Dusty Strings Hammered Dulcimer Owner's Manual - Page 7

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Dusty Strings Hammered Dulcimer Owner's Manual

bend. Keep tension on the string as it wraps onto the pin, so that it forms tight

coils down and away from the small starting hole. Make sure the whole string is

sitting in its correct position and is not caught up on any other pins, strings, or bridge

pedestals.

e pin should rotate about three times before the string becomes taut.

Tune it slowly up to proper pitch.

becomes smooth with practice.

A new string will stretch a bit before stabilizing, so you may need to tune it a

few times in its ﬁ rst hour of service.

Restringing the Whole Dulcimer

Depending on atmospheric conditions, a string set can last a long time, some-

times even years if there are no wound strings. Wound strings typically get dull-

sounding within a year or so and need periodic replacement (see String Types, page

3). It is really an issue of personal preference when (or if ) you replace the whole set

of strings on your instrument. If they get dark and corroded-looking, and seem to

have lost their "singing" quality, it may be time. You can go to your local dealer and

inquire about re-stringing, or dig into it yourself. It is really very straightforward,

though time-consuming.

e only important thing to know about this process is that it is best to take

oﬀ and replace only one course (two strings) at a time.

tension on the instrument, and you can get it back to holding pitch more quickly.

Also, you maintain bridge placement, which protects you from having to ﬁ ddle

around with re-setting the treble bridge in its precise ﬁ fth-interval tuning placement

(see Tuning Hints on page 12). You can follow the instructions above for how to

take oﬀ the old strings and put on the new ones.

If, however, you want to give the soundboard a thorough cleaning as well as

changing the strings, you may want to remove all the strings at once, as well as the

bridges. Make sure you carefully mark the placement of the bridges (we suggest using

tape for this purpose) before you remove all the strings.

and will need to be replaced exactly if the instrument is to be tunable. Before cleaning

the soundboard, please read the section below on your instrument's ﬁ nish.

If you hear a raspy, buzzing sound when you play your instrument, a string is

probably resting too lightly on a side bridge so that it vibrates against the bridge

when it is struck. If you suspect that this is happening with one of your strings,

press down on the string right next to the tuning pin and strike the string. If the

buzz is gone, you've found the culprit, and you can permanently silence it by

lowering the string so that it makes solid contact with the side bridge. Do this by

loosening the tuning pin about half turn while pushing the string down toward the

pinblock. Hold this position as you re-tighten the tuning pin.

may apply to string buzzes on the hitch pin side. In the case of some of the higher,

right-side bass bridge strings, the opposite solution may be required: you might ﬁ nd

places where it seems easier to raise the string on the tuning pin and completely

eliminate contact with the side bridge.

to the right of the bass bridge are not used for playing.

e whole process will seem awkward at ﬁ rst, but

String Buzzes

is works only because the string sections

is allows you to maintain

e bridges are not glued down

is same remedy