As a noter player I like DAA best. I like the low melody note. I will sometimes set the noter aside and play harmonies of 6ths on the outside strings. Then the 6+ fret is a real asset, because the correct low harmony note is available. If I want lots of chords, I play guitar. 
I have a Feather Wren which I keep tuned in GDG for a couple reasons. I tried it in GDD (DAA up three frets) but it buzzed. It needs either heavier strings, higher action, or a little touch-up to the frets. Also the fretboard is too thin to easily allow noter-style playing. So I play it fingerdance/chord style for a change of pace. It is an excellent travel instrument, small (fits in my carry-on or backpack), lightweight, and quiet enough I don't worry about annoying people on the other side of sometimes-thin walls. In fact, my wife and I are planning a little trip in a couple weeks and I will take it with us.
Don-- it's fine to use your thumb, but you can't really call it "Noter" since there is no separate stick -- it's called Melody & Drone rather than Noter & Drone
I know a couple folks who took cardboard dulcimer fretboards and attached them to an old fiddle case (!!) and made a pretty good sounding dulcimer! You can make all sorts of thin wood boxes with "craft lumber" from Lowes of Home Despot, to make really nice looking box dulcimers
My husband took one of our cardboard dulcimers, removed the fretboard and attached to a box (larger than a cigar box ) and created a wonderful toned box/stick for himself. The most difficult part was removing the glue used to attach the fretboard to the cardboard....many hours of sanding and filing resulted in a perfect usable piece!
Marg, if the fretboard is long holds the bridge and the nut, then it would be easy to take it off the cardboard and find some nice cedar cigar boxes. Glue them together and glue the fretboard on top. It should sound better than the cardboard. But if the bridge is separate and not actually attached to the fretboard, then you have to know what you're doing to match the vibrating string length with the fret spacing.
Any cigar boxes will do, but those made of cedar will sound much better.
The bridge is a piece, usually wood on acoustic instruments, on which strings rest and are sometimes attached. The vibrations of the strings are transferred to the resonating body of the instrument.
A saddle is a bone, ivory, metal, wood, or synthetic piece which is set atop a bridge, usually in a slot or groove. The strings sit on top of it. Traditionally saddles are not glued to the bridge.
Sometimes a second piece of material is glued to the top of a bridge. If it is fitted into a notch or slot, it is called an insert. If it is the top layer of a bridge, it is called a cap.
john-gribble,
(You may end up building instruments before too long!)
I don't think so but that would be great if it was something I could do. I am always amazed of the beauty of hand made dulcimers
Yes. You can do all of those things with the fretboard assembly. Experiment. But be careful! You may end up building instruments before too long!
As a noter player I like DAA best. I like the low melody note. I will sometimes set the noter aside and play harmonies of 6ths on the outside strings. Then the 6+ fret is a real asset, because the correct low harmony note is available. If I want lots of chords, I play guitar.
I have a Feather Wren which I keep tuned in GDG for a couple reasons. I tried it in GDD (DAA up three frets) but it buzzed. It needs either heavier strings, higher action, or a little touch-up to the frets. Also the fretboard is too thin to easily allow noter-style playing. So I play it fingerdance/chord style for a change of pace. It is an excellent travel instrument, small (fits in my carry-on or backpack), lightweight, and quiet enough I don't worry about annoying people on the other side of sometimes-thin walls. In fact, my wife and I are planning a little trip in a couple weeks and I will take it with us.
I like playing Time Has Made A Change In Me, and Red River Valley pops to mind, too.
This one is a doozy but my most fun to play would either be Wildwood Flower or Ode to Joy.
Spent some time this weekend working on "Iola" from 1906 by Charles L. Johnson, who also wrote "Dill Pickle Rag". It's a sweet tune. The chorus was stolen for a more recent (1940) pop song, "Playmates" with the lyric
Say, say, oh playmate,
Come out and play with me
And bring your dollies three,
Climb up my apple tree.
Shout down my rain barrel,
Slide down my cellar door,
And we'll be jolly friends forevermore.
Me too, so happy to hear this Terry! 
Work? Yikes!!!!!!!
Terry, I'm happy for you!
Wildwood Flower. By far my favorite. Haven't played the dulcimer this whole year, due to health reasons, until yesterday morning. What's the first song I attempt to play? Wildwood Flower. Like I had not missed a beat. In fact, I didn't miss a beat, up and down the fret board, two octaves. I says to myself, "wow, I need to take it easy and get my body and heart back to playing regularly".
