Great review Kevin! I had the great opportunity to be with Bing on this past Saturday at a house workshop and concert, so I got to see his fancy McCafferty in action. Blows my mind!
One benefit of a radiused fretboard even if you don't barre like Steve Seifert or Aaron O'Rourke is that it is easier to play single note runs on the middle string since it sits a bit higher than the bass and melody strings. It's certainly a versatile dulcimer, and Terry always does great work. If I didn't have a kid about to start college, I'd be getting one, too. I look forward to hearing what you do with this bad boy.
I use the middle string a LOT. And yes, Terry does great work. I am fortunate enough to be in his current build run... with a truly custom version of this dulcimer model. I think folks are going to absolutely love it.... more so than my playing. LOL I'm really NOT very good... but I do enjoy it.
Kevin, your versatile set up looks so exciting. The possibilities seem endless!!! You have opened a whole new world to yourself and to so many others. It will be hard to stop playing, even to eat!!! 👏😀👏
I have a new McCafferty sinker redwood diatonic dulcimer that I love. It doesn't have these advanced features, but it's a beautifully sounding, easy to play instrument. I enjoyed this video. Thanks.
That is my dream dulcimer... though I would go with walnut and whatever top he thinks would work best with it (I just simply love walnut LOL). Cheers! And keep on playing!
@@KevinTeague well I pulled the trigger! Terry agreed to slide me into this building cycle. And he is making me a custom build.... we spent a few days going over features and and other aspects. From custom sound hole design (I designed it), different inlays to anything he has done before, etc. I think folks are really going to like this build. It is a blend of classy and classic, and new age. This is going to be so much fun. You, Seifert, and Futch were instrumental (no pun intended... ok, a little pun) in pushing me to get this made and added to my playing enjoyment.
@@KevinTeague Question(s)... what is the chain for the setup? Do you just plug the dulcimer into the Roland GR33 and then that into the amp? Or is there another item in the chain? And when you mix how much of one amp vs the midi, is that all done on the dulcimer itself and just passes it ALL through the GR33? Or do you need to use the 13 pin AND a standard jack into the GR33 or other device?
Never mind. I contacted Stephen Siefert and we talked it all through. :) It was what I thought it was. Cheers and keep up the great videos and playing.
Three string is one of the most common setups for mountain dulcimer. Additionally, due to each string having its own pickup on this model, there’s no more room available on the bridge.
@@tallonchalmers9608 I have not tried that, but you probably can. The dulcimer has a 13-pin out, so you would need to plug that into something that then goes into your computer.
Very interessing idea.
Great review Kevin! I had the great opportunity to be with Bing on this past Saturday at a house workshop and concert, so I got to see his fancy McCafferty in action. Blows my mind!
One benefit of a radiused fretboard even if you don't barre like Steve Seifert or Aaron O'Rourke is that it is easier to play single note runs on the middle string since it sits a bit higher than the bass and melody strings. It's certainly a versatile dulcimer, and Terry always does great work. If I didn't have a kid about to start college, I'd be getting one, too. I look forward to hearing what you do with this bad boy.
I use the middle string a LOT. And yes, Terry does great work. I am fortunate enough to be in his current build run... with a truly custom version of this dulcimer model. I think folks are going to absolutely love it.... more so than my playing. LOL I'm really NOT very good... but I do enjoy it.
Kevin, your versatile set up looks so exciting. The possibilities seem endless!!! You have opened a whole new world to yourself and to so many others. It will be hard to stop playing, even to eat!!! 👏😀👏
I have a new McCafferty sinker redwood diatonic dulcimer that I love. It doesn't have these advanced features, but it's a beautifully sounding, easy to play instrument. I enjoyed this video. Thanks.
That is my dream dulcimer... though I would go with walnut and whatever top he thinks would work best with it (I just simply love walnut LOL). Cheers! And keep on playing!
Thank you!
@@KevinTeague well I pulled the trigger! Terry agreed to slide me into this building cycle. And he is making me a custom build.... we spent a few days going over features and and other aspects. From custom sound hole design (I designed it), different inlays to anything he has done before, etc. I think folks are really going to like this build. It is a blend of classy and classic, and new age. This is going to be so much fun. You, Seifert, and Futch were instrumental (no pun intended... ok, a little pun) in pushing me to get this made and added to my playing enjoyment.
That is awesome! You're going to love it!@@TheWhiskeyCowboyLife
@@KevinTeague Question(s)... what is the chain for the setup? Do you just plug the dulcimer into the Roland GR33 and then that into the amp? Or is there another item in the chain? And when you mix how much of one amp vs the midi, is that all done on the dulcimer itself and just passes it ALL through the GR33? Or do you need to use the 13 pin AND a standard jack into the GR33 or other device?
Never mind. I contacted Stephen Siefert and we talked it all through. :) It was what I thought it was. Cheers and keep up the great videos and playing.
Can't wait to hear what you come up with using this new dulcimer. You are very creative so I'm sure it will be amazing
can you use the dulcimer with headphones with the midi
The MIDI port on the dulcimer must be plugged into a midi interface of some kind. I use a Roland GR-33. You can plug headphones into it.
Why only three strings?
Three string is one of the most common setups for mountain dulcimer. Additionally, due to each string having its own pickup on this model, there’s no more room available on the bridge.
Can you download any midi synths libraries or plug ins?
No, not directly into the dulcimer. You can plug the dulcimer into any MIDI synthesizer you want, though.
Can you hook the dulcimer with midi up to your computer and download free midi synths to the computer, therefore the dulcimer?
@@tallonchalmers9608 I have not tried that, but you probably can. The dulcimer has a 13-pin out, so you would need to plug that into something that then goes into your computer.
There are so many free synths downloads available, it would be nice if you could take advantage of them, if you wanted.
Enjoy the sounds, what fun