Just got my very first hammered dulcimer today. a used Master Works 16/15 in very good condition. Been watching your videos for years and finally pulled the trigger.
About a year ago I purchased the Russell Cook extended range dulcimer. Awesome looks and awesome sound! I love it! My student ordered one at the same time, and we both love them!
Thanks for sharing! I have a Master works dulcimer...love it and don't play it enough! How much would a new set of strings cost from your website? I also have surface crack in mine...is there anyway to repair that? Thanks again for sharing! God Bless you!
John, Thanks so much for watching and reaching out to me! For maintenance and support questions, please email info@masterworksok.com. I don't sell strings through my website, but that is thoughtful of you to try. You can buy them here: masterworksok.com/product/replacement-string-sets I hope you get to play your hammered dulcimer more in the future. Please stay connected! Best, Joshua
To me the Pioneer sounds more 'in the present day', while the Ultralight sounds more 'ancient', as if its sound is coming from a time long ago. Both are wonderful when well played.
Hi Joshua. I have a MW Ultralight XR and was wondering if there was an easy way to clean the strings. Some of mine seem to have some dark spots or discoloration. I’ve tried wiping them down but didn’t want to do anything that would be a problem. Thanks.
Great question! You can order a string polisher from Master Works. It is not a liquid solution. It looks more like a pencil eraser. Email info@masterworksok.com to order one.
Great video, very interesting! Now I would be highly interested in an in-depth comparison of the ultralight to the RCE. I know the video with the comparison of all the Masterworks' hammered dulcimers. But these comparisons are quite short. For a long time I had believed I once would have to buy the Dulciforte as the ultimate hammered dulcimer. But now I came across the RCE and Ultralight extended range. One of these two models might be much more suitable for me. So an additional video would be great.
I watched the full video, thank you so much for this comprehensive comparison! And as a mechanical engineer I appreciate all these technical details, the video almost felt too short 😁 If I'm correct you mostly played the demo with felt side of the hammers, is there any demo where we can hear you use the Ultralight with the bare wood side?
Thanks, Val! I'm glad you found the video helpful. I did record the sound comparison with a hard leather striking surface since it was the most neutral sound that accurately captured the differences between the two models. Please email me, and I'll gladly create an example with the bare wood on the Ultralight.
I like the resonance of the Ultralight better than the Pioneer. It made sense as you described the dimensions and construction. The Ultralight produces more midrange frequencies which ties the lows and highs in an audibly smoother sound. The midrange and highs of the Pioneer tend to sound perhaps too bright and somewhat like unto a player piano (no offense). 😎👍🏻
Thanks for the comment! I agree with your observations. The Ultralight also projects much better and is a room-filling sound. This quality is difficult to discern on RU-vid.
