Mountain Dulcimer Necks - Cigar Box Nation2024-03-29T12:50:46Zhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/mountain-dulcimer-necks?groupUrl=dulciworld&commentId=2592684%3AComment%3A1715123&groupId=2592684%3AGroup%3A43882&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI ended up using 3 boxes for…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2015-04-01:2592684:Comment:22734072015-04-01T18:35:40.292ZBlueshearthttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Bluesheart
<p>I ended up using 3 boxes for the body and kept the neck raised off of them with small oak spacers. Boxes are open to each other and neck bolts to boxes with #6 machine bolts and flat washers. If I still had a router I would have routed out the neck and cut openings in the boxes and mounted it direct. Overall I am very pleased with how it sounds, especially in a quiet room. Playing with others I find the volume needs a boost so that is when the piezo will be handy. The tone and sustain are as…</p>
<p>I ended up using 3 boxes for the body and kept the neck raised off of them with small oak spacers. Boxes are open to each other and neck bolts to boxes with #6 machine bolts and flat washers. If I still had a router I would have routed out the neck and cut openings in the boxes and mounted it direct. Overall I am very pleased with how it sounds, especially in a quiet room. Playing with others I find the volume needs a boost so that is when the piezo will be handy. The tone and sustain are as good or even better than I had hoped for. Not being a dulcimer player, I find I tend to do most of my "Finger Dancing" on the D instead of the doubled melody strings (dd) but I like what I'm hearing!</p> When I made my Dulcimer I use…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2015-03-19:2592684:Comment:22624892015-03-19T01:05:12.539ZMontereyhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Monteray
When I made my Dulcimer I used the tablesaw to make a channel in the fretboard, and cleaned it up with a chisel. I marked between the 7th.fret and the strum hollow so I wouldn't cut too far, and set the depth on a scrap piece of wood. I moved the guide over about a blade width at a time until I got the proper width. It should work even better with dado blades
When I made my Dulcimer I used the tablesaw to make a channel in the fretboard, and cleaned it up with a chisel. I marked between the 7th.fret and the strum hollow so I wouldn't cut too far, and set the depth on a scrap piece of wood. I moved the guide over about a blade width at a time until I got the proper width. It should work even better with dado blades De Nada...tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-06:2592684:Comment:17153162013-09-06T05:54:46.240ZOrder99https://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/RandyWhitley
<p> De Nada...</p>
<p> De Nada...</p> Yes, the small blocks under t…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-06:2592684:Comment:17151232013-09-06T02:28:26.940ZBlueshearthttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Bluesheart
<p>Yes, the small blocks under the neck idea occurred to me as well. Sounds like a good compromise. Thanks!</p>
<p>Yes, the small blocks under the neck idea occurred to me as well. Sounds like a good compromise. Thanks!</p> It's probably cheating-but I…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-06:2592684:Comment:17151112013-09-06T01:37:51.309ZOrder99https://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/RandyWhitley
<p> It's probably cheating-but I just make sure that my neck is thinner than a standard guitar neck, and flat in the back (though rounded at the sides). I then glue and peg small, matching rectangular blocks where I want the points to meet, and then use a round file and fine grit emery board to sculpt the result into a rounded arch. For some reason I find this so much easier to do than hollowing out the neck.</p>
<p> It's probably cheating-but I just make sure that my neck is thinner than a standard guitar neck, and flat in the back (though rounded at the sides). I then glue and peg small, matching rectangular blocks where I want the points to meet, and then use a round file and fine grit emery board to sculpt the result into a rounded arch. For some reason I find this so much easier to do than hollowing out the neck.</p> Most modern dulcimer (or is t…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-04:2592684:Comment:17135362013-09-04T20:36:59.496ZWiley Rutledgehttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/WileyRutledge
Most modern dulcimer (or is that an oxymoron?) do have narrow slots beneath the center of the fretboard. Most I've seen have 2 or 3 about half the length of the fretboard. There's a pretty good drawing of a dulcimer top at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.davidbeede.com" target="_blank">www.davidbeede.com</a>.<br />
Click on his full size dulcimers and you'll see maybe four on his, but it's easier to understand by seeing it.
