Comment

Comment by Diane in Chicago on May 15, 2011 at 1:27pm

Remember that the high strings are nearest your body, so you can pick out the melody easier.

Comment by Diane in Chicago on May 15, 2011 at 1:26pm

Loop end or ball end?  You can buy string sets at juststrings.com.  All they are are guitar strings, though, so you can use those if you have them.  Just use the string gauge calculator based on your vibrating string length, as the dulcimer people call it, and that's what you use.

 

http://www.strothers.com/string_choice.htm

 

My dulcimers are shorter than the standard, so I use guitar strings to get the DAD tuning.  But I often loosen them up to CGC so it is easier on my fingers.

Comment by Mad Mike's CBG's on May 15, 2011 at 6:21am

what strings do you use on a Dulcimer? I have just inhereted a 4 string Dulcimer and the strings are waaaaaaaaaaaaaay old...I'm right handed if that makes a dufference when stringing a Dulcimer...Thanks Mike

Comment by Allan on May 15, 2011 at 3:19am

they were bent like staples,, and the holes in the side were drilled..  then you just hammer them in,

Allan

Comment by Diane in Chicago on May 15, 2011 at 1:46am

How did you stick them down?

Comment by Allan on May 14, 2011 at 10:34pm

the frets on my dulcimer is bailing wire and has done a good job for over thirty years now

Allan

Comment by Wiley Rutledge on May 12, 2011 at 10:56am

If you're going to use "real" fret wire, most builders of stick dulcimers and smaller box dulcimers use banjo/mandolin size fret wire (small I think is how stew-mac refers to them) but any straight object should work (thanks Richard--hadn't thought of cotter pins).

Comment by Richard Sanabia on May 12, 2011 at 9:56am

I sometimes use these cotter pins for frets. Cut off the eye, now you have two frets. Use a narrow file to cut a slight slot for the fret, and glue with CA. Cst about $17.00 for a box of 250, which equals 500 frets!  

http://www.mcmaster.com/#cotter-pins/=c9ypeg

Comment by Rand Moore on May 1, 2011 at 4:30am

P.S.  If you like to add your discussions here, that is fine too. Because I will check back here as well. My "Home Made Resonator Boxes 101" discussion group, for reasons unknown to me, requires every new member to be approved and that usually takes a day or two (any of you know how to fix this? It sure is an annoying feature). Waiting 2 or 3 days for membership sure kills the spontaneity of a discussion group. So, it you aren't yet a member of my group, please leave you ideas here and I'll get back with you. Thanks.

-Rand.

Comment by Rand Moore on May 1, 2011 at 4:25am

Hi All.

My latest project is to build a mountain dulcimer, which I am documenting on CBN in the discussion group called "Home Made Resonator Boxes 101". If you are into mountain dulcimers, especially building them, I encourage you to participate in our discussions because I only have a fuzzy idea about what I'm doing. Well, here's the link to My Mountain Dulcimer Project. So far I've just built the jig and I am forming the sides. I have a preliminary design for the headstock and tail block which I soon will try to fabricate. Hope to finish the build before May is over.

-Rand.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• …
• 50
• Next ›
• Page