Location:
Location: Oregon
Country: United States
Country: United States
My Latest Followers:
Stats
images: 9
Beginner dulcimer player and builder.
Latest Activity
All
@natebuildstoys
• 2 days ago
• comments: 2
Posted a new Comment on Matt Berg:
Posted a new Comment on Matt Berg:
"Very cool. What tonal characteristics do these share with a banjo, or is it simply stylistic?"
@natebuildstoys
• 2 days ago
• comments: 18
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
"I am very glad that my questions so often become contentious! Dulcimer builders have a strong value for tradition, but insome way or form whether musicians..."
@natebuildstoys
• 2 days ago
• comments: 18
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
"Ken Hulme:
Not necessarily... The 'way things are' could be precisely what gives the dulcimer its unique sound.
Good point that was phrased..."
@natebuildstoys
• 2 days ago
• comments: 18
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
"@strumelia thank you for sharing! The overlap between my idea and a soundpost is something both you and ken touched on.As I understand it a conventional..."
@natebuildstoys
• 2 days ago
• comments: 18
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
Posted a new Comment on a VERY strange hypothetical:
"@ken-hulme yes it would be a very unorthodox look, if not just flat out ugly. I suppose it's not so much about appropriating the designs of other instruments..."
@natebuildstoys
• 3 days ago
• comments: 18
Created a new Group discussion "a VERY strange hypothetical":
Created a new Group discussion "a VERY strange hypothetical":
"Hello all a very bizarre idea came to my mind and I'd love some input. I was thinking about how if a dulcimer has a false bottom the entire actual bottom..."
Dulcimer Making
Dulcimer Making
@natebuildstoys
• 4 days ago
• comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on Wide World of Mountain Dulcimer Variations:
Posted a new Comment on Wide World of Mountain Dulcimer Variations:
"Something about taking the very traditional heart shape and giving it to the very nontraditional placement of a guitar soundhole is very aesthetically..."
@natebuildstoys
• 4 days ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
"@danVERY cool thanks for sharing!"
@natebuildstoys
• 4 days ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
"Bob Stephens:
I have also seen many dulcimers that have survived many decades with no issues. Design and material selection are probably the keys to..."
@natebuildstoys
• 4 days ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
"Ken Longfield:
On most dulcimers the strings are not anchored to the neck but to the peg head and the tail piece With a fret board spanning the length of..."
@natebuildstoys
• 5 days ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":
"Dan:
I've played several traditional pieces well over one hundred years old and no warping issues! The zither is a very different animal than the lute,..."
@natebuildstoys
• 5 days ago
• comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "Truss Rods?":
Created a new forum topic "Truss Rods?":
"How common are truss rods in dulcimers? From what I understand they were historically built out of what was available, so it probably wouldnt be very..."
@natebuildstoys
• 5 days ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Dulcimer sales in 2020":
Posted a response to "Dulcimer sales in 2020":
"Something I've been wondering a lot about! For those who lost their jobs or got hours cut, on one hand lots of people are cooped up and student dulcimers are..."
@natebuildstoys
• 6 days ago
• comments: 5
Posted a new Comment on Where the fingerboard meets the soundboard:
Posted a new Comment on Where the fingerboard meets the soundboard:
"Bob Stephens:
One consideration is the amount of extraneous noise you get when doing hammer ons and pull offs. In our pursuit of the ultimate dulcimer,..."
@natebuildstoys
• 6 days ago
• comments: 7
Posted a new Comment on In pursuit of the ultimate dulcimer:
Posted a new Comment on In pursuit of the ultimate dulcimer:
"From your floating reinforced necks, to your bridges that interface directly with the soundboard, to your 'false tops' I have learned a lot already from..."
@natebuildstoys
• 2 weeks ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Need nice but not too expensive dulcimer for new friend":
Posted a response to "Need nice but not too expensive dulcimer for new friend":
""The cheapest dulcimer that I'll usually recommend that is made of wood is by Bill Berg" -Stephen Seifert on a Q&A They have a few options under 200$ at..."
@natebuildstoys
• 2 weeks ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Sound holes and air flow - interesting article":
Posted a response to "Sound holes and air flow - interesting article":
"Fascinating! I have always wondered how much the shape of the sound hole matters since i tend to build very simple dulcimers that usually just have round..."
@natebuildstoys
• 4 weeks ago
• comments: 10
Posted a new Comment on Testing Lacquer v Polyurethane:
Posted a new Comment on Testing Lacquer v Polyurethane:
"I have never used lacquer but I did at one point make three identical craftboard dulcimers and left one exposed wood, one with a thin poly coat, and one with..."
@natebuildstoys
• 4 weeks ago
• comments: 5
Created a new Group discussion "Where the fingerboard meets the soundboard":
Created a new Group discussion "Where the fingerboard meets the soundboard":
"Hello all. I have started making my dulcimers with fingerboards that have a very deep channel on the underside, for extra resonance. I have taken ken..."
Dulcimer Making
Dulcimer Making
@natebuildstoys
• one month ago
• comments: 10
Posted a new Comment on fret wire crown height and width:
Posted a new Comment on fret wire crown height and width:
"I use extremely narrow and low fretwire with a width of .053" and a height of .031" I feel that when I slide up and down the strings with my fingers, having..."