Most modern dulcimer (or is that an oxymoron?) do have narrow slots beneath the center of the fretboard. Most I've seen have 2 or 3 about half the length of the fretboard. There's a pretty good drawing of a dulcimer top at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.davidbeede.com" target="_blank">www.davidbeede.com</a>.<br />
Click on his full size dulcimers and you'll see maybe four on his, but it's easier to understand by seeing it. Cool, a hollow neck seems lik…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-04:2592684:Comment:17131662013-09-04T17:16:12.322ZBlueshearthttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Bluesheart
<p>Cool, a hollow neck seems like a good idea. Would one also have opening/s in the top under a hollow neck to"let the sound into the boxes" ?</p>
<p>Cool, a hollow neck seems like a good idea. Would one also have opening/s in the top under a hollow neck to"let the sound into the boxes" ?</p> Many professional dulcimer ma…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-04:2592684:Comment:17132642013-09-04T17:10:35.588ZWiley Rutledgehttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/WileyRutledge
Many professional dulcimer makers, like McSpadden simply hollow out the fretboard. Most high end custom makers at least have an option for the scalloped fret board as it does add volume and looks pretty. If you decide to scallop the fretboard, space them equally and leave at least a quarter or three eights in contact between each scallop, probably a half or more before the scoop. Either way it should sound good.
Many professional dulcimer makers, like McSpadden simply hollow out the fretboard. Most high end custom makers at least have an option for the scalloped fret board as it does add volume and looks pretty. If you decide to scallop the fretboard, space them equally and leave at least a quarter or three eights in contact between each scallop, probably a half or more before the scoop. Either way it should sound good. You can make the 3 piece fret…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-04:2592684:Comment:17130792013-09-04T14:56:50.970ZRandy S. Bretzhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/RandySBretz
<p>You can make the 3 piece fret board fairly easy like I did the one for my hollow neck slider. Just omit the bottom <a class="next_photo_link" href="http://handmademusicclubhouse.com/photo/hollow-neck-design-1/next?context=user"><img width="737" height="552" class="photo-loaded" id="xj_photo_img_tag" alt="Hollow Neck Design" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/157695591?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"></a>piece.</p>
<p>You can make the 3 piece fret board fairly easy like I did the one for my hollow neck slider. Just omit the bottom <a class="next_photo_link" href="http://handmademusicclubhouse.com/photo/hollow-neck-design-1/next?context=user"><img width="737" height="552" class="photo-loaded" id="xj_photo_img_tag" alt="Hollow Neck Design" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/157695591?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"></a>piece.</p> It is done for added volume b…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-09-04:2592684:Comment:17131292013-09-04T14:44:19.772ZRandy S. Bretzhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/RandySBretz
<p>It is done for added volume but also for looks. To really add volume hollow out the fret board. From where the fret board stops at the peghead to just before the scoop out. There`s 2 ways this can be done. Routing out a channel or making a 3 piece fret board. …<a class="next_photo_link" href="http://handmademusicclubhouse.com/photo/cgb-mountain-dulcimer/next?context=user"><img alt="CGB Mountain Dulcimer" height="563" id="xj_photo_img_tag" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/157678126?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="737"></img></a></p>
<p>It is done for added volume but also for looks. To really add volume hollow out the fret board. From where the fret board stops at the peghead to just before the scoop out. There`s 2 ways this can be done. Routing out a channel or making a 3 piece fret board. <a class="next_photo_link" href="http://handmademusicclubhouse.com/photo/cgb-mountain-dulcimer/next?context=user"><img width="737" height="563" id="xj_photo_img_tag" alt="CGB Mountain Dulcimer" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/157678126?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"></a></p>