Forum Activity for @greatlakes73

Mr May said the wedge-shaped bridge was not original and kindly sent me two normal ones in the mail!

One other question: I went to swap out the original machine heads on one of my May dulcimers with the same mini-rotomatics in a different color. The shop I took it to noted that the new tuners didn't quite fit correctly and had to use extra washers. I'll ask Mr May, but the shop wondered if he'd shortened the tuners somehow.

This dulcimer is green poplar and came with gold tuners, which I don't love. Black or chrome don't quite look right either. I wish there was some kind of ivory-looking option that would fit, but the space is tight and I'd rather not drill a bunch of new holes...

Todd, that looks like a very reasonable price. The one thing that you may want to ask is how it has been stored. If perhaps in an attic or  a  rental storage unit it may have been exposed to extremes of heat or humidity. Other than that I would go for it. Some people place extra value on those made in Connecticut. Best wishes.

Todd, I agree with Dusty. A 1993 Folkcraft is a good instrument and it is offered at a fair price.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I bid $351............

Just kidding....Nice price, looks pristine too! congratulations!

Todd, that is a very fair price for a Folkcraft dulcimer.  A small group of aficionados especially treasure those Folkcraft dulcimers that pre-date the move from CT to IN (and now to MI?). I cannot vouch for the seller, but the dulcimer itself seems like a good deal.  And it comes with a good bag, too. Make sure shipping comes with insurance; even if it costs a bit more, it might be worth it for peace of mind.

Dear Richard and Dusty and Ken....I WAS JUST NOTIFIED THAT THE DULCIMER IS IN FACT STILL FOR SALE ....the 1993 Follcraft list on the FOTMD site for sale. I'm wondering if you fellows would be willing to give me your opinion of it. It is said to be in good condition and seems reasonably priced. The owner has contacted me after my inquiry.

Many thanks ! Todd Metcalf

Such an insightful review, Alex!  The musically curious folks who listen to the recording will be rewarded for doing so. 

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well in all ways.

Here's the latest review of my new album:

https://www.ragtalent.com/post/alex-lubet-release-a-record-with-victoria-vargas-from-written-works-by-amy-levy

If you'd like to hear it, it streams in all the usual places, including Spotify and YouTube.

Have a great rest of the week.

Todd, you are receiving good advice. I just want to make a few clarifications regarding David Lynch's student model dulcimer. His original price on this instrument was $125.  By the time of his death he had to raise to price which was still under $150. He used baltic birch plywood for the back, sides, and top of the dulcimer and the price of this material had gone up. He could no longer absorb the cost of the price increase of a sheet of plywood. The peg head and the fret board on these dulcimers was walnut. All of them were finished with a light coat of Deft spray lacquer. He used either a matte or semi-gloss finish. These were very playable and good sounding instruments. Dave began by building harps and was known on various dulcimer sites as "Harpmaker." He later branched out to making mountain dulcimers.

In searching for a previous owned dulcimer keep your eyes and ears open. I've found some on Craig's list in addition to eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Goodwill, here at FOTMD, as well as some folks contacting me to see if I would be interested in their dulcimer. There are several builders in California; Blue Lion, Joellen Lapidus, and Howard Rugg are all well known, but their instruments are well above the beginner level.

Be patient and right dulcimer will find you. Best wishes in your hunt for an instrument.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Todd, As to where to look for a dulcimer, shopgoodwill.com sometimes has mountain dulcimers. I think  you will do well to take your time and find one made by a known builder. You have done well by asking for guidance on this forum. I would be wary of foreign made dulcimers many of which have quality and intonation issues. It is so disheartening to get a dulcimer and then become disappointed because it does not sound right. Not a good way to begin your dulcimer journey.

Over the years I have bought 3 McSpadden Dulcimers and 1 Warren May dulcimer previously owned which had been played little to not at all. One of them still had the pick and noter in a sealed envelope. People sometimes buy on the spur of the moment then never get around to learning to play. Such a dulcimer if it has been stored properly is usually a good buy and often at a very reasonable price.

If there is a local dulcimer club, many times the members are accepting of newbies and will allow you to look at and play their dulcimers. Sometimes teachers or clubs have loaner dulcimers as well, it that is an option where you live.

Continue to look and if you see one, let us know and we may be able to offer some guidance. Best of luck on your search.

Todd, I see you've found the For Sale Forum here.  That is a great place to find used instruments, although the usual caveats apply.

The reason I mentioned McSpadden in my earlier post is that McSpadden dulcimers are all good quality and eminently playable.  They are also quite popular, so if you decide to sell one later on, you won't take a big financial hit.  I see you've found a Folkcraft for sale here.  Folkcraft are also of high quality.  If you find one at a decent price, they are usually a safe bet.

