Cure for dulcimer shortage

[Erin]

Well, I've found myself in a strange situation...I don't have enough dulcimer in my home.

A few months ago I started out on my dulcimer adventure by buying a lovely student dulcimer from Bill Berg. Great value for the price, I loved playing the instrument right from the first strum.

Next, we were planning a trip and I thought, "how can I leave my dulcimer behind?!". So I bought a travel dulcimer, the "Youngster". And given that I wasn't going to be around I lent my Berg dulcimer to a friend who had a strong interest in taking up this magical instrument herself.

So taken with the fun of playing, I decided to splurge and arranged to have Ron Ewing make me a hourdrop dulcimer out of my favourite woods. I told my friend, no rush with the Berg, soon my new dulcimer will arrive. But Ron is behind schedule, the dulcimer has been delayed until, possibly, as late as the new year. Yikes!

Now the travel dulcimer is fun to play but I already miss the full sound and longer fretboard of my first dulcimer. What to do....I started to check craigslist...yesterday there was an older dulcimer listed for the affordable price of $50!

Now I am waiting to get a few more details: the conditon of the instrument, the maker... If it pans out, I just might have found my interim dulcmer, the tide me over pal...I'll keep you posted...

[Randall McKinnon]

Airin, sounds like you've got it bad.  First things first--Good luck on your potential craigslist purchase--you can never have enough.  Especially if you are a kind soul, prone to lend instruments to others.

Having said that, let me qualify that comment.  I speak from vast experience.  My sweetie and I started playing dulcimer about 2 years ago--an innocent purchase of a McSpadden on a trip to visit family.  Two players, one dulcimer--it just didn't add up (Despite the fact that we also had 4 acoustic guitars, and a mandolin in the house). Then just in case we were cramped on a car trip, we managed to find a couple of travel options...naturally curious, we wanted to know how various woods and shapes sounded...we met wonderful builders at various festivals (11 and counting since this started)...we won't even comment (much) on the the little sides streets of this journey--including ululeles, a second mandolin, banjo and fiddle...It's so bad that I even decided I'd better try to build, so I've been acquiring an assortment of hand tools with my eye on those fancy power tools while I've gathered wood and hardware for about 4 dulcimers (to my credit, the first is almost done!!!)...

It is possible that I might not be the best person to advise you about this subject.  I do know that our affliction has a name--Dulcimer Acquisition Disorder, commonly known as D.A.D. I'm not going to say that you will suffer the same fate I have described, but if it gives you as much fun as I have had, I say "go for it!"

How many dulcimers is enough?  Just one more that I have now!

 

Oh no...I just discovered that smilies are not available if you try to edit your comments..I'll have to add that color as I go next time! ;0)     

[Erin]

ha, ha, ha,... Randall...glad to know I'm in good company....sounds like I'm walking (running?!) a path you've travelled ahead of me....hummm, ... you've given me another idea..... now if I could get my partner interested...he, he, he....

[John Henry]

Hey there Airin !   a cautionary word of warning!   I found that as I was introduced to new tunings I found it easier to build a new dulcimer rather than retune an existing one................. lol.   How many tunings are there .........?    How do you know when you have enough dulcimers ?     When you find one that sounds exactly as you want it to, for whatever you choose to play ?     Have fun looking, and I hope the craiglist thing works for you

 

[Tim Canuelle]

Airin, I can't claim to know how you feel, I have never experienced a shortage.  Old dulcimers never die, they just end up at my house.  I'm also in the process of building 8 more.  Randall, you're correct about needing just one more, sounds about right to me too. 

 

[folkfan]

D.A.A. is my affliction.  Dulcimer Acquisition Addiction  but with only 14 I don't have it as badly as someone I met recently who has 60.   WHEEEEEEEEEE

 

Hope the Craigslist dulcimer turns out to be a good instrument and you get it. Always nice to have one more. 

[Ellen G. Wagner]

Trust me you will never have enough Dulcimers. I am in my third year of playing and have four.

Its so interesting to get the different types of wood combinations and then the tones they produce. Also you can tune each one according to what ever strikes your mood. Fortunately for me my husband does not play, but claims I will never have enough. Enjoy!

 

Ellen g. Wagner

[John Keane]

If you don't keep a count, you don't have anything to worry about!

[Scott King]

Very real syndrome, I'd say. I am fighting it only for financial reasons right now...BUT i had the same thing with my Native American flutes (got about a dozen at least---some quite expensive)...and it seems to be a very real problem with all wood instruments...there is always a new wood combination, smaller/larger size...in flutes, it was all the keys available...and the woods are great...wow...so I relate...but what a joy to suffer from this...in my case, I don't smoke or drink, so there is saved enough $$ to support a reasonable collection eventually! 

[Strumelia]

Airin, sounds like a clever plan....lending your dulcimers to friends for a while so you have none at home and 'need' to buy another.  just do that a few times a year and you'll do ok.

[Erin]

ha, ha, ha, ... you guys and gals had me laughing out loud while reading your replies...

[Vicki Shadlock]

 

So Scott.    Where is a good place to pick up one of these flutes you speak of?

Scott King said:

Very real syndrome, I'd say. I am fighting it only for financial reasons right now...BUT i had the same thing with my Native American flutes (got about a dozen at least---some quite expensive)...and it seems to be a very real problem with all wood instruments...there is always a new wood combination, smaller/larger size...in flutes, it was all the keys available...and the woods are great...wow...so I relate...but what a joy to suffer from this...in my case, I don't smoke or drink, so there is saved enough $$ to support a reasonable collection eventually! 

 

[Wiley Rutledge]

Seems like D.A,D is infectious.  I've had my hammered dulcimer for just about a year and fell under the spell of a McSpadden walnut teardrop on Ebay.  Just got it Monday and again I'm looking at Ebay again, but in a quandary  whether to update my HD or maybe an hourglass MD???????????

It reminds me of the reply Commodore Vanderbilt when someone asked him how much money is enough. His reply was "Just a little bit more". It may be apocryphal but it sure does apply here seems like.

I'm hooked too!!!