ff,I miss the Mize a tiny bit; the greatest part of me is happy about the dulcimer finding a new home.Robin

I'm glad it gone to someone who can enjoy it, wooden pegs and all. However, if it had been me and I loved the sound of the instrument, I would have changed the tuners. I know, I know, I'm a Philistine ;-) but unless an instrument has great historical value and belongs in a museum, I'd want to be able to play it.

Shas,It is a beauty and those gorgeous pegs are a part of it. I'm glad Greg is the new owner and hope he gets to enjoy it for a loooooong time! :-)Robin

Barbara,Greg R owns this beauty now and I think he likes it!Robin

Greg, I wish you a long happy life and hope the Mize ages well right alongside you!Robin

Here's hoping you two have a long and fruitful relationship!

Greg Riggs said:

I consider myself it's permanent owner as I do not plan on passing it on to another "custodian".

Are you planning on outliving the dulcimer? ;)


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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

Thank you, Suzanne. The Mize is going to a good home!Robin

Lisa,I've struggled over what to do with the instrument because the thing should be played and, this year, it's been played sparingly. (My hands are probably in as good a shape as they're going to be and, over time, won't be better than they are now. Doggone it.) The fiddle fine tuners were a good attempt to get the instrument to where I could handle tuning better-- it just didn't work out for me.I hope the dulcimer will give joy to its new 'custodian'.Robin

Robin, I think it's great that your Mize will remain in its original condition when it goes to its next 'custodian'. You'll get another dulcimer that will be just right for you!


--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

Thanks, Ken, for the chart.Alas, the Mize will have a new owner before long-- an owner who likes wooden pegs!Robin

So... I went to the Perfection website, and here's part of their table of diffeerent sizes of tuners they make"The diameter in mm is the size of the large holes.Item#..........mm dia....used forP1VN44..........7.8........4/4 violin, 14" and larger violaP1VN34..........7.8........3/4-1/2 violin, 12"-13" violaP1VC44........12.0.......4/4 celloP1VC34........12.0.......3/4-1/2 celloP1VN44OS.....8.3.......4/4 violin, 14" and larger violaP1VN44OS9...9.0.......4/4 violin, 14" and larger viola

Smart man, that hubby of yours....The "final option" IMHO would be to have 'ordinary' planetary tuners installed - like the ones Nic Hambas uses. They would minimally impact the peghead, and we know they work fine.

Thank you, Sherry. Although not pristine-- there are small dings here and there-- it is a beauty.Robin

That's a good idea, Bill. Thanks for the suggestion!RobinPS-My husband tells me not to sell my Mize!

Robin,one other thing you could try is contact John Huron at noteworthy instruments and see if he can help you. He is located in Bristol Tenn, he worked under Bob Mize before he went out on his own.Bill

Ken,When I took the instrument to Prussia Valley, Gary seemed to think that even the viola-sized pegs would be too small. (He only had the fiddle pegs in stock so he couldn't be sure about the sizing.) The holes on the Mize are pretty good-sized and the pegs are beefy.Some months back when I posted on the builder's forum on ED to get a luthier's perspective about what to do with my Mize, Ken Bloom posted, saying, in effect, that he knew Bob Mize and Mr Mize would've been in favor of matching the instrument to the needs of the player. So, that sent me to Prussia Valley to check out the Perfection Pegs. Since Pefections, Pegheads, etc., are being put onto valuable violins, that style of peg would've, I thought, have been suitable for the Mize. Doggone it that they didn't fit.By the way, any pictures of the old dulcimer you picked up for a song? :-)Robin

Perfection makes both Violin sized Pegs and Viola sized pegs which are larger. You might want to get the shaft specification for the viola pegs... shame not to play it more...

Ken,The holes in the peg head are too big for Perfection pegs; I took it to Prussia Valley back in the spring because I thought about doing that very thing.I've had thoughts knocking around over what to do with this dulcimer. The critter's too nice to not get played any more than it does!Robin

Here's a full shot of the Mize:

I would spend $50-$60 on a set of Perfection tuning pegs. They look like and fit on a dulcimer just like violin pegs, except they have gears inside and tune like a geared tuner. Gary at Prussia Valley quoted me $52, I think, for the set of four. Make a pretty little doeskin bag to contain the original wooden tuners and hang it from the headstock. If you ever sell the instrument, swap out the Perfection pegs for the originals.I'm about ready to get a set for a vintage dulcimer I picked up for a song, so i can play lots of song easier....

The photo does not do justice to the wooden peg tuners-- the wood is exquisite. I'm considering selling the instrument because I'd prefer the wooden pegs to stay on the instrument and am imagining a person interested in buying a Mize would buy because it's a Mize.Y'all are right-- if mechanical pegs were to be put on this instrument, good planetary tuners would be the way to go.

I can see both sides of the value/playability issues. But to me, I do tend to want to keep a dulcimer the way the builder intended it to be, and if it's not what I want then I would sell that dulcimer to someone who wants those features, and buy a dulcimer that has what I want....especially if it means I would not lose money in the long run. ;)But I certainly agree with Rod in saying any geared tuners you might put on that dulcimer really ought to be good quality planetary tuners. The planets will function better, you won't need fine tuners anymore, and they will jut out from the peghead at the same angle as the old wooden pegs- an important part of your dulcimer's personality.If you look at my Keith Young dulcimer in the logo on the top of every page here, you'll see "5 Star" brand planetary tuners. Great tuners, not cheap, but...when new, the plastic buttons on the ends were a hideous pearly glaring white- very fake-o plastic looking. I could not bear looking at them so I immediately painted them a nice old ivory color with oil based paint, then varnished that. They looked like ivoroid buttons then, matched the bone nut and bridge, and in the years since they've aged nicely, with just the right amount of grubbiness to look good and compliment the rich wood. Sort of 'shabby chic'. ;DIf you did change, be sure to KEEP the original pegs (even if the holes get enlarged in the process), and make sure you get planetary tuners for dulcimers, not for banjos. Different size.


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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

Rod, every dulcimer I own is for playing!I'm glad there are folks who collect dulcimers and I'm glad not to be one of them :-) I see the collector as a person who honors the past and the future by taking care of dulcimers now, dulcimers that are historically significant for some reason.I got this Mize from Goodwill online-- came from the Goodwill in Albuquerque-- and was pleasantly surprised when I won the bid. With shipping & packing, the whole shebang cost just under $100. The instrument was in very good condition, especially considering it came with no case. I've added the fine tuners, got a case, and it's been re-strung a time or two. A collector would strip away the fine tuners, for sure ;-)

I bknow it's a rough choice... but is it a playing dulcimer or collecting dulcimer... I would think about putting planetary tunes on it if you want to keep playing it... they tend to look better than guitar style tuners... the big thing to me (just me) but playability is more important than vaule...

Here are a couple of close-up photos of the peghead and upper bout. Later, I'll give a go at getting a good shot of the whole dulcimer. (I'm having trouble figuring out iPhoto & my camera, so my apologies for not having better photos to show at the moment.)

Seeing a picture might help me make better informed suggestions.One thing I 'would' say is that if you get rid of the original wooden tuning pegs it will make it worth substantially less than it's worth now. Whether you should switch the tuners to make it playable for you is a personal choice, but you should know that it will devalue the dulcimer somewhat.For what it's worth- a decent luthier or violin repairman should be able to get the pegs working pretty smoothly. For some people that's not enough though.I'd love to see a photo of the dulcimer in any case- can you post one here?


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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

I love my Mize dulcimer. My hands-- got physical problems-- don't like the gorgeous wooden pegs it has. Do I sell it? Do I hang onto it because it's a Mize and the butternut top is so pretty? I don't want to hang it on a wall to look at-- a dulcimer, unless it's a Pritchard, Thomas, etc., is made for playing!I've got fiddle fine tuners on it just below the bridge and I don't like having them there for a few reasons-- I don't like the way they look, they score the wood some, they can only be used for sweetening the tuning on an almost in tune dulcimer. Although I've seen a photo where J Ritchie has got a fine tuner stuck on a dulcimer up near the peghead, I'm still not crazy about having them on my Mize. ;-)What would you do with the Mize?
updated by @robin-thompson: 06/08/16 09:24:05PM