Forum Activity for @ken-longfield

Perhaps when the dulcimers were made in "factory" style someone had the responsibility of measuring the instruments for a brochure and measured incorrectly. No one checked. They just accepted what he submitted. A spec list provides the maker the maker a description to put in advertising. Widths especially can change depending upon the outward pressure on molds. Now that you have a single builder doing all the work there should be a better consistency. Looks like he just gave the specs as previously noted without checking for himself.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I finally had a successful transesophageal echocardiogram yesterday. Next step is cathertrization and then on to open heart surgery. Moving along.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That's great. Have fun playing.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks Lisa and Nathina. I knew Jim was going to help for a while, but I didn't realize he had not left yet. That's good to know. Glad you were able to learn something about your dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Jim Woods sold McSpadden and The Dulcimer Shoppe. The new owner's name is Tim, but I can't recall his surname. Anyone you talk with at McSpadden will be more than happy to help though.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I am puzzled by the 29.25 inch VSL. Your tape measure clearly shows it as 28.25 inch. Maybe David (the builder) is measuring the whole distance of the fret board. I wouldn't worry about it too much. 28.25 is a nice length for noter/drone style playing.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Enjoy your new dulcimer. You should have fun playing it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The hole for the end pin jack is about 3/8th inch if I recall correctly. The hole for the pickup wire goes through the area under the bridge, so it goes through the fret board and the sound board. I think that was maybe a 3/64th inch hole. It just has to be big enough for the wires to go through. Once the pickup wires go into the cavity of the dulcimer you need to find a way to pull them out of the end pin jack hole and then solder them to the pickup. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Yes, you need two pull out the old bridge, drill a hole for the wire to pass through in to the body of the dulcimer. You also need to drill a hole through the tail piece in to the body of the dulcimer for the output jack. It requires some soldering of the wires from the pickup to the output jack. The output jack becomes the strap button.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song"

Yes, they go under the bridge/saddle of the dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I, too, will be interested in your reaction to these pickups. I started out with the Schaller Oyster and also tried the Dean Markley Artist pickup. Both created too much ambient noise as I handled the dulcimer. I switched to under saddle piezo pickups and have been happy with them.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Another option is to take it to music store and have them measure the diameter of the strings on the dulcimer using a micrometer. You can then purchase the same gauge strings.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

You're welcome.

Just to help you out, here is the direct link: https://reverb.com/item/35152048-aw-jeffreys-dulcimer

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

You have a nice instrument. Enjoy your dulcimer. I think it is a real treasure.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

When I replace my strings do they include the chenille wrap on the loop ends that looks like fly fishing wrap?

No, if you buy dulcimer string sets. I am not aware of any manufacturers who offer this.

Why did they wrap the loop end with chenille?

This is a feature of some banjo strings. The chenille was added to prevent overtones and the string rattling on the banjo tailpiece which is made of metal. Dulcimer players would buy banjo strings in the proper gauges to put on their dulcimers because they were loop end strings. This was before dulcimer string sets became readily available. Under tension dulcimer strings can eat in to the end of the fret board depending upon how they are attached and chenille my help prevent this.

If by chance you say new strings do not include chenille loop ends since that was done in the 70’s, then why not wrap them any more?

Banjos still have metal tailpieces. Again, I am not aware of dulcimer string sets that come with chenille wrap.

Do new steel strings stretch like ukulele strings after they’re installed?

No, steel string stretch, but not as much as nylon ukulele strings. After steel strings are brought up to the proper pitch, they will stretch a little and need to be tightened. Like other materials, steel is subject to expanding when hot and shrinking when cold, so changes in temperature will require tuning. So will changes in humidity as that effects the wood of the dulcimer.

You can purchase strings for you dulcimer from The Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View, Arkansas. They offer sets for DAA or DAd tunings.

I hope this helps you.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

It looks like string tension has pulled the pins toward the saddle. One reason this could happen is the pins are too short to take the pressure of a tightened string. Ken's suggestion to use at least 1" brads is one solution. Another reason this could have occurred is that the wood is not very hard. And yet another is too much pressure on the pins from over tuning. Two other solutions for this problem are to use screws instead of brads or to move the brads from their current position to the end of the dulcimer. The latter might cause the strings to imbed themselves in the end of the fret board as they pass over the top of the dulcimer.

The saddle in the second photo shows quite a bit of damage and needs to be replaced. In replacing it you need to measure its size; length, width, height. If you can't find the exact size for replacement you will need to purchase something a little larger and sand it down. Two places to look for parts for dulcimers are www.folkcraft.com  and https://mcspaddendulcimers.com .  You may have to search the sites to find what you want.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Mike, without a photo to see exactly what is going on with the dulcimers, I'm giving advice blindly.You could pull out all the string anchors and fill the holes with some type of wood. If it is a small hole, you might be able to use a round tooth pick. for slightly larger holes you might find a dowel that fits. Once glued in you can put in either small brads or nails. Not knowing how thick the end block is, it could be that the anchors don't go far enough in to the block not to bend. Another option is to use small #2 brass screws of 1/2" to 3/4".

