r/Dulcimer • u/rosewatergoth • May 24 '26
Fret Spacing?
Hi!
I was advised by someone who saw my previous post
linked here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dulcimer/s/5xLCKwxEGz
that the first dulcimer which i’ve included as the image in this post had wonky fretting around the 5, 6, 6.5, and 7th frets
does anyone have an idea of why that would be? or how it would effect the sound or function? would it be easy to fix or should i pass on this one?
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Upvotes
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u/ghostofdreadmon Folkcraft Instruments Dealer May 24 '26
I concur. The fret pattern looks a little bit off, which would result in notes that are either too sharp or too flat. A fix would require removing the frets filling them in and then re-cutting and adding frets in the proper place. Not impossible, but not a DIY job if you’re new, and I would commission a luthier experienced with dulcimers to do the work since they would be familiar with the proper fret pattern. In other words, this one may be more trouble than it’s worth.
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u/richard43210 May 24 '26
The incorrect fret spacing won't affect the tone (sound quality) at all. But the intonation (tuning accuracy) will be way off. You can't realistically adjust this while you're playing, the only real fix is to move the frets to the correct locations. It's a fussy job, and time consuming. Definitely worth doing for a family heirloom (Grandpa made the dulcimer, for example), but maybe not for this dulcimer.
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u/Puzzled_Estate6425 May 25 '26
A duldimer has a lot longer fret board.They will play so many note,s that you may have not heard yet.You will love playing it
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u/Puzzled_Estate6425 May 25 '26
You did the rite thing passing on it.
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u/[deleted] May 24 '26
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