Spring Cleaning

We lost a pretty good chunk of roof earlier this year in a wind storm that our roofer just repaired earlier this week. We'll find out for sure if the repair is complete next time it rains, but in the meantime, Richard and I are repairing the water damage and replacing ceiling tiles. While we are at it, we are also picking up the winter crop of wind blown sticks, doing our first lawn mowing and replacing burned out bulbs throughout the building. This is all just standard maintenance like every property owner needs to do periodically.

Another thing that we all need to do every so often is to take care of our instruments. On a dulcimer, your metal strings will oxidize over time as well as pick up dirt and grease from your fingers. The oxidation and dirt will make the strings heavier without giving them any more strength which will tend to make your instrument sound dull and muddy. Strings really should be replaced fairly regularly - every six months to a year for those that just play every now and then, and as often as every few weeks if you play a lot.

Another maintenance issue that will help your dulcimer live longer is oiling your fretboard. We sell dulcimers with either a lacquered fingerboard, or an oiled fingerboard. If the fingerboard on your dulcimer stays glossy all of the time, it is probably lacquered; if your fingerboard starts looking like bare wood, it is oiled. The oil finish on a fretboard should be renewed about once a year - just get a good quality fingerboard oil (available at most guitar shops), apply to your fretboard, give it a chance to soak in, and wipe off the excess.

Here is a little look at my dulcimer. As you can see, I really need to change my strings - notice the color difference between my installed year old string and the new string. You can also see from the gloss on this fretboard that I have a lacquered fretboard on this instrument. On the instrument that I'm building for myself, I will have an oiled fretboard - the lacquer finish on fretboards does wear out and is not easy to fix. An oil finish on a fretboard needs to be refreshed, but will last forever.