Forum Activity for @ken-longfield

Molly, I charge anywhere from $15 to $25 a fret. Replacing a fret involves pulling the old fret and putting in a new one. If you damage the fret board in pulling the old fret you need to repair it before installing the new one. Then you need to dress the fret. It can take an hour or more to do one fret. Adding new fret requires calculating where they should be placed, cutting the slots, installing the frets, leveling, and dressing. Customers should be aware that problems in doing these operations may arise and additional charges may be incurred. Since I do not do this for a living I keep my prices low, but I the pros around here charge around $50 an hour plus materials. I don't charge for the fret material as long as I have the proper size. If I have to order fretwire, well that's a separate negotiation.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi, Everybody.

I have a repair job of replacing two frets, adding two frets, and adjusting the action. I just don’t know how much to charge for the repairs. Any suggestions for what I should charge for the work?

Hi Vicki. Yes, my New Harmony dulcimer is wonderful but I've decided to sell it because the base of my thumbs have eroded with age & arthritis in my fingers have pretty much ended my dulcimer days....stretching left hand to chord has gotten hard. I bought it 10/26/21 but its never left my home or been played by anyone but myself so is in immaculate condition. It's not a baritone but when I told Rick I only liked soft, deep, mellow tones, he selected the walnut/butternut combo so I could get that sound. I've attached a zip file with the info just in case it might be of interest to you. My original cost was $920 custom made. Classical beauty was an issue so it has black Hipshot tuners that look super & I had staff notes for sound holes done..........if they are good enough for a Stradavarious violin, they were good enough for me plus I wanted understated elegance so Rick gave me that. 

I have more pictures in a zip folder that is too large to send via FOTMD though. I have the original shipping box Rick used. I'd never part with this instrument ever if my thumb issue didn't restrict my chording. Let me know if you are interested or need other info. I do have 100% of the original docs plus I bought a nice guitar humidifier to keep in the case. I'm thinking $850 is a fair price as it's as good as new.   Barb 

 Accutune 2.jpg - 170KB

Hi Vicki 

You might try contacting Joe Collins at jcdulcimer.com and he can help you with your order 

He may even have one in his stock since he is a dealer 

Good luck 

Ron 

Are you all still loving your NH dulcimers? Do you have any suggestions/reviews as I seriously consider to order a baritone? Or… does anyone have one for sale? Must have a pickup. It would be wonderful if I don’t have to wait 12 weeks for a new one so thought I’d check around first! Happy strummin’ from me here in beautiful northern Vermont… 😊

Sarah Kate has a new record dropping on the internet soon!  There will be a limited number of cd's available, too.  I'm looking forward to getting a cd.

It's always fun to think about how to spend other people's money. 

Keeping such things alive is simple. All you have to do is find a individual willing to pledge say $30,000 a year to under-right operating losses. That would keep the Editor from having to do so from personal resources.

For that you could hire a young person to do so, and maybe find a solution to bringing new folks into our fold.

For better or worse, people under 35 seem expect to be paid as Executive Directors of things us "over 70s" did as volunteers.

Well, I just read all the comments. Various thoughts: 

I've been surprised that people have 'folded' on it quite so quickly, all the well-expressed difficulties notwithstanding.

I totally understand the need for some big change, and also that Ashley herself isn't interested in transforming it to an online forum - but having DPN continue at least in a digital form seems like a bare minimum we should all hope for!! 

A predominant mood of the comments seemed to be 'so sad - for very well said reasons - but oh well'. So a major shout-out to Ken Hulme's very substantive comments of two months ago, starting "I'm pretty sure she explored every avenue"!! Constructive, forward-looking ideas, thank you! Recommended re-reading. 

By the way, don't we say we hope more young people will get into traditional music? And aren't virtually all Millennials (and younger) exclusively consuming culture on digital devices ?? If DPN can't even maintain a decent digital presence then it really is dead, maybe extinct. 'He not busy being born is busy dying.' (the Zimmerman boy)

That said, there is also the "actual pages sitting on the coffee table to look through" appeal, Dusty spoke of. Maybe that will be a generational appeal, we'll see, but perhaps an annual print edition? As a 'limited edition' donor-level thing?

