Thank you! The hope is for more sustain and tone, but the results have been inconsistent. It relates to an idea called the "3rd bridge" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_bridge

I would really like to try some instruments with sympathetic springs, once i have a little more time to invest in understanding it.

Unfortunately due to a family emergency I am out of town and havent been able to make a video about it. The hopeful goal is to create areas of string outside of the VSL that will resonate sympathetically with the open strings. Hypothetically, this might create a fuller tone and also might give extra sustain. 

Also yes they are classical guitar tuners lol. Not my favorite, but they were very cheap and I reuse them over and over on prototypes

Nate, I really appreciate your experimental designs! Are you going for a bigger sound, or maybe something with lots of rattle and buzz?  I have seen a device with stretched springs that would mount inside a guitar and act like a reverb.  A few springs hooked up to that cake pan might sound kinda spooky!

Thanks, Nate. That is a better explanation. Still not sure what you were hoping to achieve or demonstrate.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Ken, the small gap at the top is meant to be the same length as the distance between the 21st fret (if it had one) and the bridge. This would be 1/8th thr length of the VSL, so the excess string would be in tune with the VSL, but three octaves higher. Similarly, if you were to look at the space between the string anchors and the bridge, the space between the bridge and the edge of the pan is 1/4 the length of the VSL, which means its the same notes, but two octaves higher.

Im probably not explaining it very well, ill be making a quick video before i scrap it.

I'm not sure what you were trying to achieve. An octave on a diatonic dulcimer is eight frets or seven if you start with an open string. How do you get an octave distance out of the short gaps at each end? I either don't understand the concept or I'm missing something. Are those tuners meant for classical guitar? If so, are you using nylon strings on this instrument?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The intention of this dulcimer was to have the gap between the zero fret and headstock be exactly the length of the third octave, while the space between the bridge and the edge of the cake pan is the same length as the second octave. In theory, i wanted the string to be divided into three sections that were all ratios of the VSL. Unfortunately, the strings were mich higher at the scroll than i expected