Copyright 2002. All Rights Reserved. Frequently Asked Questions PageDo you have any questions you would like answered? Use our Contact Us page to send us your comments or suggestions.
Is Resorcinol glue really necessary? I've used polyurethane glue in the past, and it seems quite strong?
Perhaps the experience of one of my builders will help answer this question. He decided to user polyurethane glue to attach the rails to the pin blocks, and wrote the following: "...for the last ten or twelve years I have been using Gorilla Glue (a polyurethane glue) without any failure ever." But after completing and stringing the dulcimer, he then wrote: "In future printings of your book you may wish to use my experience as a bad
example. Since I have made quite a few dulcimers and never had a problem with Gorilla Glue, I used it instead of Resorcinol. You guessed it. Shortly after its first tuning the joints began to fail. First the top right corner gave and then the bottom right one shifted." Click Here for the full story. My recommendation is that you use Resorcinol on all stress joints where the rails attach to the pin
blocks. You can use wood glue or polyurethane glue for everything else. (back to the top) The holes in the side bridges are drilled at 90-degrees rather than angled, so that the string has to bend through the hole after the side bridge is placed on the sound board. Why? I run the strings through the side bridges in order to reduce sustain; that's why I don't use delrin
rod on the side bridges and run the strings over the delrin rod. If you don't mind more sustain, you can run the strings over delrin on the side bridges.
The reason the holes in the side bridges are drilled at a 90-degree angle is that when the side bridge is placed on the sound board, the string will have to bend through the hole. This ensures that the string will not buzz in the hole during play. (back to the top) What if I want more sustain from my dulcimer? What can I do? The easiest thing to do is to replace the delrin rod on the Treble Bridge with a brass or steel 1/8" rod. Also, use a brass or steel 1/8" rod on the Bass Bridge.
You can also use the same gauge wire for all three strings on each course rather than using a different gauge wire for the middle string of the course. (back to the top) What finishes besides lacquer can I use on the dulcimer? On the rails you can use just about any finish you want: lacquer, shellac, tung oil, etc. Since the rails do not contribute to the sound of the dulcimer, the finish will not adversely affect the sound. However, the finish on the soundboard and back panel needs to be a "hard" finish that prevents
the risk of the finish becoming gummy or sticky. Oil finishes are not a good idea for the soundboard if for no other reason than oil finishes need to be re-oiled once a year. Also, oil finishes typically take from 1 -3 days to dry between coats. Oil finishes like linseed oil dry "soft," and are not suitable for a soundboard that needs to resonate freely. (back to the top) What exactly is quarter sawn lumber? Does it have anything to do with the tightness
of the grain? The term "quarter sawn" has nothing to do with the tightness of the grain; rather it has to do with the orientation of the grain. If you look at the end edge grain of a board, you will note the orientation of the grain. It could be slanted, curved, straight up and down, horizontal, etc. If the board is "quarter sawn," the grain will be vertical, virtually straight up and down. It's still quarter
sawn regardless of whether the grain is tight or wide. (back to the top) One of the holes for the tuning pin is too loose. Is there a standard method for rectifying this problem? We have several ways to fix this, listed below in no particular order:
- Plug the hole and re-drill it. This may mean buying a small diameter hardwood dowel, and
either reducing it to fit the current hole, or drilling out the current hole to fit the dowel (the smaller the better, of course).
- Drill out the hole a bit and use a Tuning Pin Bushing (one bushing is equal to two sizes larger tuning pin).
- Drill out the hole a bit and use a larger Tuning Pin (a piano tuning pin rather than a zither
or harpsichord tuning pin; .278 x 2" rather than .198 x 1/5/8", for example).
- Use some Pin Block Restorer (Garfield's is widely used).
- Use some Instant Pin-Tite (Lunsford's is widely used).
The last four items are available at a piano supply store or company (like Schaff Piano) See our Hammered Dulcimer Resources page.
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Where can I find the No. 15 and No. 27 drill bits required for drilling the hitch pin and tuning pin holes? The first place you may want to look is at the Ardie's Hammered Dulcimer Hardware and
Supplies page.
I have also found the drill bits at my local ACE Hardware store. They are known as High Speed Steel Wire Gauge Straight Shank Drill Bits. (back to the top) Why are the Pin Blocks set at two different angles? Although many dulcimers have pin blocks set at exactly the same angle, we do not on the
Performance 15/14. By setting the left Pin Block at 70-degrees and the right Pin Block at 60 degrees, we allow the Treble Bridge to remain almost perpendicular to the Long and Short Rails when placed according to the two-fifths ratio. That means the holes in the Treble Bridge can be drilled straight through. If the angles for the Pin Blocks were the same, the Treble Bridge would
have to slanted to accommodate the two-fifths ratio and the holes would have to be angled accordingly. The advantage to a perpendicular Treble bridge is that the player does not have to adjust to the angle of the Treble Bridge while playing.