Another potential model to follow, in addition to Ken H's ideas, would be that of FolkWorks , which went from greater-LA print to quasi-national online publication. https://folkworks.org/   

Obviously having FotMD and whatever others helps lessen the loss of the DPN, but really, how close to the amount of impact that DPN has had does any current, single dulcimer web site have?? (And sorry but some of us still prefer a root canal to catbk.) FotMD obviously serves a huge purpose, and seems at a good, sustainable equilibrium. It obviously can't become a 'new dpn' by virtue of the fretted focus; if anything, I wonder if there is a hammered equivalent out there, as seems oughta be. Maybe a question underlying any form of ongoing Dulcimer Players News is whether the two instruments' players are at all really interested in the other type? 

I suppose having Quarantunes somehow get involved is wishful thinking (??), but they've sure shown talent for organizing etc ! And there'd be some karmic aspect to it. Ashley said her main income loss was from festivals going under and losing ads, primarily due to Covid, but also, arguably, from online competition. Are there NO live festivals that will resume? Maybe that's the sad truth, I don't know. I sure had a much better time with a bunch of live folks in Texas last week than I've ever had at a computer festival. Okay, so far. And not that they don't serve a lot of people, it's just... different.](et viva la diff!)

It's always seemed to me doing something like DPN requires a few people, aka a group. Obviously now they can all be remote. Personally, I'd be happy to be AN editor/writer, but not The editor/writer. 

Also btw, of course there are those who haven't heard of DPN, and we can Monday quarterback if they did enough outreach. But context please: I can tell you from recent travels there are plenty of active players who haven't heard of the International Appalachian Dulcimer Day or FotMD itself, either!! WE'RE ALL IN A VERY SMALL NITCH TOGETHER!

One could actually imagine an aspect of a digi-DPN to be short reports about/best of FotMD, Fb, et al! 

Here's a true story: My friend Howie Bursen, wonderful musician in CT, worked for rich people all his life indulging their 'hobby project' - being the vintner who actually set up and ran 'their' wineries. Isn't there a rich lady or guy somewhere who wants to 'do' a niche music digital 'magazine' as a hobby?? Could Cyndi Lauper be interested as underwriter and honorary publisher? I see millions of dollars of RVs and music equipment at music festivals. Qtunes has shown monetization is possible. 

Disclaimer: I'm instinctively disorganized, including schedules and budgets, but I can write and proofread. I can be AN editor but not The Editor (in chief). Needs someone with a business head obviously.  

So I guess we'll see what develops, but count me in! It's truly too good a thing to let die. 

Leo 

 I set up my 4 string dulcimers so that the inner-most of the two melody strings is equidistant with the middle and bass, and the outermost has the same distance to the edge of the fretboard as the bass string. On a 1.5" fretboard this is usually 
7/32" | 1/16" | 1/2" | 1/2" | 7/32" with the lines representing strings.
For what it's worth, removing the outer string can put you further from the ends of the fretboard, but removing the inner string can give your thumbtip slightly more space on the melody without touching the middle string. It really doesn't matter much, unless youre like me and not very precise while playing.

You are absolutely right, Wally.  I am actually converting two of my dulcimers to 3 strings.  The one I'm working on today, I will remove the inner melody string to make the strings roughly equidistant.  On the one I've ordered strings for, I will remove the outer string.  Go figure.  Thanks!

Everybody is a mother and/or has a mother, so Happy Mother's Day, FOTMD!

There is no standard for string spacing. In fact there are few "standards" for anything regarding dulcimers.

In making simple capos I have found that fretboards vary in width from about 1 3/8 inch to maybe 1 3/4 inch. Usually the outer strings are about 1/4 inch from each side.

