Help: Hammer dulcimer strings

Subject: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: Peter Fisher
Date: 23 Jul 01 - 01:50 PM

I am building a hammer dulcimer from plans that call for phosphor bronze and brass wire for some of the bass strings and I have been having trouble finding a source for the wire (which I need in eight foot lengths or longer, but I only need a total of 8 feet to 32 feet for each guage, and coils seem to come with at least 200 feet). Steel wire is easy to come by, but a web search for brass has not turned up anything (except that apparently brass is more common for zithers and harpsichords, steel for pianos). Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: Robin2
Date: 23 Jul 01 - 07:40 PM

Peter,

Try the Malin Company, 5400 Smith Road, Brookpark, OH, 44142. That's a source I have from the past for phosphor bronze wire. I don't think they sell it in eight foot lengths, but you can ask.

Robin

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 23 Jul 01 - 07:59 PM

try TUNERS SUPPLY CO.,88 - 94 Wheatland Street,Somerville,Mass.02145.They sell several guages of music wire(piano,harpscord,zither) and brass harpsicord wire.They offer the wire in 1/4 pound coils.They also sell hitch pins,and zither tuning pins,tuning wrenches, and maybe other material that would be of use in hammer dulcimer construction. If you wanted smaller quantities than the 1/4 lb., you might try a piano/harpsicord tuner/repairman.In their catalogue description for the harpsicord/zither wire, they specify for dulcimers to use size 7 and 9 ( .018 and .022 ).

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 23 Jul 01 - 09:36 PM

Guest,guest put it well. You might try a local piano guy since you won't be needing tons of the stuff. On the other hand, quarter pound spools are available from several sources including those above as and is really not too expensive. Leftovers stored will also last a long time and you might have need in the future.......just a thought. You also might want to use loop end banjo strings for any wrapped ones. A lot of music stores (don't know what's in your area) have individuals for sale outside of sets. I can't think you'd need more than 16-20 individuals, figuring paired courses.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: Gypsy
Date: 23 Jul 01 - 10:09 PM

My wonderful local piano guy would generously order 1/4 lb spools of harpsichord wire for me. With no markup. Try chumming up a local guy. I'de offer to go to my guy, but he died recently.

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 23 Jul 01 - 10:17 PM

There's a couple of jokes in there Gypsy, but I can't bring myself to post them..................I mean, even Spaw has some limits.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: John P
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 09:43 AM

I work at Dusty Strings in Seattle. We carry some phosphor bronze and brass wire in 30 foot and 50 foot lengths. I don't know what all sizes are there. Call 206-634-1662 or send email.

Have you considered using individual loop end strings throughout the instrument instead of coils of wire that wrap around and form two or more strings? You may find it easier to deal with when it is time to tune the instrument, and especially when it is time to replace strings. It also allows you to use wound strings for the bass notes, which you might like better. Although if you decide you like the PB or brass strings better, they can be more of a hassle to get with loop ends. Dusty Strings sells a few sizes of PB wire with loop ends, but not any brass. Brass strings break with startling regularity anyway.

John Peekstok

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 10:15 AM

I wasn't going to ask, but since John brought it up...............

Is there anyone using brass that much? Just curious........Also, what plans are you using that call for brass? The only instruments I've seen with brass are antiques (I suppose you could say "vintage"). I did a restring and a few repairs to one in a museum in Sugarcreek and it's a playable instrument now, but nowhere near the sound of a modern one, even with 4/per course stringing. Brass is also a nightmare to tune, as if tuning isn't already time consuming enough......

Just wondering about your plans and all......Building a repro type thing or what?

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: Willie-O
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 11:15 AM

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!

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: GUEST,Peter Fisher
Date: 25 Jul 01 - 12:08 PM

Thanks all for your help; some good suggestions. The plans I am using are from a book called "Dulcimer Building Start to Finish" by Neal Koch, which is excellent. The subtitle is "A Modern Hammered Duclimer Design" so its not an attempt to build an antique. He suggests brass only for the three lowest bass string pairs because it "has a subdured tone and is smoother sounding" and phosphor bronze for two other bass pairs. I thought about using loop end strings but that would be quite a bit more expensive if used throughout, and if I used only a few loop end strings they would be coming off the center of the hitch pins while the others are wrapped around and would come off one side which would mean not all the strings are parallel, which might not interfere with playing but aesthetically might be a problem (or not). Perhaps I'll try steel piano wire for all the strings to start, and experiment with loop end strings for some of the bass pairs, if I can't find brass easily.

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Jul 01 - 02:34 PM

Notch the siderail caps.......not a problem.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Hammer dulcimer strings
From: GUEST,Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 25 Jul 01 - 09:42 PM

Hi Peter,

I think that the piano-man may fall short, as the strings on most pianos are too thick for H-Ds. My experience with brass strings has been quite brief, as they all broke while I was installing them... Keep em real loose...

'Zither wire' is what I have had the best luck with, when calling around...

Phospho-Bronze has great tone, but you have to hear it for a long long time... which is great... most of the time...

Also, two guitar strings can be threaded together by pulling one through the other's brass eyelet, though I doubt whether you'll get eight feet out of them...