@natebuildstoys
• one month ago
• comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "Added some half frets....now what?":
Created a new forum topic "Added some half frets....now what?":
"Hello all I have been playing dulcimer for about a year on diatonic dulcimers. I added .5, 1.5, 4.5, and 7.5 frets to my fretboard, because I kept..."
@natebuildstoys
• one month ago
• comments: 25
Posted a new Comment on Sympathetic Strings:
Posted a new Comment on Sympathetic Strings:
"I am so grateful to have access to this sort of resource! Certainly, you all provide me opportunities to learn about instrument building that I would not..."
@natebuildstoys
• one month ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Size of Soundbox and Loudness":
Posted a response to "Size of Soundbox and Loudness":
"John C. Knopf:
Nate, look at a mariachi guitarra quintet. They have all sizes of guitar soundboards. The largest is pretty BIG.
But then, a dulcimer is..."
@natebuildstoys
• one month ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Size of Soundbox and Loudness":
Posted a response to "Size of Soundbox and Loudness":
"Dan:
I'm going to suggest a large Galax with heavy strings drawn up tighter than a banjo.......like a Mahhee in steroids? Hello Dan. Does 'galax' mean a..."
@natebuildstoys
• one month ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Grant Olson Website":
Posted a response to "Grant Olson Website":
"It's working great for me as well now!"
@natebuildstoys
• one month ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Grant Olson Website":
Posted a response to "Grant Olson Website":
"was not able to access the site. Screen looked like image attached. Hope I can check it out soon!<Edit: Nate, I doubled-checked the link in Grant's..."
@natebuildstoys
• 2 months ago
• comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "Size of Soundbox and Loudness":
Created a new forum topic "Size of Soundbox and Loudness":
"Hello all, I was wondering how much loudness is affected by the size of the soundbox. I am trying to make an extremely loud dulcimer that doesn't rely on..."
@natebuildstoys
• 3 months ago
• comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "Beer Bottle Bridge/Glass Resonator":
Created a new forum topic "Beer Bottle Bridge/Glass Resonator":
"The first instrument I ever built was a diddley bow. If you dont know its just a string stretched over a glass bottle laying on its side, which acts as a..."
@natebuildstoys
• 3 months ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Is the strumhollow redundant?":
Posted a response to "Is the strumhollow redundant?":
"Corvus:
The strumhollow is certainly not redundant, in fact dozens of thousands of players pick & strum in that area. That area provides a slightly..."
@natebuildstoys
• 3 months ago
• comments: 0
Posted a response to "Please tell me your very favorite love song...":
Posted a response to "Please tell me your very favorite love song...":
"I am a big fan of Annie's Song by John Denver, (though I have been hesitant to play it for my lady friend as it seems a bit corny ) so I guess my favorite..."
Latest Group Discussions
All
a VERY strange hypothetical
Hello all a very bizarre idea came to my mind and I'd love some input. I...
@NateBuildsToys 3 days ago - Comments: 18
Where the fingerboard meets the soundboard
Hello all. I have started making my dulcimers with fingerboards that...
@NateBuildsToys 4 weeks ago - Comments: 5
Sympathetic Strings
What do the wise and knowledgeable luthiers of FOTMD think about...
@NateBuildsToys 4 months ago - Comments: 25
the "door dulcimer" ?!?!?!?
I'm always trying to dig around and look for ideas that might inspire...
@NateBuildsToys 4 months ago - Comments: 3
Fret Placement on Chromatic Dulcimer?
Hello all! It has been tons of fun building and learning to play...
@NateBuildsToys 4 months ago - Comments: 5
Latest Photos
All
Latest Forum Discussions
AllSize of Soundbox and Loudness
Posted: Friday August 14 2020, 8:14 AM
By: @Matt Berg
By: @Matt Berg
Truss Rods?
Posted: Tuesday August 11 2020, 11:33 AM
By: @Bob Stephens
By: @Bob Stephens
Added some half frets....now what?
Posted: Monday July 13 2020, 11:22 PM
By: @Strumelia
By: @Strumelia
Beer Bottle Bridge/Glass Resonator
Posted: Friday May 22 2020, 12:54 PM
By: @Strumelia
By: @Strumelia
Is the strumhollow redundant?
Posted: Thursday May 21 2020, 11:43 AM
By: @NateBuildsToys
By: @NateBuildsToys
VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and...
Posted: Sunday May 10 2020, 2:37 PM
By: @Strumelia
By: @Strumelia
Adding Extra Strings to Courses
Posted: Wednesday May 6 2020, 3:04 PM
By: @NateBuildsToys
By: @NateBuildsToys
What's the deal with Aquavinas?
Posted: Wednesday April 29 2020, 5:23 PM
By: @Hunterdude
By: @Hunterdude
Comments
03/06/20 06:24:47AM @strumelia:
Hi Nate. I hope you will post some photos soon of some of your instruments. The ones you describe and the one in your profile pic look amazing! 
02/29/20 09:12:01AM @benjamin-w-barr-jr:
Hi Nate, and welcome to the wonderful world of the Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer. It's a good place to come, spend some time, learn about the dulcimer, and to meet some good people.
Ben
02/26/20 08:16:55PM @richard-streib:
Welcome NateBuildToys to Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer. Glad you joined. You may want to consider joining the Dulcimer Making group. Best wishes on your dulcimer journey.
02/22/20 08:45:08PM @ken-longfield:
Welcome to FOTMD NateBuildsToys. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
