The problem is that there’s very little that’s standardized about mountain dulcimers. I use an exceptionally heavy set on my stage dulcimers: .014’s on the double unisons, a .017 on the middle string, and a .026 wound on the bass. I have zero problem with breakage.
So not only do string gauges factor into this, so does scale length, and again there’s great variation in that.
If you use the wispy little gauges that most mountain dulcimer players use, yes, breakage can become a problem, particularly if the strings are on the instrument for months and months. But if you keep them at least somewhat fresh and use beefier gauges, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Hope that makes sense.
Wade Hampton Miller
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