You might check Craig's list for used dulcimers, but as with Ebay, the majority of instruments you find there are of questionable quality.  Reverb is another online marketplace, but the prices there seem higher. And honestly, I would suggest staying away from online retailers unless you know the maker well.

As to your question about how to get your hands on a dulcimer to try them out, I can't tell you where to go in SLO itself, but I know some people in Los Osos who have a regular dulcimer gathering.  If you wish, I could put you in touch with them.  In the LA area there are lots of players and there are a few up in the Santa Cruz area and in the East Bay.  In the summer months there are in-person gatherings you could attend when you could just ask to try out people's instruments, but not much is happening like that this time of year.

Hi..is this still for sale ?   Thanks ! Todd

Thanks so much, Richard this is super helpful Any idea where to look for another Lynch, or where to shop besides eBay for a used dulcimer ?

 Many thx,, Todd

Dusty that response got broken up. Musta hit a key. Ii see we both live in CA. I'm near San Luis Obispo, and no dulcimers in music stores here or Santa Barbara . Any ideas where to hold one and hear it before buying ?

 Warmly, Todd

Dusty this is such a cool helpful response... I really appreciate it. Thank you. I see you live in CI'llce to hold it in my hands and hear it before buying. Any ideas where ?

 It seems this Lynch model is lower than most prices, but oddly maybe not a reasonable price. I'll keep shopping perhaps.

 Many warm thanks, Todd

I have owned in the past two of David Lynch's dulcimers which were not student models. They both were well made and sounded wonderful. I sold them not because there was anything wrong with them but because I chose to play dulcimers with a more traditional style, staple frets, fiddle edges, in the pattern of the Thomas dulcimers of old. But as Dusty pointed out the one on ebay looks to be one of his student models. Personally I don't think I would give that much for it.

@todd-metcalf, the listing should indicate if the dulcimer is a baritone. If it doesn't specify, you can assume it is a standard dulcimer.  Is it worth $250?  I suppose that depends on the model and your interest.  David's most common dulcimer was a student model dulcimer that he sold for about $120.  They were made of poplar ply, not solid wood, but they had excellent intonation and a nice punch to the sound.  He also made fancier models, but I've never played one so I can't speak about those.  

Is this the listing ?  If so, that appears to be a student model.  I do not believe there is another dulcimer on the market currently that you can get for that price that would be as playable.  In that sense, perhaps it is worth $279.  On the other hand, we know the original purchaser paid less than half that.

David's student model dulcimer is very well made and the intonation is spot on.  It can be fun to play, with a pop that resembles a mandolin.  However, since it is not made of solid wood, it does not have the deep, rich tone of a dulcimer with, for example, a body of walnut or cherry and a top of cedar or spruce.  My guess is that anyone playing for a while would outgrow it in the search for a more pleasing tone.

With shipping, that dulcimer will cost you over $300 and does not include a bag or case.  

There is no clear right or wrong answer here.  I'm sure you would enjoy playing it, but you might choose to keep your eyes open for a used McSpadden instead.

Hi Everyone, I'm lookin to buy my first dulcimer. I saw David Lynch on Ebay for 250.00. Is that a decent price ?         is there a way to know if it is standard vs baritone? Any advice overall? Thanks ! Todd in Pismo Beach, Ca

I'm with you, Nate. That is a common octave mandolin / Irish bouzouki tuning (I also play mandolin and octave mandolin). It's great for flatpicking fiddle tunes in D on the dulcimer an octave lower than would normally be possible, i.e. it lets you "dip below" that low D string.

You might want to try tuning your two A strings down to G: Then you can play in G without a capo! 

My two main dulcimers have five equidistant strings, with two unison high D strings. One is tuned A,DAdd, the other G,DGdd ("A," and "G," indicate that those strings are tuned an octave below A and G, respectively).

My 6-string conversion of an old Korean dulcimer has a "dropped" A on the middle set and a "raised" D on the base set. Otherwise it has the common, original, DAA tuning. I like it, and it the instrument I usually play.

@nate Thanks! Yes, that is correct on the string configuration. I'm hooked on that drop D for droning...really reminds me of a bagpipe.

I'm not familiar with Willi, but he has some serious skills for sure. Dom Flemons is the first one I saw who played both harmonica and bones simultaneously. I find it difficult to play harmonica using a neck brace, because there is a lot of fine articulation that's involved with playing harp. Sometimes it needs to be tilted up and sometimes a little off axis. At least that's what I find for melody playing. Chords may be more forgiving on the harp's position.

