Quicky, sticky, not-so-slicky dulcimer

DarnWeight

My boy had a school music project to build an instrument this week.  Checked the parts box, had a set of tuners and not much else.  We sat down and planned out a "ghetto" dulcimer, and I set about doing all the cutting, routing, filing and pfaffing. 

This was a real MacGyver-job...snipped lengths of 1.5mm piano wire for frets, bit of brass stock for a nut, a bolt for the bridge, and a sawn-off drawer/case handle for string anchoring.  The frets are superglued in to shallow slots, and quite honestly, they're rough as a badger's arse!  There are a few high ones, even with the action jacked up pretty high, and a lot of sticky-out sharp edges....being a dulcimer, you play it "overhand" so there's very little chance of taking a chunk out of a finger/thumb.  Glad we went for a 4-string with the doubled melody-string, as it gives it a bit more volume and swirl.  No soundboard/box, so it needs all the help it can get!

Anyhoo, it tuned out OK...good enough for a few photos and a quick video demo (Auld Lang Syne) to upload to his music teacher.  Here's a few pics...













I'm not a proud man, but at he same time, there's no way I'm getting close enough to show you the comically installed frets!  On the upside, it actually makes a sound (you get a subtle sitar effect thrown in for free), and you can get a recognisable tune out of it.  Plus, what else am I going to do with my days right now?

Oh, and now I want a dulcimer.

blobb

Well done! Have a Tim Hart drink on me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw2qi66V5Nc