Professional Jill Weimer or KJ Hammers (your choice)
Tuning Wrench
Book: Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Hammered Dulcimer
Free shipping within continental U.S.
OPTIONAL LAMINATED BRIDGES
According to Chris Foss, the biggest culprit to dulcimers going out of tune is the bridges shrinking and swelling with changes in the humidity of the environment. Wood shrinks or swells across the grain which in the case of the bridges is the height. Any change in the height of course changes the tension of the strings, and the dulcimer goes out of tune. This is the point behind lamination. Plywood is built up of layers of wood glued together with grain directions at 90 degrees to the layer above and below. This effectively stops wood movement, and the thinner the laminations, and the more plies, the better.
As an option, Songbird makes bridges with a core of birch plywood and solid walnut on the outside. You can see the ply core, but it isn’t objectionable. The ply core limits the shrinkage or swelling of the bridge, and really helps with tuning stability. While they don't completely eliminate the problem of dulcimers going out of tune, they really help.
Customers not in the 48 states:BEFORE YOU ORDER, you must get shipping rates for your order by emailing me at Jess@DickinsonDulcimer.com. This applies, even for items shipped free in the 48 US states. (sorry!) Thank you! Jess Dickinson
