Forum Activity for @marg

I have myhand shake from trying to press the strings.If the string is difficult to push all the way to the fret board, it is too high. Why would the strings be 1/16"plus higher than luthiers guidelines say? Are they set high to get the volume?

So - to answer your question, yes I have notice this action is too high & hard to press but the sound is beautiful. So how do we lower the action and does that affect the tone at all?

Paula Brawdy said:

I played a friends. You do need strong hands. It is a goldtone that she has. I think you would get used to that, but it takes a lot more hand strength due to strings being higher and just how tight the strings are. I have fairly strong hands for a woman because I play other instruments. I did love the sound and the volume of it. But haven't plunged.

I'm curious if other women noticed this?

Another question, please:

On the Dulciborn the action up toward the bridge is high. On the 17th fret where luthiers guidelines say - the string height should be 1/8" this one is a bit more than 1/16" higher than 1/8".

Should the dulciborn have notches in the bridge or should this one, or should it be lowered by sanding and why would it be so high? For the Volume

Photos showing the quarters under the strings and video showing not being able to sound a tone.

I was playing a dulciborn today and I alsolove the sound and the volume.

But I do have an issue with the hight of the strings. I was told they were low and real easy to play and they are on the lower frets but anything over 10 or 11 starts becoming to hard to press. By the time I'm up to 13, I can not sound a tone at all.

I measured the strings to my dulcimer and with a quarter at the same spot on both my dulcimer & the dulciborn around 14-15 fret, 1 quarter fit fine on the dulcimer and 2 quarters plus extra space on the dulciborn.

Would that not be high action? And why would the action be fine 1-8 only to raise up as it goes higher, shouldn't the strings be more even?

Frank & John, have you had this problem? You say you set up the ones you have, do you set them up to be lower at the higher frets also and is 2 quarters to much? Or is this how the instrument is made, to have your hand shake from trying to press the strings?

Any one with ideas, can the action be lowered up on the higher frets?

marg

Very nice playing Joy!!! And a wonderful tune you wrote too! Thank you for the information on the action and intonation issues. Both are definitely issues I'd have trouble with.

Here is a video of a song I recently wrote for the Dulciborn. It is called, "When Bears Dance" and I am playing four equidistant strings tuned DGdd.

I've had one for a while. The string action was set very high. Much too high, in fact, for me to play it. I've taken it to a Luthier and had frets added and the action lowered. Last month I had it set up so I could play with four equidistant strings and for me, it is much better that way. My instrument is not without some issues though. When I tune it, all is fine, but once I begin using frets (particularly the middle string), it is sharp. I have to do some fancy "almost in tune" tuning so that I can play without making my ears cringe. I have several other dulcimer and none have that issue except the Dulciborn.

I played a friends. You do need strong hands. It is a goldtone that she has. I think you would get used to that, but it takes a lot more hand strength due to strings being higher and just how tight the strings are. I have fairly strong hands for a woman because I play other instruments. I did love the sound and the volume of it. But haven't plunged.

I'm curious if other women noticed this?

I have watched your videos many times, they are lovely

Frank Ledgerwood said:

Hi, Just thought I'd throw in my $.2 worth. I too sell the Dulciborn. I've got several vids on You Tube and the couple I did with Bing, I'm playing the Dulciborn. I spent several days down at Gold Tone, setting up the instruments that I sell and will be heading down again in a couple of weeks to set up some more with and without extra frets. I sold 6 at Coshocton last weekend. All to people who were hearing them for the first time. A quote from a new owner just receiving hers in the mail today "My Gorgeous Dulciborn arrived today, Love it, Love it, Love it!" I did a Video interview with Wayne Rogers, owner of GT which will be on their site as well as my site shortly, discussing the creation of the Dulciborn. My site, Dulciborn.com will be launched shortly, since site and domain name has been OK'd by Wayne. Yes, body of a Weissenborn and Dulcimer Fretboard. They also come standard with a Transducer Pick up and Hardshell Case. I'll never stop playing my MT. Dulcimers, but the Dulciborn is a great addition to mine and any players "quiver". The tone is unlike any Dulcimer and the volume puts you equal to any other acoustic instrument. It's why I committed 100% of my spare time and energy(soon to be full time) to promoting and selling the Dulciborn. Any ?? Let me know, The "Dulciborn Guy"

I would love to hear you play a dulciborn, Guy. If you & Frank can find the right one for you with low action, maybe we should start a new Interest Group.

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.