So much happening this month!
Hello, everyone!
There's so much going on right now that it was HARD to get a newsletter written this week. But it's been three weeks since our last "weekly" newsletter, so I managed to find the time. Just for you!
To start this newsletter out with a real "bang!"...
Our new website, dedicated to PDFs of dulcimer books is now live! Visit DulcimerDownloads.com for some of the very best PDFs and MP3s from your favorite artists.
I've been working on this website in my spare time since last spring. There are hundreds of titles (from Aaron O'Rourke, Larry Conger, Steve Eulberg, and plenty of the rest of the best artists) that aren't online yet, but they're coming. But for now, the site is usable, and ready for you to test.
The content is NOT complete - I'm only 20 percent of the way through with adding downloads, but they're coming. If there's an artist or song that you're wanting that ISN'T live, let me know and I'll prioritize that download just for you.
I am NOT advertising this new service to the general public yet - so far the artists (authors!) know about it, but you're in the first group of the "general public" to learn about DulcimerDownloads.com.
About a year ago, we introduced the Folkcraft NT-11 single coil magnetic pickup. (I can just see some of your eyes glazing over, with talk about technical electronic things!) A single-coil pickup has a great tone quality, and has been the "standard" in electric guitar pickups for decades. But... One of the problems (charms?) of a single-coil is that it is susceptible to noise. Fluorescent lights, power lines. Things that aren't easy to avoid.
So, we've been working on a "stacked single coil pickup" - two single coils in one. They're wired up in such a way that the noise is 95 percent eliminated.
We already offer a single-coil pickup (order the Folkcraft NT-11 with your next dulcimer, if you want that kind of sound), but will be, within weeks, offering the NT-11 Stacked Single Coil as an option.
The new stacked single coil pickup isn't (yet) an option on the website. But you can order an instrument with the single coil, then follow up the order with an email requesting a free upgrade to the stacked single coil. I'll make the substitution when we finish your new dulcimer.
This new pickup is good stuff, and will make some performers very, very happy!
I'll be heading to one of the world's premier music festivals next week. The Black Mountain Music Festival (held, appropriately, in Black Mountain, North Carolina). Hosted by Chuck Moseley, this is one of the best festivals you'll find anywhere.
Folkcraft will be vending, and I'll be onsite as a "dulcimer doctor", performing adjustments and repairs for attendees. Check out the festival website for the class/concert schedule and other details.
Of course, I'll bring a few dulcimers for y'all to enjoy, too. Standard dulcimers, bass dulcimers, LAP-JOs, and chromatics. If you haven't yet gotten to know my wife, Aly, this would be a good time to say "hi" to her. She'll be starting her new job the week after Black Mountain, and will probably have to cut back on her festival attendance for a year or two.
Thank you for reading - and if you get the chance, please give me your feedback on the new DulcimerDownloads.com website.
Sincerely,
Richard Ash
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