Stick Dulcimer Making update, zero frets and pickups!

[PrinsRik]

Hi Michael, great work as always! What type of pickup do you use? I know it is a piezo pickup but from which vendor. It was bit hard to read from the video. Thanks!

[michaeljking]

@PrinsRik I think I tend to use belcat for these mainly or a generic version like the piezo from the GT537 acoustic guitar piezo set with an Anderson endpin jack

[HATMANLELE]

Very nice instrument



[gattonate]

Congratulation Master. You are alwais the best. Gattone

[wmacdonald]

Wonderful Michael!!! How do you think the pickup might work on a harp???

[michaeljking]

@wmacdonald Yes, I am sure these are already used, might be best with a couple of these connected together in various places of the sounbdbox.

[MarkAllanBarnes]

It's suddenly struck me how the Appalachian Dulcimer is similar to the Turkish Baglama, with 3 courses, a long thin neck and unevenly spaced frets.

[michaeljking]

@MarkAllanBarnes Yes, it is a modern form of a long necked lute, a form that goes back to ancient times

[beezerboy94]

That little bit at the end had a really awesome sound to it :D

[Cj12sings]

really suberb work, I just fretted up my 2nd, too bad I didn't have any higher fret wire, just have to fiddle, one thing in buiding two at a time, sometime you make twice as many mistakes, but the assemblage has gone smoother....

your instruments have a really wonderful sound!!!!!! thanks for sharing your techniques!!!

best regards

cj

[michaeljking]

@Cj12sings Thanks! yes making a couple at a time is the way! Took me ages to learn that lesson!

[MrRandomWritings]

aha! Zero fret - now that's a clever plan to get the action level - mine are a bit haphazard sometimes!

and you're going electric!

[michaeljking]

@MrRandomWritings I plan to use zero frets for all my steel strung instruments from now on, Use a slightly higher fret for the zero fret and it really helps! oh, yes, I am now adding piezo pickups like yourself! lol

[MrRandomWritings]

@michaeljking I can see how it would work on my fretless efforts so I will bear it in mind for the future although it may look a little odd - might try a walnut spacer or cut grooves into the headstock instead of a bone nut just for aesthetic reasons

[michaeljking]

@MrRandomWritings It is just to position the strings so a wooden nut is perfect!