Talking about bones and harmonica, I thought you might enjoy this performance by Willi Carlisle, if you haven't seen it before.

It sounds great. Am I understanding you correctly that the dulcimer has 4 strings tuned D2 D3 A3 D4? I do like adding strings to the low end of my dulcimers and recently have been having a lot of fun with D2 A2 D3 A3 D4, but on a 4 string dulcimer I much prefer A2 D3 A3 D4 compared to D2 D3 A3 D4. In other words, ADAd instead of DDAd. The drones provide a nice sound, and when I'm chording, I can just fret the A2 string the same way I fret the A3 string for some really pretty chords.

I'd like to thank each of you for your great ideas, tips and advice. Rather than purchase another dulcimer, I decided to experiment with my 8-String Milford Blevins model. It has the longest VSL and widest fretboard among my dulcimers. I built a new nut and bridge to accommodate a 4-String DAD tuning setup, with 1 Drop D string included. Attached is an audio sample of what I've been wanting to do on Sal's Got Mud. I play each part once. Part A & B are played on the 'D' melody string, then part C is played on the middle 'A' string. Surprisingly, I don't miss the extra drop D and A strings. The wider fretboard allows me to comfortably pick the middle A without contacting the other strings.

The tonality and sustain is great. I did cut another sound port in the side of the body, which is matched to the opposite side. I originally determined that the top sound holes were not allowing enough of the sound to escape. These two sound ports really make a difference. Do you like the drop D drone? Does anyone else use a drop D string?

Sals_Got_Mud_BarnJam_Dulcimer.mp3 - 1.1MB

Whoops, I did notice that they were bones and still typed spoons for some reason lol. Similar, but still quite different. Either way, sounds like a cool group, as most lovers of folk music and instruments tend to be.

@nate Thank you. It’s a wonderful group of folks and we have a great time playing together. The famous Dom Flemons, The American Songster, is from Phoenix and used to play with the PHX OTMS. As you noticed there is a variety of instruments, These folks got me playing the dulcimer. I have about (7) dulcimers and each one is tuned differently.

I’m actually playing rhythm bones, which are a close relative of spoons. Many of the members of Rhythm Bones Society knew Percy Danforth, the “granddaddy of bones”. There are gentlemen like Steve Brown who shared the stage with The Chieftains and Barry “Bones” Patton, who performs internationally. Like the Appalachian Dulcimer, there is a rich history of bones players.

Looks like a lot of fun. I see that you are playing harmonica and spoons at the same time, which is no small feat, and the result is great.
Cool to see so many people coming together and playing different instruments in the second and third clip. Seems like a great time.

I learned Sal’s from the Phoenix Old Time Music Society. Here are three recordings we’ve done with various instruments and tempos, if you’re interested in hearing our versions.

Four of us (banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica)

Black River Barn Band

Yes, that is exactly right. That makes sense that the open D string would sound “better” than the fretted D on the A string. I like low action on the melody string, but I notice that the drone strings sound amazing with high action. I hear a noticeable difference in the resonance of the elevated strings. The drawback is that they can’t be fretted without going extremely sharp.

I wonder if the intonation is better in DAD tuning. I read that the dulcimer relies on averages, to give it its simplicity. Someday, I will buy a guitar with an adjustable nut and saddle, so I can perfectly intonate each string. Are there any dulcimers that have that feature?

Are you saying that you like the tone of the melody string when it plays the tonic D note on the open string?... as opposed to the melody string tuned to A and you playing the tonic d note on the 3rd fret?
I think the tone of fretted strings are inherently slightly more 'closed' sounding than open strings... is that what you mean?  That's one reason oldtime banjo players use various tunings... to take advantage of ringing open strings as much as possible.
But I'm sure others will have great input on this. 

P.S. what version source of Sal/Mud are you learning?

@strumelia Thanks for that tip. I can see how the noter would fit more easily between close frets. I like the speed and tactile feel I get from my bare fingers.

So I tried playing Sal’s Got Mud on the A string, and it works well on the Milford Blevins 8-String because it has a VSL of 28.25”. There is plenty of room from left to right.

Here’s my next dilemma. I don’t like the tonal quality of the A string, played in the key of D, as much as I like the D played in D. My new question is about intonation. Have you found that mountain dulcimers sound better in DAD than DAA?

I’ve tried many string configurations and gauges. I even had custom small gauge wound strings custom made (.11 and .13). They work best on an electric guitar or dulcimer. Bassist Garry Goodman hand winds these specialty strings.