Dulcimer Amplification 101
The most common way to amplify a dulcimer is with a microphone, usually on a stand. This has many drawbacks such as; the mike being in your way, feedback, pick noise, handling noise, and fingers squeaking on the strings, all being picked up and amplified. This can be helped or prevented by using a built in pickup in the dulcimer. (All built in pickup types reduce feedback and get the microphone out of your way.)
There are three general types of built-in pickups available:
1. The Microphone type: Better, but you still have some of the same problems above.
2. The "Acoustic" (piezo- electric) type: (Pronounced pie-zo) The piezo type is much better. This type replaces the bridge or mounts under it and works by generating a voltage from the varying pressure of the vibrating strings. It does not change the looks of the dulcimer and it gives a very good sound. There is really nothing "acoustic" about this type of pickup. It comes from the space program where it is used for accelerometers (How fast does it go fast). They are also used to detect and measure earthquakes and other very non-musical uses. An extra pre-amp box is recommended to boost the very low strength signal and match the impedance of a standard guitar amp or mixing board and usually has an equalizer to help balance the base to melody string signals. "Acoustic" amps are now available that eliminate the pre-amp but are higher priced.
3. The Magnetic- Electric type: This is the same type of pickup that is used on electric guitars. It certainly does change the looks of the dulcimer but has some strong advantages that you may not have thought of:
� No pick noise, handling noise, or finger "squeak" on strings is picked up. Only the strings moving in the magnetic field is sensed.
� Much higher output than the piezo type for a better signal to noise ratio.
� Enough output to directly drive an amplifier without an extra pre-amp box needed. (Preamp cost is about $100.00 up.)
� Able to directly drive any special effects made for the electric guitar. Such as: Reverb, Chorus, Delays, Flangers, etc. These can add a new dimension to your music. (And they are fun!)
� When not plugged into an amp, a solidbody instrument has enough volume for practice without disturbing others in the same room, or you can listen to a small amplifier with headphones.
� The base to melody string ratio can be balanced by lowering or raising the sides of the pickup to change the distance to the strings or you can make the melody string stand out. No other type of pickup is adjustable in this manner.
� You don't need a double melody string. Double melody strings are for more acoustic volume and, in my opinion, do not sound as good when finger or flat picking. My standard is 3 and 4 equidistant string spacing
� All of my instruments have a tone and volume control. The tone and volume controls do the same thing that they do on a stereo or radio. The tone control can be turned down to make the sound more mellow. More about this later. Pickup switching is available on instruments with pickups that support It.
� The magnetic pickup has a sound of its own that is difficult to explain. The sustain is much, much longer and with the addition of a Compressor/limiter, the note can seem to go on forever. Slow songs, flat picked or finger picked, with some chorus and reverb or delay dialed in is something that you will have to hear to appreciate. Not to mention a little overdrive and reverb for Rock-N-Roll. Yes, the dulcimer will lay right there and let you play rock and roll on it!
An acoustic instrument makes sound by the strings causing the larger surface of the thin wood to vibrate and move the air like a speaker. The wood vibration absorbs the string energy quickly and causes the note to decay quicker than if the strings were on a more rigid frame that would not absorbe the string energy. This is one reason why the solid body has much more note sustain.