Having played (and I use that term loosely) for about a month, the selection is pretty small, but outside of the standard beginner selections I have managed to learn Aragon Mill. Pretty easy to play and lots of versions on You Tube to get a feel for the song. It's interesting to hear the number of arrangements, from full blown string band to folk singers. And many like to tweak the lyrics. You know, if a song contains the word, 'ain't' is it really that big of a deal to sing it that way?
Wonderful, Dana. Thanks for sharing that story.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Sweet story, Dana. The animals howls when I play. Nothing peaceful about it, I guess. I've been meaning to learn Larry's wonderful tune.
Piper Lou sure is cute!
Our rescue dog, Ariel-- we got her last Christmas Day-- will come lay in front of me sometimes when I play dulcimer. Ari had been a stray in Columbus OH and was then at the dog pound. The poor creature had some real physical maladies when the rescue pulled her from the pound-- who knows what all she'd been through? In any case, she seems to like dulcimer music. :)
I'm not sure what strings are on the Fluke as I bought it on Craigslist and didn't think to ask the seller. I haven't heard of those type of strings before--I might give them a try.
Aaaannnnddd I just got my fourth (and hopefully last for a while) ukulele. I wanted to add a soprano to the herd. I got another Kala. It is a mahogany longneck, which means it has a soprano body but a concert length neck. Like most Kalas, it is very pretty.
Jim -- glad to hear of someone who isn't 'stuck' in DAd for chords. Merv Rowley (R.I.P.) always said there were many easier to form chords there, and more chords available overall.
I have used DAA as my primary tuning. Since dulcimer is not my primary instrument, I like to stick to one tuning. I have tried DAD, but find DAA better for chords and double stops and I really miss those lower notes on the melody string.
I have talked to those who feel that DAD is better for chording, but since I started on DAA, I have many patterns and shapes memorized.
Yeah -- CC did make a series of kits with pre-cut soundholes, and that may indeed be what you encountered
This didn't go from my phone to here, so trying again:
Ken
Thanks john,
I saw a video of Ben Seymour, a member here, who repaired a 'Richard and Denise Wilson' dulcimer & said if anyone had info on them he wouldn't mind hearing from them.
Another possibility would be Richard and Denise Wilson of Manitou Beach, MI.
They did a variety of soundhole shapes and inlay work, including seagulls.
Just saw a picture of someone who bought a "seagull" dulcimer that had the Cripple Creek label inside. I'd say that' what you have...
Ah! You waned to which Maker used that seagull shape! Now it's clear. You may be right; I do seem to remember the Ford's using a seagull on some of their dulcimers...
Great Patty! Sounds like a logical detective path to pursue! Do let me know if you find out the cause in the end, as it might help others later. 
Strumelia, I'll check with hubby. He may have cleared the cookies. He does like to do that. And now that you mention it, he has installed an update on our virus protection. The timing seems to coincide with that. Oh well, it's okay. I need to exercise this old brain, lol. I do appreciate your help!!! I will talk to my hubby 
Yes i see Patty. Do however check that last setting in Chrome concerning cookies, from my last post. Cookies definitely play a part in auto-login stuff.
Know that many folks experience this 'not sticking auto login' that happens sometimes on various sites. It happens to me on all kinds of sites from time to time, and I will never know exactly why. You're not alone! And then on a particular site after not working for a couple weeks it begins to 'stick' again and works fine for me for a few months. I often have to re-login on ED, even though I have autofill/rememberMe checked there too.
I do find that every time I clear all my browser cookies every other month or so as a housecleaning task, I have to manually type login to all sites online that I'm a member of, at least for the first time or two after cookie clearing. I've come to expect that when clearing my browser cookies.
--> one thought: is someone in your family doing a "clear cache, browsing history, and cookies" thing on your browser after they use your computer to go online? People often do this for privacy. This would definitely cause this issue, as it would wipe out your cookies that have been set to auto login on FOTMD. The symptoms jive.
I wish I could make it all work well for you! One other thing to check (if you have the energy) might be your virus protection program, which theoretically could be overriding your Chrome settings in terms of auto-fill of login or passwords.
it has an overall look of a older cripple creek but they usually had leaves as sound holes. It doesn't have a 6/+
looks to be walnut, same type of head & body size.
It's okay. It probably helps my memory to keep typing in my password, lol. I do have to log out because I'm not the only one who uses this computer. Some of my family members will use it. I know they won't do anything weird on purpose but it's just best to log out. Thanks anyway!
