_____29. The BRIDGE is a small triangular wood piece that will rest on the
FRETBOARD near the tail end. We do not glue the BRIDGE in place. It is much
better to leave it as a “floating” piece, held by the strings. That enables you to fine
tune the scale length for perfect intonation after the instrument is strung.
You’ll need to file identical notches in the BRIDGE that you filed in the NUT, as
shown here.
4 13 13 4 4
38 mm overall
INSTALLING TUNING GEARS
_____30. Install the individual GEARED TUNERS to the PEGHEAD, as shown. Note that two are meant for the
right side and two for the left.
The Teardrop dulcimer uses sealed gears with washers as barrel nuts. Use a hex-drive wrench to fasten the
barrel nuts into the TUNERS, and then drill 1/16” pilot holes for the tiny screws in the back side, taking care not to
drill all the way through the PEGHEAD.
INSTALLING STRINGS
_____31. Now you can install the strings! Attach each string to the dulcimer by slipping the ball end into the hole near
the tail end of the FRETBOARD, and poking it in to about the proper depth to line up with the notches in the BRIDGE.
We like hiding the ends of the strings this way. It eliminates the need for tail pins that might get caught on your clothing.
Thread the other end through the hole in the appropriate geared tuner, as shown.
ball end
goes here
The Hourglass dulcimer with the scroll peghead
uses open gear tuners. For best results, be sure to place
them so the brass gear is closer to the body of the instru-
ment than the handle with the white button, as shown.
Hold the gear in position as you drill a 1/16” pilot hole
just 1/4” deep for the mounting screws (two screws per
gear).
16
