Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel
Related Manuals for Musicmaker’s Kits 17/16
Summary of Contents for Musicmaker’s Kits 17/16
- Page 1 17/16 Cedar Hammered Dulcimer kit Musicmaker’s Kits P.O. Box 2117 Stillwater MN 55082 (651) 439 9120 info@musikit.com...
- Page 2 17/16 SIZE CEDAR HAMMERED DULCIMER KIT Parts List: a) 1 back (1/4" plywood) b) 1 soundboard/top (cedar) c) 2 pinblocks (laminated maple) d) 1 long front rail (laminated maple) e) 1 shorter back rail (lam. maple f) 2 inner braces...
- Page 3 A NOTE ABOUT GLUE DO NOT ASSEMBLE THIS PROJECT WITH EPOXY OR SUPERGLUE OR HOT MELT GLUE! Find a good woodworking glue. Many luthiers (guitar & violin makers) still use the natural hide glues that have been around for centuries, carrying on a fine old tradition, but that does not mean that you must do the same.
- Page 4 _____2. Use a 7/64" drill bit (not provided) to drill a pilot hole into each end of the pinblocks to make it easier to screw the rails to the pinblocks. Drill through the holes already located in the RAILS, making sure the parts are perfectly aligned as you drill.
- Page 5 INNER BRACING _____5. The two INNER BRACES are cut with a slope at each end. The function of these braces is simply to support the TONE BAR, which, in turn, supports the middle of the SOUNDBOARD. These BRACES do not need to touch the PINBLOCKS. Measure the distance shown from the long FRONT RAIL to determine the proper placement, then glue them to the BACK, using heavy weights and/or clamps until dry.
- Page 6 THE SOUNDBOARD _____7. While waiting for the frame to dry, you can work on the soundboard, taking care not to dent or scratch it. If you do dent the top of the soundboard, you can restore the surface by steaming the wood to swell the fibers back into place.
-
Page 7: Point Of Interest
CUSTOM SOUNDHOLES If you would rather design your own soundholes, this is a good place to be creative, making your instrument unique. We have tried a number of different sizes and shapes of holes, and they all work fine. Draw out your ideas on paper first, then cut them out and try positioning them on the soundboard to see how they would look. - Page 8 TRIMMING & SANDING _____9. Once the box is dry, you need to trim away the excess wood from the SOUNDBOARD and the BACK. One easy way to accomplish this is with a belt sander. This tool will also even out the corners of the PINBLOCKS that may protrude slightly beyond the RAILS.
- Page 9 DRILLING FOR HARDWARE _____13. Now you can drill the holes for the tuning pins and hitch pins. A drill press would be helpful on this step, but not absolutely necessary. You can achieve good results with a hand electric drill, if you work carefully. Try your best to hold the drill straight (vertical) as you work.
- Page 10 IF YOU PURCHASED OUR PARTIALLY ASSEMBLED KIT Breath a sigh of relief for the work you’ve avoided, and check over the hardware parts of your kit now, to make sure everything is included. If you discover a problem, call us right away so we can rectify it quickly without causing you much delay in your project.
- Page 11 _____3. Notice that the BRIDGES have a few tiny holes drilled along the tops. These are for marking dots to help guide you in your playing. You need to fill these holes with black DELRIN (from the excess length provided in the kit). Push one end of a DELRIN rod into a hole and clip it off as close to the wood as you can with a wire cutter.
- Page 12 INSTALLING THE HARDWARE & STRINGS Once the finish is dry, you can install the hardware. _____7. The 33 holes in the center row of each side (17 on one side and 16 on the other) are for the HITCH PINS (round-head wood screws).
- Page 13 "foot" is at the rear rail. _____12. Locate the coil of wire marked .022" and pull out about 8 feet from one end. This will be used for the longest course (pair) of strings at the front of the instrument. Here is how to install it: a) Poke the end of the wire into, but not all the way through, the small hole in the first tuning pin at the lower right corner of the dulcimer (on the inside row).
-
Page 14: Important Note
g) Poke that end of the wire into (but not all the way through) the second tuning pin and turn the pin about one-half turn clockwise before "setting" the wire as you did with the first end. h) Continue turning the pin clockwise to wind the excess wire DOWNWARD toward the wood until all the slack is taken up. - Page 15 _____15. Continue stringing the wires across the TREBLE BRIDGE, bringing them up to a reasonable tension, but not trying to actually tune them yet. Be sure to change sizes of wire according to the chart above. YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB -- TAKE A BREAK BEFORE STARTING ON THE BASS BRIDGE -- You'll want to be well rested before the next challenge..
- Page 16 You will discover that the BASS BRIDGE can be shifted around somewhat to fit the spacing of the treble strings. Unlike the TREBLE BRIDGE, it doesn’t matter if you angle it a little differently than shown, because you will only play the strings on one side of this bridge.
- Page 17 STRING SIZE CHART BASS BRIDGE .022" wire -- FRONT 6 COURSES (longest) .020" wire -- MIDDLE 4 COURSES .018" wire -- NEXT 4 COURSES .016" wire -- REAR 2 COURSES (shortest) THIS MAKES A TOTAL OF 16 PAIRS OF WIRE ON THE BASS BRIDGE, ONE OVER EACH "FOOT".
- Page 18 c) Now, if the note on the left of the bridge is HIGHER than it should be (more than a fifth interval above the right side), then you must LENGTHEN the amount of wire on that left side of the bridge to lower the pitch. Do that by sliding the bridge to the right, just a little. Then test the interval again.
- Page 19 Treble bridge Bass bridge F -- Bb E -- A D -- G C -- F B -- E A -- D G -- C F# -- B E -- A D -- G C# -- F# Middle B -- E A -- D G# - Middle C# F# - B...
- Page 20 We usually tune a new instrument twice and then give it a little time to adjust (say, overnight) before tuning again. It should hold pretty well after the third tuning. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU REALLY DID IT. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY LEARNING TO PLAY YOUR HAMMERED DULCIMER.
- Page 21 ACCESSORIES FOR THE HAMMERED DULCIMER We carry a number of items to help you enjoy playing this unusual instrument. Here is a brief list of accessories – please refer to our website our catalog for current pricing. Pair double-side hammers Gig bag for Cedar Hammered Dulcimer Electronic Tuner (chromatic) External Pickup &...
Need help?
Do you have a question about the 17/16 and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers