Hey, Dana! You're welcome! Have you tried them, yet? If so, what do you think?

Dana R. McCall said:

Thanks for all the info everyone. Have my first replacement strings coming from Prussia Valley.

The Elixir wrapped strings sound intriguing Dewey.

Now I just have to spend more time playing and less time on this forum!

Ken, thank you for reminding me of that site - I had ordered from them years ago and found them fast and reliable.

Ken Hulme said:

Hey Dewey thanks for the info on the Elixir wrapped strings.

Welcome to the forum, and the world of dulcimers, Garland. I personally use .024, .016, and .012. on my Gallier A-frame. I have tried several different sizes and combinations, but keep coming back to these 3 sizes for my A-frame. I think my McSpadden has the same sizes as yours.

By the way, if you get tired of the scratching noise when you slide your finger on the wrapped base string (you'll really notice it on recordings), I find that the Elixir brand wrapped strings are virtually silent. They are micro-coated with something to fill in the cracks between the wraps, and also make the string slicker. They cost a little more but they last a good deal longer than the common brands as well.

Dewey

A good online source for strings, individually or in sets, brand name or inexpensive generic is www.juststrings.com . There is little or no difference between a brand name string and a generic, as the same handful of wire-drawing companies make all of them as spools of wire which are cut, ended and packaged by a lot of companies.

One careful squeeze with a small pair of well positioned pliers is all it takes ! The resulting 'loop' may be a tad smaller than expected tho ?

JohnH James Phillips said:

As well, they can pop the ball out of the guitar strings as well. I don't know about your local music shop, but I know CV Lloydd does that for free, at least for me.

Garland, regardless of what gauge strings you use, please note Dana's original post. There is no difference between dulcimer strings and guitar strings. You can just go into any local music store and ask for acoustic guitar strings. There is no need to buy complete sets and no need to buy anything specifically labeled "dulcimer strings."

Thanks everyone,

I did find strings at Prussia Valley Dulcimers. Their shopping cart was nicely laid out and let me specify whether I wanted ball or loop ends. I ordered two more of each string I needed.

Good point about trying different guages, Garey. I was really just going with what the maker specified for now, As I get braver, I may try other ones. For now, I just wanted backup strings in case one broke.

You can by individual strings. They are guitar strings. Just order those sizes in the ball end. Most music stores carry single strings.

My first mountain dulcimer just arrived. I would like to have a backup set of strings so that if one breaks, I don't have to stop playing.

The maker, Tom Fellenbaum strung it with .012, .012, .016, .026 ball-end bronze wound strings. His instructions say I can vary them by up to .002 without affecting the sound or playability.

I had a look online for strings, but am having difficulty finding a set that comes close to this. Can someone point me in the right direction to find a source?

Thanks,