My 22-yr-old hammered dulcimer still has a lot of its original strings--I don't play it enough to want to go through the torture of restringing. Partly because of the problem of getting the right wire, partly because I hate having little holes in my fingertips. Over the years I have replaced some of the "bass" strings (think they were 21 gauge plain) with wound guitar strings to excellent effect--much bassier and less flaccid. No jokes please Spaw. The little round end-ball you can carefully destroy by pinching it to death with a pair of pliers, then you have a loop-end string.

Spaw! Cut that out!

W-O

I mean it!