I'd go with making a scroll or flat peg head an option. Another option would be to have some sort of geared tuner available.

Personally I prefer a flat peg head with guitar type tuners (2 to a side) over a closed bottom scroll with any type of tuner. Since my hands haven't aged well, I just can't handle the wooden pegs at all. Even the zither pin type tuners I have on a couple of instruments are almost impossible to accurately tune any more.

Leaving your options open gives you a wider customer base.

That was the place I got mine from! Took like 2 months for me to get them. But to be fair, I think the uke style had just come out so that may have been the reason for the delay.

You're very welcome Robert. I believe elderly carries them. I got mine from a small private seller(can't remember the name now) but they took forever to get them. Good luck. BTW, do have a website that shows your dulcimers?

Ah, ha! Thanks Scott. I saw these tuning pegsonce and I wondered where I could find them. You lead me to them. I'm going to look into getting some.

I'm late into this topic but wanted to add my 2 cents. I love the traditional look of a scroll head but hate to see guitar style tuners sticking up on them. Just looks weird to me. I'd rather see the banjo style planetary tuners but I do like the traditional wood tuners. Anothercompany who makes wood look tuners but with modern gears is www.pegheds.com . I have a pair on an old ukulele and they work great.

Sor Robert - what are you waiting for? Get building!

Paul - that's why I think scroll head makers should open up the bottom of the scroll. Hate that needlenose plier stuff! Mine that have open bottoms are as fast and easy to change strings on as any flathead.

I've had some scroll pegheadsfor some time andIwanted to use them, cherry, walnut, sycamore and mahogany. I want to make those dulcimers with the sides and fingerboards from the same wood.

Offer it as an option. Some players prefer the traditional look, and many of them may want traditional carved wooden violin pegs as well. Others won't care how much is modernized. After they request several non traditional features it stops making a difference. Personally, it takes me almost as long to put 4 strings on my scroll peg head dulcimer as to put 12 on my 12 string guitar. Working inside that tiny peg box is a pain, even using needle nose pliers. But a choice will cover a lot more folks preferences for you.

Paul

Frankly these days, folks would hardly notice 'only' a $25 price increase. and only if they've been looking at a particular instrument for quite some time.

No reason you can't use guitar machines (not those 'on a stick' though) with scroll heads. Folks do it all the time.

Or offer the Knilling/Perfection "looks like a violin peg but has gears inside" tuners and charge the extra $50 cost of the tuners.

I have made dulcimers with both guitar and scroll pegheadsand I think the scroll looks more traditional. Guitar machines are easy to tunebutI am thinking about making some with the scroll.I want to use good quality tuners to make tuning less difficult but I would have to raise the price of a dulcimer by $25. Any thoughts?

updated by @robert-worth: 08/31/17 01:32:38PM