I would suggest that if you are fingering you might want 1/2 inch between the strings. For noter-drone playing, you might prefer to have the melody closer to the edge.

The simple answer is just pick a slot and you will get used to the spacing as you play.

I ordered the GHS strings yesterday from juststrings.com, but the product description didn't mention whether the bass string was wound.  If it is, I'll try your plain steel suggestion on a future re-stringing.  Thanks, John!

When converting 4 to 3, we almost always remove the outer melody string. 

If you can't find a .020 wound string bass string, just use a plain steel .020.  Traditional dulcimers were often strung that way. The lack of winding gives a subtle difference to the overall tone which adds to the 'high silvery' sound which I like.  

That milk paint really look good John.  Better IMHO than whatever black you used on mine...

Don't be lickin' them dulcimores, Dusty!  That's a bad habit to get into.  (Don't ask me how I know).

Looks beautiful., John!

Can you do one with oatmilk paint?  I'm lactose intolerant.

Thank you all!  I had secretly wondered if that was the type of paint Ed would have used, but never tried it until now.

Beautiful, John!  And I agree with Strumelia - I love the contrast between the tuning pegs and the body of the dulcimer.

Not much has changed in contra dancing since this 1964 film:

Very beautiful!  And I love the natural brown pegs against the black.

Looks very nice, John.

My customer wanted me to paint one of my poplar J. E. Thomas dulcimers with milk-paint, so here is the result. Two coats of black paint still don't obscure the wood grain underneath.  Otherwise, it looks a lot like my other black dulcimers.  I'm not sure what type of paint Uncle Ed used to paint some of his dulcimers.

 May Thomas dulcimore 001.JPG - 374KB

By eyeballing it, it looks like removing the outside string gets me there.  Just wanted to make sure.  Thanks, Dusty!

Michael, you will want to remove whichever of the double melody strings gets you closest to equidistant.  Usually that is the outside string.  But it's easy to measure or even just eyeball it.

My local music store carries single wound .020 strings.  As @jost shows, so does JustStrings.com.  Folkcraft carries both bronze wound and steel wound in that size.

If you have to go up to .022 it won't kill you (or the instrument). I use a .026 on all my standard-sized dulcimers.

Thanks, Jost!  I appreciate it!

Hello,

GHS has them: https://www.juststrings.com/ghs-d20.html?cmp=nextopia&kw=ghs-d20

Best regards, Jost.

OK, here's a follow up question.  The string information that came with my dulcimer states that the strings are standard music wire, with the bass string being an LW-20 light wound .020 diameter and the other strings are all L-12 light plain .012 diameter.  D'Addario offers .012 strings, but I don't think I've seen a bass string that is .020.  Any help on where I could find this bass string would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Michael

Hey, all, 

This may sound like a "well, duh" question, but here goes.  I've been talking to a fellow dulcimer player who sings the praises of using only 3 strings.  I am about to re-string one of my dulcimers and thought I would give it a try.  So, if I want 3 equi-distant strings, I would remove and not replace the first (outside) melody string, right?  Thanks in advance.

Michael Willey

Just another brief thought. I was surprised when attending festivals that many folks had never heard of DPN. One would mention the magazine in a workshop and people would ask "What is that?" And it wasn't just new players, but also players who had been playing for years. Did anyone else ever encounter this?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks, Dusty, Ken, and Lisa for your comments. As you gathered, my post is a way of dealing with my grief of losing a friend after 49 years.

Dusty thanks for your suggestions about tablets. My wife sits next to me on the sofa and uses an iPad to surf the web, read email, etc. Over the years she has had different sizes and has settled on the one that is about full page size (8 1/2 x 11). I do read books on my Kindle and may some day switch to an iPad for reading. I'm sure part of it for me is just developing new habits. When I referred to "the small number of people on the web," I was thinking about only those who have an interest in mountain dulcimer history which is a small number of the general mountain dulcimer enthusiast population. I agree that the web reaches many more people than print media ever did or would. Obviously I participate on the web and enjoy the camaraderie here and at the other dulcimer web sites. I think the future continues to be bright for the mountain dulcimer and look forward to new days and adventures ahead. Festivals and gatherings will continue in person and on the web. People will discover the mountain dulcimer and start playing or building.

