Diane in Chicago's Blog (9)

Next Friday I leave for NC and Swannanoa Gathering, bringing my humble cigar box dulcimers. This is the first time they've ever left the house and certainly the first time they'll be in the company of other dulcimers. Won't it be exciting to see how they compare?



The last three have all had different tunings, so I've been able to learn more about what each type of string combination can do. So I am all ready to wring out Don Pedi for all he's worth!



Consider: six dulcimers at… Continue

Just came in to a few more pairs of boxes, so I'll be starting a new one this week with D A AA tuning and a smaller body. Be interesting to see how these more slender boxes sound!



Since the boxes have no latches and are a bit warpy, these will be closed permanently (not like the others that still open to change strings and to add a pickup if desired.) And the graphics will be on the bottom, and the plain wood on the top.…

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Now that I am fooling around with tunings, I think I"ll have to build yet one more. The second one turned out chromatic and may have found a good home nearby - so maybe I can visit with it once in a while. It is almost finished and should be strung up in the next few days and be ready to travel!



The third one will also have dual melody strings on a pair of Don Pepins.



But my daughter has basically adopted the first one with the fiddle-like bridge, and well, I need to accept… Continue

Just booked into Old Time Week at Swannanoa Gathering for July, 2010. I think I'll be able to get into the mountain dulcimer class with Don Pedi. Hope to see some of you there!

25" VSL, dulcimer +6.5 fretting, DAd, can be bowed or lap played. Bowing intonation is still a work in progress!…

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In the car on the way to a friend's house, my daughter sang "when I was a young girl" for me, a song she's recorded on garageband with multiple tracks. Two of the tracks are her singing in monotone, for drone. When I mentioned how my plans were coming along for a mountain dulcimer, she was really excited. So I moved up the lap dulci. I zipped over to the shop and cut the neck and fingerboard. I'll glue up and stain tonight and maybe assemble some tomorrow and Wed.



And instead of a… Continue

Sides are glued up. I put some bracing inside on the bottom. More "kerfed lining" to go around top edge of soundbox for extra glue area when top is attached.

Fingerboard is fretted and sides are cut. That quilted cherry sure looks pretty with a bit of tung oil!

Cutting the soundholes will be a bear for sure! Then lots of sanding and oiling before the big glue-up.



Still no… Continue

Sides ready to start gluing, and I'll cut the long pieces last. I wonder if this is how it is "supposed" to be… Continue

Last night I drew out the headstock and soundbox base for my bowed dulcimer.



While sketching (and waiting for the wood to arrive!) I realized I could easily squeeze three extra strings into the headstock by nesting the tuners from both left and right. I am using 3-on-a-plate geared tuners.



My plan of using sympathetic strings on the NEXT build has been moved up to this one. Carpe diem!



Won't be able to bend the sides into a teadrop, so instead using a more… Continue