alcohol will remove  the sticky residue on your fretboard

We had a concept called Nickel & Dime to explain where a good action height begins on a dulcimer.  Put a dime next to a string at the 1st fret.  The string should just touch the top of the string. If it doesn't touch by more than 1-2mm, it's getting too high.   Balance a nickel on top of the 7th fret.  The string should just touch the nickel.  More than 1-2mm higher is getting to be too high for most players.

Action heights for ukes and other instruments are completely different.

That's a good starter instrument and well worth the $45 you spent. As long as it frets accurately and the action is not too high or low you should have a good time learning to play on it. As to the gumminess, I would soak a small area of a rag or paper towel with some Goo Gone and rub over the area that is sticky. I shouldn't harm the finish, but always test in a small inconspicuous place before doing large areas. Best wishes as you begin playing the mountain dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Welcome!  Can you tell us what kind of dulcimer you got?  You may be able to see a maker's label if you look through one of the sound holes.

Below is a recent revision of an article I wrote a few years ago, called I Just Got A Dulcimer. Now What?  It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terms, so we all mean the same things when we talk about the dulcimer; plus answers to many beginner questions about the tuning, playing, care and feeding of your new friend.

I Just Got A Dulcimer 2016.pdf  •  1.1MB

Welcome to the site!!!

Hello and welcome!

Hi Inkdork (do you have a lot of tattoos or something?) and welcome to FOTMD.  I think you'll find that you can play simple tunes on the dulcimer pretty quickly.  But it is also capable of very complicated music, so there are plenty of challenges ahead.  There are lots of resources here, so poke around the site, explore, and pose any questions you may have.

"A moment to learn and a lifetime to master"