Tom- Which website did you locate for purchasing Book 1 of the Hintermeyer? I was looking last night and found a site that was vending Book 1 and Book 2 (each for 6.54 EUR) and the shipping to send both was 7 EUR; however it appears that they want a Pin & Chip credit card. So I wasn't able to pu...

My advice on strings of which you have no idea or clue as to what they are: "when in doubt, throw them out". In the long run you will find it cheaper to purchase the right string(s) for your instrument. Most Zithers out there today are wonderful old antique instruments still with a lot of ...

Interesting to note (especially for those of us living in the New York City area) that 225 Bowery where Hartmann & Reinhard made Zithers was next door to 227 Bowery where in 1876, James Stoltz ran an undertaking and coffin making business. In 1908, the Bowery Mission (one of the oldest and most ...

I have Pyramids on the little Schwarzer (see the section "Repairs & Restorations" where this gem of an instrument is pictured), and it gives a nice bright sound--both fretboard and accomp strings. I have Lenzners on my antique Alto Zither: I am not overly pleased with them, as they are...

Thank you for providing Alto Zither parts!

Tom- I am in Norwalk, Connecticut, so if you are nearby perhaps we can get together and I can give you some assistance and tuning and stringing. I can also show you the two Zithers that I have. One is an older Alto Zither (by an unknown maker) that has been in my family for many years, and the other...

Dave- The photo of the Schwarzer you have shown is indeed very similar in shape, size and decoration. Does it also have tulip tree inlay on the perimeter side? My little Schwarzer does not have the " F Schwarzer " inscription at the first fret as does yours. The carrying cases, though, are...

Following are several photos, some "before" and some "after", of a small Schwarzer Zither that has recently been restored by Sasha Radicic of St Louis. I found this interesting zither on eBay. The body (top and bottom) of the zither is spruce with Brazilian Rosewood veneer on bot...

From conversation recently with a fellow Zither player regarding tonal quality from the fret board strings, a suggestion was made to replace the strings in order to hear a brighter tone. My question to the Zither Community is, how often do you replace strings (fret or accompaniment); or do you repla...

A general question to the Zither Community: what is your favorite brand manufacturer for strings? Is your preference based on tonal quality, or on price? From a selfish perspective, I have an antique AltZither and wonder which brand of available strings for an Alt (Lenzner or Pyramid) produces the b...