Ken Hulme
Thanks for replying. I downloaded your article. Lots of good information! It answered a lot of questions that we have had; also a lot of stuff for us to learn. Thanks so much for providing the article; know you must have put a lot of work into it.
I will be sure to join the Beginners Players Group. Thanks for suggesting it.
Ken Longfield
Thanks so much for helping with the question about the depth of the sides.
The information about the factors that can change the sound are very interesting. I tried strumming in various places and the differences were very obvious. Had lots of fun trying that.
The answer was simple enough for me to understand; very much appreciated!
Welcome to the world of dulcimers! The other Ken has given you a good answer about depth of sides and factors influencing sound. I'm going to suggest that you all take a gander at the essay I wrote years ago for new players. It's called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? . It's an illustrated glossary of terms, so we all speak the same jargon, plus answers to many beginner questions about tuning, playing, care and feeding of your new friends... You can find the article in our Beginner Players Group (you just have to "join" the Group), and download it free:
Ken Hulme's "I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What?" Article - Strumelia | fotmd.com
IThe link is in the first post at the bottom of the Topic...
Let me answer your question, but first help you with some terminology. What you are asking is "does the 'depth' of the sides not the 'thickness' influence the sound."] Both will influence the sound of the dulcimer. Stiffer sides generally help with projection of the sound. The thickness of the sides is usually between 1/8 th and 1/10 th of an inch and helps create the stiffness. Depth can vary as you've noticed. Deeper sides tend to emphasize the bass sounds, but other factors come in to play. The vibrating string length (VSL), the types of wood used, the strength of the glue joints, the type of strings, how you play it, etc. all influence sound. Notice how different the dulcimer sounds when you play close to the bridge, over the strum hollow, over the fret board.
I hope this answer was simple enough, but still gives you some other information to expand your knowledge of the dulcimer.
Enjoy your dulcimer journey. Play well. Be safe.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Wow. What a lot of great information. Thanks so much for all the responses.
To answer the questions:
I think its a deering because it has a tag inside that I believe says Deering Stringed instruments. The letters are very curved and hard for me to read though.
She is currently playing it equidistant but also moves it to play double melody strings.
The pictures in the advertisement looks just like hers, particularly the head and the thicker sides. The sides on hers is 2 5/8 inch thick.
Does the thicker sides make a dulcimer sound different? It does sound different to us. It seems to be louder and have more of a drone than our other dulcimers. Please keep the answer simple as we are new dulcimer players.
Yes, we are new dulcimer players but already have four dulcimers between the 2 of us.
Thanks so much again!!!
Here's a link with photos to a mountain dulcimer sold as a Deering:
Around 1975 Greg Deering and his fledgling banjo company did make a bunch of mountain dulcimers. Your might be one of them. What makes you think it's a Deering?
From the web:
"...So, around July 1975, we officially started Deering Banjo Company. That lasted until November 1977. Geoff [Stelling] had bought a shop building and I was renting part of the building from him. I had a crew of about nine people. We were making about 40 banjos a month. And Geoff came to me one day and said, “You shouldn’t be Deering Banjo Company. It should all be Stelling Banjo Works, and you should just be working for me.” And I said, “I’m not going to do that.” The next day, he cut my orders in half. So, I stayed up all night and built an Appalachian dulcimer and, when my crew came to work the next day, I put half my crew to work making dulcimers. I went out, got a bunch of orders for them and just kept on going...."
also:
"...The family-owned Deering Company, which was formed in 1975, has 49 employees. The enterprise has the self-descriptive slogan “The Great American Banjo Company,” with “Proudly Made in the U.S.A.” emblazoned on banjos made there.
Janet Deering is CEO of the company, and during a tour of the manufacturing areas of the facility, she spoke warmly about the deep roots the company has nurtured in East County throughout its history. Her husband, Greg Deering, made his first banjo in an industrial arts class at San Diego State in 1968. The couple initially made banjos and mountain dulcimers in the garage of their home, before moving to a Lemon Grove location. After outgrowing that facility, the company moved to its current factory site in Spring Valley during early 2001. Over its 40-plus years, Deering has built over 100,000 banjos. ..."
Can't tell you what wood the side are the top appears to be spruce. The fingerboard and tail cap appear to be walnut. Not sure what the fretboard and tuning head are they could be birch.
Is she playing this as "four-equidistant" or "doubled melody" strings? If the latter, the melody strings are too far apart. True diatonic fret layout -- no 6+ or 13+ fret>
A Deering dulcimer should have a maker's label inside the bottom, visible from the left (nearest) rear sound hole. Deering instruments, including the banjos, were started by Greg Deering.
Does any one have any information about Deering dulcimers?
My daughter has one that was made in 1981. We think they were made by the deering banjo company but not sure about that. We have searched the internet, but haven't found much information about them.
She is particularly interested in hearing about the history of it. Does anyone know what type of wood was used? It seems very lightweight.
Thanks so much for any help you can give us.
