, there are many ways to soften your sound and only a few to amplify it. Don't use "rubber", even in strips, on a possum board to hold the dulcimer above the surface; it will substantially reduce the effect. To hold the dulcimer in place there are number of turnbuckle, bungee, and rubber band ideas that will work better than rubber underneath that will not dampen the effect of the suspension.

A strap is a strap is a strap. You could always use a length of clothesline!

I wouldn't trust any of those ideas to stay on. Some adhesives might damage the finish, but in any case, if the strap disconnects while you are playing, your dulcimer could sustain major damage when it hits the floor. If you aren't comfortable putting strap buttons on, have it done at a guitar store. Almost all of my instruments also have some type of Strap Locks on them. I have a couple of guitars that were damaged when they hit the floor or ground.

Paul

HI Chuck

The velcro that I used has the sticky back that I put on the Dulcimer and on the strap. I did also sew it to the strap. But if you can't sew it I would think that a little hot glue might work or perhaps contact cement. I also put a buckle in my strap so I dont have to unfasten the Velcro each time, this also makes the strap adjustable.

Hope this helps

Ed Day

That's the commercial that I was thinking about. The one with the "really handsome, clean cut" French male model. I just have a lousy memory.

Carrie Barnes said:

Can't put ANYTHING on the Internet that isn't true.....................BONJOUR!

The one big thing Bonnie and Clyde had a talent for was breaking the law and it caught up with them. Maybe they were the inspiration for "I Fought the Law and the Law Won",

Would have loved to haved peeped inside her 'carry case' ??? And would her ultimate playing mode have been 'Dead' ?

JohnH

Everyone knows that you can't put anything false on the internet, Right????????????

This was a hoot. Someone had fun coming up with it.

John Henry said:

(and would'nt you just know JK would be in frame somewhere's ???)

Hey, I missed that Dusty! Things that make you go hmmmm!
Dusty Turtle said:

How aboutthe musicologist Professor Herbert Nositall?

Scott Collier said:

Well i don't know but with a "music professor" named Will E. Playmore? Still makes me wonder, lol. It may or may not be a true story but it's thought provoking non the less!

How aboutthe musicologist Professor Herbert Nositall?

Scott Collier said:

Well i don't know but with a "music professor" named Will E. Playmore? Still makes me wonder, lol. It may or may not be a true story but it's thought provoking non the less!

I'm surprised that y'all aren't familiar with this bit of history. It is well known is these parts, maybe because Bony's favorite delcimore was made by a famous Knott county builder, Clyde's paternal uncle Wheel.

Ifear we may find out that Grandma Adams (Spencer) taught Bonnie how to use a machine gun, too.

Randy Adams said:

This is actually a true story and has been told in our family for years. My Grandma Adams, maiden name Spencer, grew up in Texas, played the dulcimer, and knew the Parker family. She showed Bonnie how to play the basics on the dulcimer, the modes and tunings and so forth, and she said she had never seen anyone with such a natural aptitude for music like Bonnie Parker. My Aunt Jackye Sue has pictures of Grandma and Bonnie with their dulcimers and a couple of crude home recordings of them playing. I will try to get them and will post them here.

Folks, for the record, I am skeptical too, for I've been unable to corroborate most of the information in Gibson's article. I do know Ralph Peer was indeed a recording engineer and producer who pioneered the makingof field recordings, but I can't seem to find references anywhere else to a most of this intriguing story.

In this case, perhaps, hearing is believing.

Bring it on Randy!

Well, just goes to show that any assumption that this little 'ole island I live on has some sort of monopoly on interesting historical snippets, just ain't correct ! Nice one Randy, would be good to hear them, and interesting to know who made the instrument ?

JohnH

(and would'nt you just know JK would be in frame somewhere's ???)

Yeah... I want to see primary source information... the recordings labels and how they were ID'd, a photo of Bony with a dulcemore rather than a revolver, an official list of items found after the final shootout... something substantive.

I have to agree with John. Sounds a little suspect. First, I'd like to find out how the recordings were identified as to the performers. But with a story like this, you just want to believe that it's true. More research is needed.

That is a fascinating read. I hope that it's all true, but it does have a little "April 1st" feel to it lol. Bonnie & Clyde had their criminal careers ended 35-40 minutes from my house, and the small town of Arcadia houses a Bonnie & Clyde Museum very near the ambush site. Karen and I should drive over there one day this summer and see what we can find out (if anything). This is pretty cool stuff!

Very interesting article! Thx for the link. I would also love to hear the recordings.

I am surprised no one here has noticed this yet, but Ohio luthier Ron Gibson has published an article on his website about three recently discovered recordings by the famed bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde in which Bony Parker played a ducimore musical instrument. The two were killed in 1934, so it is likely the recordings--if genuine--date from a year or two before then.

