Sheryl, I will eventually share the information I collected including the pictures. Right now I am working with this information and with Ralph Lee Smith on an article for DPN.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Thank you, Sheryl. Recently I was able to examine the instruments (PA German zithers) in the collection of the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum that are pictured in L. Allen Smith's "A Catalogue of Pre-Revival Appalachian Dulcimers." Unfortunately none of zithers are on public display. While doing so I found that there is another one in the collection that Allen did not examine. Perhaps it was not there when he visited. I also examined that one taking photos, measuring, and tracing it. These are very interesting instruments.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Thanks for sharing that information. I haven't liked the slot head screws either. I will have to try this on one of my dulcimers that still has the Champions on it.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Sheryl, you're welcome. Here ia a fake book that I use occasionally, but like. http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Fake-Book-Instruments/dp/0793529395 I use it occasionally because I don't own it, but my son does. So when I visit him in California I dig it out and play some tunes. If you like fiddle tunes, the Fiddlers' Fake Book is excellent. Many of those songs need to be transposed. Many fiddle tunes are in "A" but quite a few are in "D." Again, I don't own, but my son does. You can get fake books for many genres of music.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
A fake book usually contains the words to a song and a simple melody accompaniment. Chords may be inserted above the music staff as names "E," "A," "D," etc. It is up to you to figure out any chordal or harmony accompaniment. In other words, it gives you the bones to the song and it is up to you to put flesh on them. I like fake books in the key of C because they easily can be played in DAA.
Ken
"The dulcmer sings a sweet song."
That's great Lisa. Keep up the good work.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Thanks Jim. I appreciate you comment.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I'm coming in to this discussion a little late. I have a MacBookPro and use GarageBand to do audio recordings with the built-in microphone. In GB I choose the acoustic guitar setting and then adjust it by turning down the treble setting and turning up the bass setting. If you listen to the second scheitholt podcast at dulcimuse.com, I recorded the piece I played on my Mac.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Sheryl, if you need a red herdim, let me know. I've been selling out my inventory and I think I still have some red ones left. They are a dollar each.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Aw, Lisa, now you've gone and made me want to dig out my bones and give it a try again. I have one set made of walnut and another set, I think, of cherry. Glad you are trying the bones again.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song.
Marg, I was only trying to clarify something. The washers that John talks about go between the wood and the metal parts of the tuner. What I think you are referring to is a small washer that goes between the head of the screw and the top of the button. I think you might have a difficult time finding a washer that small. If you can't find any let me know. I might have some in my spare parts box.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Marg, are you talking about a small washer between the hole in the tuner's button and the screw? It would fit in the small indentation just under the head of the screw?
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Those look like Grover Champion Ukelele pegs.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
John covered it well. Often when going from violin pegs to planetary pegs the holes need to be enlarged. That's happens going to Sta-Tites or Grover Champions, both of which are mechanical friction pegs.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Randy, thanks for the Robert Force video. Cornwall is a nice piece.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Bob, thanks for sharing Randy's video. It addresses this question well.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Playing guitar, banjo, and (occasionally) mandolin besides my dulcimers, I am always dealing with different size (length) fret boards. It's never been a problem.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I'll second or third (whatever) the recommendation of the stands from the Dulcimer Bag Lady. It is the sturdiest dulcimer stand I have ever seen. My understanding is that they are still being made by Doug's son and are available. If you have a large do, it is not a good idea to store your dulcimer where the dog's tail can hit the stand. I have repaired several dulcimers which were knocked off stands by a dog's tail. Dulcimers on stands also should be kept out the reach of small children.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
A little shameless self-promotion here, but I want to let everyone know that Patricia and Wayne have the latest episode posted.
http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/003.html
Enjoy it folks.
Ken
"The dulcimer plays a sweet song."