The other reason we use two different angles on the Pin Blocks is for pure aesthetics. We believe that the instrument has a more interesting and pleasing shape because it is not perfectly symmetrical. (back to the top) My strings are rusting. Is that bad? Here we enter into the world of controversy. Some players work very hard to prevent rust on their strings. Other players, quite the opposite, encourage as much rust as they can get. Why the difference? The players who discourage rust do so for two primary reasons: 1) To maintain as
much ring, or sustain, as possible, and 2) To keep their instrument looking nice. The players who encourage rust do so for one primary reason: To reduce ring, or sustain, as much as possible. The players that discourage sustain do so because they think extended ring 'muddies' the music as notes overlap and ring into each other. Some styles of music, like fast-paced American Traditional, benefit from reduced sustain. (back to the top)
I don't have a drill press. Can I use one of those small, portable drill press stands for my hand drill? In a word, No. The drilling of the holes is critical to the dulcimer, and the holes are challenging enough without a proper drill press. Some decent drill presses can be obtained for under $100. It is worth the investment. (back to the top) Why don't you label your pin block hole patterns for Hitch Pins and Tuning Pins?
Quite simply because there is more than one way to string a dulcimer. Some builders put all the hitch pins on one side and the tuning pins on the other. Other dulcimer builders alternate the hitch pins and tuning pins. Some start with hitch pins on the right pin block, and tuning pins on the left and some do just the opposite. That's why I don't label the holes on the pin block patterns. (back to the top) Why do you put the handle on the Long Rail of the dulcimer rather than the Short Rail? Experience has taught us that if the handle is on the Short Rail, the dulcimer is clumsier to carry, and it tends to get bumped into things easier. Save the corner ends of your dulcimer by putting the handle on the Long Rail. You'll be glad you did. (back to the top) Why don't you have delrin rod on both of the bridges?
Delrin is only required on the Treble Bridge because that's the only bridge on which you play both sides. The delrin aids in tuning both sides of the bridge. You'll see some builders with delrin on the Bass Bridge, but that's typically when they installed some small extra or chromatic bridges on the right side of the Bass Bridge and, as a result, play on the right side of the Bass Bridge, too. (back to the top) You run some of the strings over the right side bridge rather than through it. Why don't you do the same thing for the left side bridge? Since the strings that run over the Right Side Bridge are the Bass strings, builders can run them over the Side Bridge because the Bass strings are not tuned on the right side of the Bass Bridge. However, since all the strings that run through the Left Side Bridge are tuned strings, running
them through the Left Side Bridge aids in their tuning. (back to the top) Where does the sound actually come from? How much comes from the inside and how much from the outside? The sound primarily comes from the sound board resonating over the sound chamber, which helps amplify the sound. The sound hole doesn't actually help increase the sound on a floating
sound board. In fact builders like Sam Rizzetta suggest that sound holes on a floating sound board are strictly cosmetic. The main purpose of a sound hole on a guitar, for example, is to equalize the atmospheric pressure between the inside of the guitar and the outside. Since a floating sound board has gaps between the sound board and the rails that act to equalize the pressure, the sound hole isn't required. Many people, however, think they add to the looks of the
dulcimer. (back to the top) Which is better, a floating sound board or an attached sound board? Excellent dulcimers are made with both. In one area the floating and fixed sound boards are even, but in other areas the floating sound board has practical advantages. Since both boards can be made from the same tone woods, they can produce the same quality of sound. And since almost
all stringed instruments have fixed sound boards (guitars, violins, etc), I have no question that a fixed sound board can produce sound equal to a floating sound board.
