Any really good dulcimer luthiers here?

[BoneDigger]

I have a dulcimer I bought from a maker that I won't publically name. He wasn't good to deal with. Anyway, I had no idea why this dulcimer sounded so bad since it's a beauty and solid woods. Now I know why. The frets are mispositioned. Every note except open is off. Is that fixable? Any place I could send it for repair? I don't want to deal with the maker again. I'm about ready to trash it.

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[Steve DeRosa]

If you're interested in a refret any good tech should be able to do the job; that said, I'd be considering a compensated bridge/nut as an alternative - and cheaper - solution...

[dhalbert]

The fret positions could be fine and the saddle could be mispositioned. Did you measure the fret positions?

You might try fiddling with the calculators below to see if the frets are in their proper proportional positions, and what the bridge position should be. For instance, measure the distance between the first and last fret (or an octave fret), and then plug in numbers until you get that distance. Then check the rest, and also check what the saddle position is supposed to be.

https://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator.html
http://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae/compensation.htm

I have a kit dulcimer that has a movable saddle. But yours probably rests in a slot.

[BoneDigger]

When I purchased the dulcimer and received it by mail, it was unplayable due to fret buzz. I sent it back and he "fixed" it. Nope. So back it went again. The third timee I received it, it was playable and has good tone when played open. But now I see the intonation is off. I'll take it to my lutheir and see if it's fixable. Unless someone here is really good with these.

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[donh]

You could ask Jerry Rockwell. He is an amazing builder of dulcimers, and understands the geometry and scale issues. He's a music school graduate and bad intonation drives him nuts.
Builders don't often want to do repairs, but maybe he'd refer you to a proper repair guy . . . .

[BoneDigger]

Originally Posted by donh

You could ask Jerry Rockwell. He is an amazing builder of dulcimers, and understands the geometry and scale issues. He's a music school graduate and bad intonation drives him nuts.
Builders don't often want to do repairs, but maybe he'd refer you to a proper repair guy . . . .

Do you have a contact?

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[Howard Klepper]

I suggest you ask AGF member Wade Hampton Miller, who is a former Winfield national champion on mountain dulcimer.