I've had really good results with my "Myer's Pick up" The owner asked to put me on his web site. I figure it couldn't hurt so here's the blurb. I bought it from amazon for about 130 dollars. I took off the "suction" cup because it just doesn't stay on the dulcimer. Once it was removed It lays flat. I've successfully used "command Strips" and they have not hurt my dulcimers. Although once I'm done recording with the pickup I immediately remove it. Don't want to take any chances!!

Here's the link if you want to hear it in action. By the way I'm not "promoting" him I just use it and think it's a good product. The owner is also very helpful and when I struggled to remove the suction cup he actually called me on the phone to walk me through it. It was a little tricky with the screws and eventually my husband had to use a special tool but off it came!

Take care and good luck!

Maria

Myer's Pickup Website

You're welcome Ken.  I understand this deal wasn't available when you were looking, but I thought it might help others if they wanted to actually go to a store and play with the stuff vs buying unseen/unheard.  I hope someone finds it useful.  :)

Thanks, Brian. They didn't have that deal when I was looking for one.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi all.  I just wanted to mention that Guitar Center itself is also doing a similar deal package deal on the Loudbox mini for $329.95.  Only real difference is the microphone:

Audio-Technica M4000S Handheld Dynamic Microphone

Gear One Lo-Z Mic Cable 20 Feet

Musician's Gear MS-220 Tripod Mic Stand with Fixed Boom

Fishman Loudbox Mini

Yes, I was, Ken. Can't say that happened the last time I was in. But, that's another story!

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

You we sure being nice, Ken.  I'd have called Sweetwater while the Guitar Center Manager was still standing there!  Buddy of mine did that with them over an Internet deal on a capo; they refused to sell him the store display model.

Yes, it is Dusty. I tried to get the same deal at Guitar Center. They advertise that they will meet any Internet price. Showed the salesperson the Sweetwater website. He went to talk with a manager and returned 45 minutes later. I didn't mind as I was playing guitars in their acoustic room. They told me they couldn't do it because they did not have the same brand cable. I said that it didn't matter to me, but they told me it had to be exactly the same. They were selling the Loudbox Mini for $329. I went out to their parking lot, called Sweetwater and had the package in three days.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That's a good deal, Ken. And that amp sure is a beast. It's amazingly small, but you can plug in an instrument and a vocal mic and set the volume and other controls for them separately.  The volume is more than enough for a medium-sized room.

Sweetwater has a nice deal on a Fishman Loudbox Mini with a microphone, cable, and stand for $329 which is what most places ask for just the amp. I use this now more often than plugging the instruments in to the amp. Here is the link:  http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LoudBoxMiniPK

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Ok, got it!! Thank you! Love the hat!

Basically, you got it, Dana.  I can't draw so be glad that I am not trying.

Here is a pic of me playing my Ron Ewing baritone dulcimette at the faculty concert of the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering.  There are two mics in use, one by my left foot for vocals and one by my right foot pointed directly at my dulcimer. (And notice that it doesn't have to get that close.) I switched between two dulcimers that day, and you can see that I wouldn't have to make any adjustments to the mics (although the sound guy did have some work to do in terms of equalization, I'm sure).

That day the mics probably went directly into the PA system, but when I plug in by myself, they go into my little Fishman Amp.  I'm sure there are lots of mics out there, but the Shure SM 57 is the workhorse instrument mic that is ubiquitous in studios everywhere, and the Shure SM 58 is the same but for vocals.

Ok, Dusty, I'm going to play the ignorant person here. Are you saying get a microphone stand, like what Elvis sang into (I'm showing my age and my first crush :) ) and put a mic on it called the Sure M57 and I'm assuming you place this right up close to the dulcimer?? And the Mic attaches to the amp?  If you can draw a cartoon, that would be even better. :) :) 

Folks, I am no technophile, and maybe that's the problem. I've spent time trying to find a good external pickup (long ago I gave up on finding great ones) and do have some ideas about how to attach them with no risk to your dulcimer's finish.  I've posted that in other discussions here and will edit my comments with a link if I can find them.

However, over time I've just come to accept that (as Paul and Robin have said) a good mic such as the Shure M57 is the best way to go.  It is also the simplest in the sense that you don't have to struggle with puddy or double-sided tape or anything.  And you can switch instruments with no adjustments.  A couple of months ago I played a short gig and was using two dulcimers. One has an internal pickup and one doesn't.  But rather than work with the internal pickup and then a mic, I just used the mic for both. The sound guy had me play both instruments, noted what his settings should be, and all I had to do was play.  No plugging in pickups, no transfering from one instrument to another. It couldn't have been simpler, and the sound was an accurate representation of the acoustic sound of my instruments.

For about $110 you can get a Sure M57, a mic stand, and an XLR cable. Check out Ebay or occasional sales at Guitar Center or Sweetwater or Musician's Friend or wherever.

I totally agree with Phil on the Schatten Dualie.  In fact, I did a demo video on it some time ago.  The Schatten folks are really nice, too.  I wrote them about what kind of double sided tape to use (mine is one of the 1st imported into the USA.)  They sent me the new putty at no charge.  I got it use on nylon string guitars so I could sound like Willie Nelson  ROFL.

The Schatten comes with putty that works well and doesn't leave a residue

Okay great! Phil, on that Shatten, do you also use the double sided tape? And it holds? (ken you pretty much know everything, don't you? :) ) Yall are such a fantastic resource!