However, a floating sound board has three advantages: 1) It can "breathe" with the instrument as it shrinks and expands with changes in humidity and temperature. This means that it is more resistant to splitting and cracking due to such stresses. A fixed sound board made of one type
of wood, and the back and rails, made of other types of wood, shrink and contract at different rates and degrees, but the fixed nature of the board creates a "unibody construction" that creates more rigidity and less flexibility. It is more susceptible to splitting or cracking. 2) A floating sound board can be replaced. 3) A floating sound board can be removed if repairs or adjustments are required within the sound chamber. (back to the top)
Why do you use dowels on the support bridges? As I suggest in my book, the less wood touching or supporting the sound board the better. The sound board has to vibrate in resonance with the strings to produce good sound. The more you interfere with this vibration, the less sound or volume will be produced. That's why I use dowels on the support bridges. (back to the top) Why do your dulcimers have only one treble bridge support and two bass bridge
supports? The real question in my mind is "why two supports for the Bass Bridge." The answer: experimentation has determined that it produces the best "deeper" or "bottom end" bass sounds. Experiments have shown that by moving the bass bridges (or bridge) around, you can significantly alter the bass sounds of the dulcimer. Using two braces has been determined to produce the best "bottom" sounds. (back to the top)
Sound hole sizes. Do they make much difference? I was thinking of putting 2 x 2 3/8" diameter holes in my sound board. Would rosettes reduce the sound to any great degree? Dulcimer builders like Sam Rizzetta suggest that on a floating sound board (F.S.) dulcimer the sound holes are superfluous. The gaps between the sound board and the Long and Short Rails
serve to equalize the pressure between the sound chamber and the outside atmosphere (which is what a sound hole really does.) The sound comes from the sound board. My friend and fellow dulcimer builder Dana Hamilton always uses two sound holes (one on either side of the Treble Bridge). When I asked him "why," he responded by saying "because that's the way Bill Spence
made his and I wanted to make mine like Bill made his." Other F.S. dulcimers have no holes, or several smaller holes. For an attached sound board dulcimer, however, you need at least one sound hole, and two are certainly OK. The rosettes won't make any difference at all to the sound, and they certainly look pretty. (back to the top) Is it necessary to glue little joiners on the back of the sound board as they
sometimes do on violins and guitars? No. The Treble and Bass Bridge Supports provide plenty of support to a well-glued sound board. (back to the top) Drill sizes. What if I can't get the No. 15 and No. 27 drill bits you recommend? You suggest that they are the only ones that can be used, but I have noticed that many others say that 9/64" and 3/16'' are the ones to use. What's the deal?
All I can say about the drill sizes is that the ones I recommend have been proven to work best over time. You could use the fractional drill bits, but they often allow the Tuning Pins to become loose and not hold tuning.
One dulcimer builder in New Zealand experimented with different woods for the pin blocks, using Australian Iron Bark on one of his dulcimers. He found that the 3/16" hole works well for the
Tuning Pins in that wood. On other woods, however, he found that 3/16" is too big, so it does depend on the type of wood used in the construction of the pin block. (back to the top) Does it matter a great deal if the boards are slightly over or under the 1/4" thickness specified? Try to get it as close to 1/4" as possible. A thicker board will sound dull, and a thinner board will
sound "thumpy." (back to the top) Many other makers say that spruce is the superior wood for the sound board - you suggest cedar - a matter of opinion? Actually I prefer Red Wood, but it is very expensive. Spruce is very good. Cedar is very good. Mahogany is very good. One guitar luthier says the following about Western Red Cedar: "Western Red Cedar has it's long suit which that it sounds good almost
immediately. If you go to a show where luthiers are displaying their instruments, you'll probably notice that most of the instruments are Cedar. That is because Cedar can make the new instrument sound it's best right away. The other good thing about Cedar is the aesthetic of the dark appearance which matches up well to many classical guitarists preferences. Cedar often sounds louder to the guitarist while Cedar's basses are typically huge and impressive.
Cedar Instruments do have a question about their long term life span from both players and luthiers. I don't agree with this as I have played many 30 year old instruments that are doing very well thank you. As a luthier I think that I have to work harder to get decent trebles and the variability of them can be a problem. But done successfully the Cedar instrument is a joy and offers a tone palette that can
differentiate it from Spruce. This can be of value in ensemble work." (back to the top) Are the pin holes drilled vertically or on a slight angle? I drill my pin holes vertically. The construction of my dulcimers is solid enough not to warrant angled pin holes. (back to the top) Is there much difference between rock and hard maple?
No. They are the same wood. (back to the top) Why do you use three strings per course rather than two? Two reasons: 1) Three strings are thought to produce more volume than two, and 2) Three strings enable us to introduce one string with a different gauge, which reduces sustain a bit. (back to the top) Why do you use two different gauges of wire in each course?
We want to reduce sustain in our instruments (the length of time the strings ring after struck). Since strings of the same gauge should vibrate at the same frequency and amplitude, and therefore 'feed and sustain' each other, we want to interfere with that a bit by introducing a wire that vibrates slightly differently. This is thought to reduce the sustain of the strings. (back to the top) I want to improve the sound of the lower three courses on the Treble Bridge. How
can I do so? Use Phosphor Bronze wire for all three courses. 10ga Phosphor Bronze wire ought to suffice for all three courses. | 