What is even more striking than the mere fact that Bonnie played a dulcimer is the fashion in which she did so. In one song she combined counterpoint melodies withjazz chord inversionsas well as playing percussion by tapping on the soundbox. In another song she played guitar-like riffs that would be associated with Chuck Berry two decades later. Another song includes "raps and rhymes" and can only be described as original gangster rap.

You can find Ron Gibson's article here: Did Bonnie and Clyde Play the Dulcimer? .

These recordings were supposedly discovered by the Library of Congress, which might mean they either are or soon will be made available to the public. I am sure many of us will be eager listeners and won't really believe the descriptions of the music until we hear for ourselves.

Would be be worthwhile to save the existing finish, going over it with 220 grit sand paper, will take off much of the roughness, and leave a more satin finish. Can make quite a difference. If too dull, rub it out with 0000 steel wool and oil.

Welcome to FOTMD Mike! Good advice so far. If the old finish is lacquer, you can clean it with lacquer thinner and then just re-spray with satin lacquer. You can buy spray lacquer in cans at most hardware stores or home centers. Lacquer can be sprayed over shellac. I usually use a thin coat of shellac before spraying the lacquer on my instruments. Your first job as has already been noted is to identify the finish that is on your dulcimer. Best wishes for a successful completion of your project.

Ken

Welcome Mike! This is certainly the place for building type questions.

What brand or who made the instrument? Contact the builder and ask what finish is already there. Ron uses a satin lacquer finish, easy enough to buy and apply.

I can never remember whether it's lacquer you can apply over shellac or the other way around. And as Dan said, if there is any kind of oil finish you can add either the same or a different oil finish right on top. Otherwise you'll need to strip and/or sand off the existing finish and re-apply.

If your strings are too high above the frets this can make it harder to fret cleanly. Stick dulcimers should conform to the same set up parameters as lap dulcimers, guitars etc. If the strings are too high, you have to press harder to get clean notes on any stringed instrument, except those played with a slide or bar, such as steel guitars. Do you have a friend who plays any stringed instrument? Perhaps they could look at the action and see that it is set up correctly. If not, a good rule of thumb for diatonic instruments is the string should be no higher above the first fret than the thickness of a dime placed on the fret board behind the 1st fret, and the thickness of a nickle placed on the seventh fret. If the strings are significantly higher, the height needs to be adjusted.

Another possibility is that another finger is leaning over and damping the string, making it thud. Make sure the end of your finger is pressing the string, not the side of your finger. This is less likely on lap dulcimers because the hand is not around the neck of the instrument. It's more common on neck type instruments. Don't let the neck of your strum stick fall into the V between your thumb and index finger. The pad of your thumb should be placed behind the neck, allowing you to oppose the downward pressure of the fingers with upward thumb pressure. An observer facing you should not be able to see any part of the last joint of your thumb. This is a pretty common problem, work hard to ensure you don't have this problem. Unlearning a bad habit is REALLY HARD! I still catch myself doing this after all these years playing guitar, etc.

If you had a high fret, a buzz or rattle would be more likely to happen, rather than a thud. The rattle would occur at one or more frets below the high fret. A thud indicates the string is probably not touching the fret at all.

Paul

Hi Rich. This is probably going to sound like a dumb question, but are you wearing a long sleeve shirt when playing. Here's the reason I ask. I've at times had a problem with a dull sounding note and found that it isn't in the fretting, but that the sleeve on my right side was catching the strings as I'd strum, very briefly damping them. Sometimes it would be all the notes or at others just one.

Hi Rich,

Perhaps my dulcimer-blog lesson on fretting finger tips would be helpful to you:

http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2012/07/lazy-fingers.html

Rob said it right - just behind, without touching the fret.

Jessica - are you having this problem on a Stick? Or on a Dulcimer like the one in your avatar photo? If it's on a dulcimer, you may not have a wide enough stance with your legs, and the dulcimer is sagging a tiny bit as you push down at the first fret. When you're sitting you want a wide knee position, with your left knee under the first fret. Not knees together with the dulcimer teeter-totter-ing atop them.

Rich -- Since it's a "sometimes" thing, chances are your problem is "pilot error" rather than anything wrong with the instrument. Probably related to the way your left hand has to twist to get to that first fret on the melody string. Stick necks are much narrower than guitar/mando/uke necks and that requires your hand to bend differently. You could test this by laying the stick flat on a table and fretting while you can see what you're doing.

johnp is right too. The stick instrument, or as I call them American Citterns, isn't a dulcimer. By definition a dulcimer has no neck beyond the body. The folks here who play sticks may not look in General dulcimer discussions. If it's specific to sticks, you might want to post a question to the Stick Group.