The best external pickup I have found is a Schatten Dualie. Depending on what kind of amp you have, it may require a preamp. I stick it on the back of my dulcimer so it is not in the way. here's a link to it on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Schatten-Dualie-OutsideR-External-Pickup-Jack/dp/B002MVJQMS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1470256064&sr=8-2&keywords=schatten+dualie

Also, the best acoustic amp I have found is a Fishman Loudbox Mini. It weighs only 20 pounds and no preamp needed.

https://www.amazon.com/Fishman-Loudbox-Acoustic-Instrument-Amplifier/dp/B003S3S0DU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470256393&sr=8-1&keywords=fishman+loudbox+mini

A small bit of double sided tape works simply and easily.  You may not want to leave the pickup attached for a long time (weeks) though, it can dull the finish.  I use a simple $3 Ebay pickup and a bit of tape on my Virginia Hog Fiddle for playing at Open Mics. 

There are two kinds of double sided tape -- one that is foam rubber with sticky on both sides -- the other looks like ordinary Scotch tape.  That's the one you want to use.  The foam tape deadens the ability of the pickup to sense fine vibrations and you lose sound quality.

Okay, I'm gonna revive this thread because I want to know the best way to use my little amp with my dulcimers who aren't fortunate enough to have an internal pickup. I have a little mic I can clip onto a plastic thumb pick that is wedged into a sound hole, but that doesn't work my small blue lion holes. Any other suggestions? Yall are using a lot of terms I don't understand. :) 

I would have to say that I agree with you there Paul. A mic' into the pa gives the best acoustic sound. I usually use a Sure SM57 - nice and robust, reliable and directional. They are around $80. You can get a stronger signal off of an undersaddle transducer but you then color the tone, in the same wayas an undersaddle transducer does on an acoustic guitar - they are not'bad' just different to the pure acoustic sound. If I neededI high level ofoutput then I could be tempted to just go fully electric - but I can't see me doing that personally as it would not suit the music I want to play.

The best amplified acoustic sound you will get is from a good mic and a PA. A guitar amp is designed primarily for a magnetic pickup. This will give your dulcimer an electric guitar sound. If this is the sound you want, that's what you do to get it. If you want an amplified sound as close as possible to the acoustic sound of your dulcimer, a good mic and PA is the best way to go. The problem here is the expense can be more than some of us want to spend, for casual gigs. Somewhere in the $600 and up range for the PA, and at least $100 for the mic. Add ons such as equalizers or pre amps may send it up a good bit more. And studio quality mics are delicate things no one wants to use in a live situation where travel is involved. These mics can run to as much as several thousand dollars each. Large studios use them, they put them away after the session is finished. There are guitar amps designed with the idea of amplifying acoustic guitars, and these can be a good compromise instead of a PA. Most have 2 to 4 inputs, probably not more. Mine will take a guitar or a bass, and a vocal mic. I have run it with a guitar, bass and a mic, but it isn't really intended for a multi-instrument set up. The PA is the better choice if you want to plug multiple players and vocal mics into it. Unless everyone brings their own amp.

Mics are made with different pick up patterns, as Robin said above. Uni directional mics are semi deaf in certain directions. This keeps the clacking of the pool table in the audience from being as loud as the dulcimer-or louder! It also keeps your sound your, not the player next to you. An omni directional mic will pick up in all directions. I have a couple that pick up every conversation in a coffee shop. In a place where not everyone in the audience is there for the music, this can be a problem. And crowd sounds, especially clapping, can be deafening. We point the mic at the singer or instrument, and turn the deaf side towards the crowd. For recording a large group such as a choir with one mic, an omni may be better, but choirs are seldom booked into coffee shops and bars. A concert hall is generally a quieter place.

Paul

One of the issues with piezo transducers is that there sensitivity changes depending on the pressure they are under. You can hear this yourself with a stick-on. Just put a finger on it when you play and you'll hear the bass response and overall volume improve. This is why they work best as an under-saddle system where they are under load.

Don't write-off a uni-directional mic as an option. For the most natural sound then this could be the best way to go.

I have a couple of rather expensive guitar pickups that I use occasionally. I also made my own with Radio Shack parts for less than $5.00 each. You need the Piezo Transducer Part # 273-0073 and attach it to a 1/4" Stereo in-line jack Part # 274-0141. These are easy to put together and I stick them on with a small drop of hot glue. Just play around with the best place to attach them for the best pickup sound. Enjoy.

There is generally a certain spot that sounds best to your ears. Try moving the pickup to a variety of locations, and listening to how the sound changes in each spot. Some will be brighter, some more mellow. Set the amp completely flat, and find the spot that sounds best. "Flat" means with no bass, mid or treble controls boosted from their zero position. Then try changing the amp settings and see what sounds best. When you identify the sweet spot for the pickup, measure it from a couple of reference points and mark it down. When you find the amp settings you like, mark those down, too. Keep this in your case, and when you go to play, you can start with these settings. You may need to adjust the amp to suit the location, but it should get you in the ballpark for starters. A standard dulcimer has only one bass string, and it's on the high end of the bass register at that. This dictates that it produces a somewhat bright sound. Locating the pickup on the melody side of the top will magnify this treble, while a spot on the bass side will emphasize lower sounds. Toward the bridge will be brighter also, and toward the nut is a little deeper. If you go too far away from the treble, the melody might not stand out enough against the drones or chords. Have fun learning what location does to your sound, the putty lasts a long time, and is cheap to replace. If you play a baritone or bass dulcimer, there will be a lot more low end to the sound, and you most likely would prefer a different location. Even in the same register, each dulcimer will have the sweet spot in a different location, so experiment with each one you plan to use the pickup on.

Paul

I use the same stuff that Garey McAnally uses (Plastitac, Blutack) and it works well. Easy to remove from the instrument after using.