I'm a Blue Lion fan.

I'm coming in to this discussion a little late, but if you want to buy a great quality instrument you can't go wrong with a Folkcraft or Folkroots (made the same people). They are consistently good instrument. Blue Lion is top of the line and worth every dollar you pay for it. After that Robert's list above is pretty good. I'd add David Lynch's Sweet Woods Dulcimers.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Some eBay transactions work out; some don't...you have to know that going in. But when it does work out, you can meet some great people and get a really special instrument. The best folks, of course, are honest to a fault and will allow a return if the instrument is a disappointment when it arrives. I'm very thankful for eBay and Craigslist and other sites like them for making it possible for us to connect with sellers across the miles. I do agree, though, that it's probably best to work with folks on this site and Everything Dulcimer as much as possible. It's not a guarantee that nothing will go wrong, but it's a great place to start!

If you want to hear a dulcimer made by the fine luthier, David Lynch, check out my video. This is an all-cherry teardrop with an extra deep soundbox and a VSL of about 26", which means my fingers can stretch and find the chords better than one witha 28" VSL.

Just put "Jan Potts Oh Susannah" in the search box and at least one of the videos that come up should be mine! I'll post the link here in a second, if I can get it.

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/oh-susannah

one other note. I started with Cripple Creek...decade ago which was wonderful. Had another made for me 3 yrs ago which was terrible in craftspersonship, had to be sent back, and still has problems. Hopefully they have found another luthier to replace the temporary one who was there. Bud at the time wasn't building much due to health. I'd stick with McSpadden, Folkcraft, Modern Mountain or IF you can afford....Blue Lion.

Wow....everyone has an opinion on this one, McSpadden is great for consistency and affordability in the mid price range.

Personally....I LOVE Blue Lion. They are expensive but worth saving up for.

Good point, Jan! David is a remarkably innovative luthier. Check out this video where he demonstrates the warm, mellow sound he gets with a "decoupled" tailpiece and how sticking something as simple as a credit card underneath the tailpiece results in a more traditional dulcimer sound.

I would also add David Beede to that list. Has a great reputation with performers.

For dulcimers with a rich full tone, I'd also add Gary Gallier to Ken's list above. I recently received mine, and it is fantastic.

Also David McKinney (Modern Mountain Dulcimers). Wonderful instruments.

And MMD has humor:

At Modern Mountain Dulcimer, we understand that the mountain dulcimer is the center of the Folk Music Universe and that all other folk instruments were created to enhance and accompany the mountain dulcimer.

Armsmere, a few years ago I tried to get people at Everything Dulcimer to start rating luthiers. I wanted to buy a really nice dulcimer and needed some guidance. But there was great resistance. The dulcimer community is very close-knit, and no one wanted to hurt anyone's feelings by stating formally in a discussion somewhere that one person's dulcimers were better than another.

It was suggested to me that I simply watch videos by people whose playing I enjoyed and whose dulcimers sounded good and ask them what they were playing and why. Eventually, I ordered a dulcimer from Ron Ewing and bought used dulcimers by Blue Lion and Modern Mountain Dulcimer. I also acquired but had to part with a Laurel Mountain dulcimer and a John Stockard dulcimer. All--though especially the Blue Lion and MMD--fall into the modern loud, mellow guitar sound category rather than the traditional high silvery sound, but all are great instruments. There are others, too. My suggestion is just to pay attention to what is being played in videos and if you are lucky enough to attend a dulcimer festival, just ask people if you can play their dulcimers for a moment. There are lots of great instruments out there and I'm sure you'll fin more than several that will please you.

By the way, I would add Laurel Mountain to Ken's list. Mary used to work for Folkcraft when they were in Connecticut but decided to stay behind when the company relocated to Indiana. Her standard models resemble Folkcraft in size and basic design with only minor differences. But she does really nice work. I miss the beautiful Laurel Mountain I was obliged to sell in order to partially pay for my Modern Mountain Dulcimer.

If you want that "rich mellow" guitar sound, rather than the traditional "high silvery" sound, then you want an instrument that is both wide and deep -- the greatest internal volume. Larger internal volumes give more bass/baritone response. Look for a depth of at least 2.5" (6cm) and a body length (not just VSL length) of say 32" (80cm) without the tuning head. You'll probably find the ultimate sound in a Tennessee Music Box or other box shaped dulcimer rather than a teardrop, hourglass or other shape. Type of wood has not been proven to effect the sound of dulcimers to any major degree. Any builder who has made more than a handful of dulcimers will know how much area of soundhole each of his/her designs requires for optimum sound production.

Rather than searching Ebay and similar sites, I would advise you to search the "For Sale" both here and the www.everythingdulcimer.com . You will be dealing with knowledgeable dulcimer players, not someone's great aunt who can't spell dulcimer let alone play one. Prices won't be any higher here or at ED, and the seller won't try to rip you off over the cost of postage.

After nearly 40 years of messing about with dulcimers, here's my partial list of some of the best dulcimer builders in the USA whose instruments show up periodically on Ebay and elsewhere. Most of these builders are still alive.

Bear Mountain (Dwayne Wilder)

Modern Mountain Dulcimers

Bonnie Carol

Blue Lion

Capritaurus

Warren May

Homer Ledford

Gary Sager

Ben Seymore

Mike Clemmer

Jerry Rockwell

Ron Gibson

Jean Ritchie & George Pickow

Cripple Creek (Bud & Donna Ford)

MacSpadden

Folkcraft

Dave "Harpmaker" Lynch

Kevin Messenger

John Knopf

Bobbie Ratliff

Dan C and a couple other here that I've forgotten (sorry guys....)

Blue Lion I think is a good choice.

http://www.bluelioninstruments.com/index.html

Wout