I hope this helps with your problem. If not, feel free to ask again.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Sure, Dusty, I'll send you 3 bucks as soon as I find a few herds of deer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I'm curious to know if anyone here is planning to bid on this dulcimer. 

http://www.cmt.com/news/1824963/take-this-swarovski-crystal-studded-four-string-dulcimer-off-dolly-partons-hands/

It should be a nice addition to anyone's dulcimer collection.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 Unknown.jpeg - 12KB

I wish I could help you, but I can't. The shape is the Fender 355 shape which is also made by D'Andrea. I am not aware of anyone selling a white triangular pick which has red dots imbedded in it. I can't tell from the photo, but the picks looks to be a thick one. I have some white picks in that shape from Folkcraft when it was in Connecticut, but not with the red dots. I don't think those dots where there when the pick was manufactured.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I have two dulcimers with built in piezo under saddle pickups. I think both do a very good job of reproducing the acoustic sound of the instruments. I used stick-on piezo pickups for a long time, but they not only amplified the sound of the strings, but also amplified pick noise and any touching of the dulcimer. Using a microphone can be tricky in that you need to find the proper placement for it. One reason I stopped using a microphone is a sound tech at a festival I was playing at insisted that the mic be suspended over the dulcimer. Well, when the mic slipped out of the holder and fell on top of the dulcimer, that was it for me. I went to direct plug-in.

As to magnetic pickups, I have no experience with them on a dulcimer. I know Folkcraft is now offering them on some models. I am not aware of anyone selling magnetic pickups for dulcimers, but maybe you do.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I'll second Strumelia's post. Randy Adams is a national dulcimer treasure and I'm happy to own an instrument he made which uses toothpicks for frets.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

People tend to forget that for a good long time McSpadden dulcimers were made from laminated wood. It was used primarily in the back and sides. The reason the David Schnaufer model was discontinued is that the laminated cherry wood that he specified for the back and sides was no longer available. An advantage of laminated wood is that it is more stable than solid wood. A disadvantage is that it can be heavier than the same amount of solid wood depending upon variations in thickness.

I sometimes build a dulcimer with a spruce or cedar top, not for reasons of sound, but because I like the contrast in the woods; a light top and and a dark bottom.

Over the years I've made some very nice sounding instruments for low quality wood and some real clunkers from very nice wood. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Marg, I can't tell from the photos. Are all six guitar strings the same gauge (thickness)? I am guess that the tuners for those strings have the tuning knobs below the peg head. It looks to me like there are two sets of three strings down the center. I am puzzled as to why the two dulcimer fret boards face in the same direction. Are both tuned the same? Is one equal string spacing and the other with a double melody string? I am having trouble understanding the purpose of this design.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

And that's not all Leo, 200 hammered dulcimers, one guitar, and various other instruments.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

It is with great sadness that I share the news of the death of my friend, Dr. George Orthey. During his lifetime he built over 1,500 dulcimers and 1,500 autoharps. An article about George appeared in Dulcimer Players News, Vol. 13, No. 1, Winter, 1987.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I hope the rolling black outs don't cause your AC to go out or do you have a back up generator. Our son and his family live way south of you in Van Nuys and they've been having this heat as well. Stay cool inside and play dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Guitars and banjos need truss rods to stabilize the neck because of the pressure from the strings. On most dulcimers the strings are not anchored to the neck but to the peg head and the tail piece With a fret board spanning the length of the sound box, it acts as a truss rod preventing the dulcimer from warping by pulling up at either end. I have a dulcimer I built 46 years ago which has a cantilevered fret board. To keep the fret board from warping, I made it out of three pieces of wood glued together. It is still flat. Unless there is pressure from the strings or the wood used for construction was not well seasoned you should not have any warping on a mountain dulcimer. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks Robin. Randy is a very patient teacher whether with children or adults.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hello, Gary, I'm glad you are getting back in to playing your dulcimer. I can't really add to what KenH and John have said. Just sit down and play as often as you can. Enjoy.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I've switched from Pegheds to Wittner geared tuners. I think the tuning is a little more precise. You would be in big trouble if you cut the button off as the gears are in the button rather than the shaft.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The wood appears to be a type of mahogany used by many builders of inexpensive dulcimers in the late 1960s and 1970s. I can't tell if the top and back are plywood, but I suspect that the sides are. If the peg head and fret board are a single piece of wood the that is mahogany. The side view of with pegs definitely shows a piece of mahogany.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Jergen, if you mean that the thickness is not given in millimeters, you are correct. Here is the website describing the three gauges of the picks: thin, medium, and thick.  Herdim Picks

I'm not sure, but I think the points have more to do with stiffness, rather than thickness, with I being the least stiff and III being the stiffest. As I noted below, people have measured the thickness of the pick and points, but the measurements vary widely.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank you, Dusty.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Well, I finally finish the restoration of a Pennsylvania German zitter. I purchased two of them back in the Fall of 2019. The other one was easier to restore as I just had to repair a few cracks and reglue some joints. The top on the one I just finished was beyond repair and I had to make a new top. Here is the instrument.

Ken,

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 IMG_4349.jpeg - 106KB

I may have to adjust my guess of the age of this instrument as it has no 6 1/2 fret that I can see. If someone were going for a traditional dulcimore, I understand leaving out that fret, but since at least the mid 1970s the 6 1/2 has been basically standard.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I have no idea who made that dulcimer. I doubt that the peg head and tailpiece are carved. It looks like a simple cut with a band saw. From the look of the tuning pegs, it would guess it was made within the last 20 years or so.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Dictum, the company in Germany who makes the Herdim picks, says that they began making them in the 1960s for guitar players and developed by Gunther Dick. There are three gauges of picks; yellow, thin; red, medium; and blue, thick. On each pick there are three points: I is thin, II is medium, and III is thick. Folks have measured the various thickness of points on each pick, but the measurements vary depending upon who does the measuring. I use the blue pick and mostly play with I point.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Here is a link to the issue of DPN in which my article on Everything Dulcimer appears. It is on page 33.

https://issuu.com/dulcimerplayersnewsinc/docs/120823190208-24b1ef20f89d4e1e9cbb6004cdabb332

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."