Stick Dulcimer Making part 5: preparing the stick material

This is some footage I did over the summer, I was going to wait until I had filmed the last parts but I thought it was long enough a wait as it was!!

I am still very busy on my commissioned work but will follow up this episode with a new season in a few months!! I am trying to keep the new videos under 4 minutes and edit it as much as I can, please email me with suggestions or add comments and I can add it to my filming list. Hopefully in a year when this is a completed project it will all make perfect sense!! Best wishes!! Michael

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• cherrywood
• pau
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[MrRandomWritings]

Came back to look at this again as I have been making 3 string necks about 4cm wide because I think they are more comfortable for people who are used to guitars. Someone has just given me an old baglama (6 strings) to clean up and the neck is only 27mm so I think I wil try narrower ones for a while. Only problem is that with bigger cigar boxes a narrow neck can look a bit strange I guess.

[michaeljking]

try 30mm, I think that might be a nice in-between size, I like 27mm on my steel strung stick dulcimers but guitarists are often used to narrower spacing from steel strung instruments.

[MrRandomWritings]

Hello again - sorry I haven't been around for a while. My instrument building came to a halt due partly to lack of space and not having time to get down and play them! Thinking about building a deluxe version of the walnut semi acoustic fretless dulcimer I made (the first one on my recent vid) with an ebony fingerboard maybe - finances permitting!

[michaeljking]

Glad you are back!! I have been away from video filming myself, trying to catch up on my commissioned instruments, I am going to film the last 5 or 6 episodes in one go over Christmas and call it Season 2....

[KenMiddletonUkulele]

Interesting video, Michael. Oddly, only yesterday I was thinking whether I should have one of these.

[michaeljking]

thanks Ken for your interest, to help you I will film some tutorial-playing videos when I get to the end of the series!!

[MrRandomWritings]

@michaeljking as luck would have it I have some walnut off-cuts which are about 32mm so I will try one and see - thanks

[a0e0roberts]

Huzzah, a new chapter! Glad to hear you're busy, sad to hear your busy.

I have a lovely AAA piece of quilted maple, heaven only knows what I'm going to do with it.

I'll take some photos of the lyres my sensei left behind (?!) and send you the jpg's. I'll send him a note offering to ship the lyres to him; he must have been so rattled while packing he forgot. These things happen...

[rasputia]

Great instruction, as usual, Michael. :)