Ken, I appreciate your comments. You pointed out some things I hadn't considered and agree that they contributed to the demise.

Lisa, I appreciate your continuing to offer FOTMD to the dulcimer community. I'm here everyday (sometimes many times) and enjoy our discussions and sharing.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Dusty, you expressed it so well. I agree about your coffee table comment, and thank you for the input about tablet size- very helpful!  KenL, I'm glad you posted your timely final tribute to a great publication that enriched all our lives for many years.

It does still feel odd and somehow 'not right' that now both the original (Bruce Ford's) EverythingDulcimer site and DPN magazine are both gone. They were together the very backbone of the dulcimer community. I realize that there is now an entire new generation (or two!) of dulcimer players who never even experienced DPN or the 'real' ED in their heydays. Perhaps we sound like old geezers lamenting the past.

To me, facebook groups are rather pale replacements, since 1) they are not conducive to in depth discussion, 2) they tend to consist largely of ads and self promotions, and 3) the info posted on them just kinda disappears after a day or two and it's almost impossible to search for any past content. Not to mention you have to join FB  ( lolol)

I have to agree with Dusty.  Electronic dulcimer media are sending the same message as DPN to thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, more people today than DPN ever heard of.  DPN was the wonder of its time, it brought together players and builders across the country, and encouraged many, many people to take up the art and craft of dulcimer.

But as the song says, "the times they are a changing..."   I too miss the old DPN.  I always wished it could have been a monthly not a quarterly.  Back in the day, 'newsletters' were quarterly mimeographed publications of a few pages sent to a small list of subscribers.  The most successful newsletters graduated larger mailing lists and published monthly. The very best became full-fledged glossy magazines.  DPN seemed to stall half way between.  It went gloss and included ads, but never went monthly.  Knowing a bit about the history of publications, I suspect that that was the first step 'downhill' -- it failed to continue to grow.  Readers demanded more, and more frequent, information (a trend which electronic media are especially good at), but DPN never made that leap.

Ken. I appreciate your thoughts and share many of them.  Neither Acoustic Guitar nor Flatpicking Guitar Magazine are available in physical form anymore. When a new issue comes out and I get a pdf in my inbox, I skim through it once and never look again. It's not like a physical magazine that you leave on the coffee table and return to again and again.

Personally, I find I do read a bit on my medium-sized tablet.  If you don't already, you might consider getting one, and pay specific attention to the size.  Some are too big to hold comfortably, and the screens on smaller ones are too small. Find that goldilocks just-right spot for yourself.

But I question why you refer to the "small number of people on the web."  There are more members of this site than there are subscribers to DPN.  There are more dulcimer players engaging on Facebook than there are subscribers to DPN.  To be blunt, the market has spoken.  I think the first sign was when DPN stopped including classified ads.  Websites such as this one are simply much more efficient and timely for selling used instruments than is a quarterly magazine, and yet those ads were a major source of revenue.  That change was the first bit of proverbial writing on the wall.

So while I also lament the end of the hard copy of DPN, I would like to see the sunshine rather than the clouds. As you point out, the great achievement of DPN was to create and sustain a dulcimer community that was spread thin across the country.  It brought us together.  The people are still here. Dulcimer festivals are still happening, both in person and online.  While we have seen many luthiers pass away over the last few years, many are still around and lots of new ones are making wonderful instruments.  Pat Clark gets 100-200 people joining her Send in the Music dulcimer jam every single week!  DPN played an important role for many years and created the connections that have made possible the flourishing of the dulcimer community online.  Let's celebrate it for what it accomplished and what it has meant for us.  And let's celebrate the dulcimer community. We can all make music by ourselves at home, but sharing that joy with others is why we read DPN or interact on FOTMD. In the end, it's all about the people, and we're still here.