It looks like a relatively simple repair to me. Certainly worth it if the price stays low, although at the moment it is just under $100 with the shipping.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Here is a link to Clifford's obituary for anyone insterested: http://www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com/obituary.php?name=1483
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
At McSpadden I bought a couple of books, picks and noters, no dulcimer, but I had just built my first dulcimer.
I have several Snarks but I don't use them heavily. Snarks are prone to breaking at the pivot point which is the weakest place. Although they cost a little more, my favorite clip on tuner is the Intellitouch PT-10. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PT10C I use it on my dulcimers, banjos, and guitars.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Hello Jimmy. We visited McSpadden and the Ozark Folk Center in 1974. My wife and I camped at Blanchard Springs Campground. We visited with Lynn McSpadden and also took in an evening concert at the Folk Center. I remember Jimmy Driftwood as part of the concert and some other folks from Mt. View. I'm not sure, but I think Elliot Hancock played the dulcimer during the concert. Most of the photos from that trip are on paper and I haven't scanned them in the computer. I do have these two photos of the Dulcimer Shoppe.
The date of Clifford's death is July 18, 2015 in case anyone is interested.
I just read at Banjo Hangout that dulcimer and banjo maker, Clifford Glenn, has died. He was 79 years old and has been in failing health. I have not been able to indepently verify this at the present time. Just want to let folks know. Clifford's family and friends are in my prayers.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I agree with Rob.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
If you can find a copy of The Autoharp Book by Becky Blackley, many of your questions will be answered. The book is a bit dated as it was published in 1983, so it does not take in to account the many improvements made in the autoharp by individual builders over the past 32 years. While there are not as many autoharp festivals as dulcimer festivals, they do exist. I highly recommend participating the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering here in Pennsylvania. It takes place the last full week in June every year. Some dulcimer festivals offer a workshop or two on autoharp. MEG stands for Music Education Group and Oscar Schmidt sold a couple of models of autoharps with the MEG label on them. I think some of the first 21 chord harps were sold with the MEG label.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Here you are Dusty. During the time that Lynn McSpadden owned the company some of the dulcimers were made from solid wood. These were the higher priced models. From my converstations with Lynn, the reason he gave for using plywood for back and sides was to insure a consistent quality of sound and construction as the plywood would be more stable than solid wood. This also accounted for there being only two types of wood offered; cherry and walnut. When Jim Woods acquired McSpadden all solid wood became the standard. I do not know the reason for this, but it may be due to discontinued production of the plywood used to make the dulcimers. I understand that the David Schnauffer model was discontinued because McSpadden could no longer get the cherry plywood that David specified for his signature model. Maybe this is more than you wanted to know. Now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Probably the one thing you should know about McSpadden instruments is that they are high quality instruments that hold up well. The usual cautions about used instruments certainly apply. You want to make sure that there is no damage or bad repairs. Check to make sure the frets are smooth and level. If you can not see the instrument in person, make sure you can return it if not satisfied. McSpadden dulcimers hold up very well.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
This will be wondnerful Lisa. Thanks for taking on this project.
Ken
"The dulcmer sings a sweet song."
LOL, Lisa. We are all discovering new things with the new site. You are doing a great job keeping things running smoothly. I hope you still have all of you hair, wits, and patience. Thanks.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
For me it does, Lisa, but I can't answer for the others. I noticed that if you put your cursor over the last posters' name, you will see when they posted the last response.
Wow, I learned something new. Thanks Lisa.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I remember dulcimers being for sale in a gift shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I don't know if that is still the case. That was over 40 years ago.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
For the most part my go-to dulcimer is my all walnut Folkcraft FSH. When I'm playing noter/drone it is either my J.E. Thomas or the Prichard reproduction dulcimer I made. Because my Blue Lion has a built-in pick-up, I often use that one when playing out in noisy venues.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Carl Gotzmer makes very good instruments. Here is a link to the June Apple Cellomer page. http://www.juneappledulcimers.com/pages/Cellomer/ I would not play it as a bowed dulcimer. I would play it as a regular dulcimer. I hope you got a good deal on it.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