I just received the last the glossy printed issue of DPN. The next two issues, the final ones, will be printed using a Risograph machine which is a step above a mimeograph. Ashley Ernst, the publisher/editor of DPN, explains the reasons for this in this issue's editorial. I understand the reasons for this decision as the magazine folds. The editorial made me not only wax nostalgic about the early days of DPN, but also speculate what a future will be like without the quarterly journal showing up in my post office box. Almost from the inception of DPN it has been a constant companion on my dulcimer journey both hammered and mountain. It was the place I turned to for information about other players and builders. It connected me folks who shared a love of these instruments as well as kept me abreast of the what was happening in the dulcimer world. My chosen vocation kept me from attending any dulcimer festivals until late in the 1990s. Contact with other players in those days was infrequent. The magazine was there to encourage me and sustain. 

Times have changed; we all know that. Many print publications have ceased to exist or gone digital. I have to confess that when something to which I subscribed has converted to digital editions, I've stopped reading them. It's probably my age, but I find it difficult to sit with a computer on my lap to read for any length of time. The same is true for sitting in front of my desk top computer. It is more tiring on my eyes than holding and reading a paper magazine. I do read a good amount of material online, e.g., here at FOTMD, TTAD, and ED as well as at non-dulcimer related websites.

Beyond the nostalgia, I wonder what effect this will have on dulcimer makers, players, instructors, festivals, etc. One avenue of getting the word about performances and products will disappear. The sharing of dulcimer history. which for a long time was a feature of DPN, will occur now only among a small number of people on the web.The exposure of the larger dulcimer community to these niche interests will be reduced. So will the exposure of the builders, performers, merchants, and others involved with various aspects of the dulcimer world.

I know we have this site, TTAD, ED, and various social media outlets to discuss and share news about and our love the dulcimer. I participate in those, but it is not the same. The information on social media sites is transient. For the most part you can't go back and look up something that caught your attend. Websites are a little more permanent but not like the archiving of a magazine. How often does one try find a link, photo, or other file on the web only to discover it has disappeared? We live in a world of impermanence.

So what does the future hold? I don't have a crystal ball. I do have some more thoughts. We will adapt. One door closes and another one opens. I don't really know what that will be. I'm sure those who desire to share knowledge about the mountain dulcimer (and the hammered dulcimer) will find effective ways to get the word out. I'm not sure how that word will be preserved.

Lately I've been reading a few books about the Civil War. What strikes me about these books is the amount of material that comes from written diaries and letters.What will the biographers and novelists who write about our time use as primary source material?

Well, if you have read this far, I commend you for sticking with me. I am interested in what you think, so perhaps you will share your thoughts here.

Finally, thank you to all those who contributed to DPN over the years; from the publishers, to the writers, to the advertisers, to the subscribers. All you have had a tremendous influence on my life. I wish you all the best andI look forward to our next chapter whatever that may be.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Gorgeous!!    Love the singing, the song and the instrumentation!!!

Wow, Randal, you have a beautiful dulcimer and a bargain at that. I wish you well as you learn more and learn how to enjoy your special find.

Mr. Templin died at age 65, and his obituary described him as a "folk instrument builder".  He was buried from Usrey Funeral Home, Pell City, AL.

Gentlemen, I am most appreciative for the courteous and informative responses from your collective of esteemed luthiers. As of early morning this very day, I had never seen the word "luthier."

And I did peer through the sound holes I was able to see the following: Made by C. Earl Templin, Calera Alabama. How fascinating.

Apparently Mr. Templin passed away in 2008 and lived less than an hour from where I presently reside. His wife, Linda, passed away in 2021 and apparently was fond of playing the dulcimer herself, as well as the harp.

That’s all I’ve been able to gather so far on the history but I’ll keep researching and also see if I can locate a luthier in my area who can help with fashioning a bridge for it. Thanks so much for your help and Mr. Hulme, I’ll definitely take a look at your article.

Thanks again,

Randal