Odd twang . .. I suspect the notch in the bridge ...too wide at the bottom, not angled correctly .. something . How did you cut them? Triangle file? Jewelers saw?
I have built several dulcimers from 16" to 30" VSL. The latest one has 30" VSL, Lower bout is 8 1/2", upper bout is 7" and is 2 " thick. Sides and back are walnut and top is ambrosia maple.
I started out with 12,12,16,24 strings and the melody and bass sounded fine, smooth and mellow, but the middle string has an odd twang . I used Struthers string gage and it recommended 9,9,12 and 18. after switching, I used 10,10,12,20. the middle string still has that strange twang. My instruments all have zero fret but could the problem still be in the nut that keeps the strings in position? the bridge was originally ebony but I changed that to bone . Still get that off sound. Action is very low as I dish the fretboard slightly midway to allow a lower bridge, could it be too low? No buzzing
I appreciate any thoughts
Bill Robison
Thanks, Ariane, Terry and Barb. It was a surprise. It's just fun for me to play with these folks and to have me and the dulcimer be accepted by them.
Congratulations, what a great looking group!
Barb
Congratulations, Rob - that is really great. Very nice pictures! 
Thank you DT, Ken, Janene, Jim and Cindy. It's been a fun time playing in a band, particularly one of this genre. We may look "fun" but really we're a bunch of crusty old farts (Except Susie and Brian and Christy who wasn't there.)
Congratulations!!! This is awesome!!! 
That is VERY cool! Congrats. Fun looking group!
Congratulations, Rob! A well deserved honor.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I picked up three Herdim picks, which are nice. I also got three Clayton cork grip picks. I do like these. The cork side goes next to your thumb and the point is bent inward a tiny bit. It is a bit thinner than I've used lately but works nicely with the new dulcimer.
Congratulations, Rob. That really cool! 
Sunday we were presented with the Traditions award from the Folklife Center of Fairmont State University. We played for about 20 minutes after the presentation of the award.
Pictures below
It was a great honor to receive it.
They have arrived and look very pretty but, as anticipated they are rigid. I can discern no difference in the sound that they make individually but that may change over time. Their dimensions are identical and they are polished. I would imagine that experienced players would adapt and use them properly but, for now, the more conventional picks, Dunlop Tortex, Herdim, Everly Star, Gibson etc make a nicer sound when I play. Nevertheless, I will persevere. I like this "dulcimer stuff". It's good, isn't it ?
Robin, thanks so much! Your descriptive word for this sound, "flatfoot" is perfect.. I can close my eyes and see someone dancing in old leather shoes on the wood floor...
Thanks to all for the replies and special thanks to Robin for taking the trouble to make a new video to show the fat felt pick.
My wooden picks will be arriving on Friday and I will report back.
Strumelia,
Here's a new video. If the percussive sound doesn't come through enough, feel free to let me know. :)
Strumelia, I did have a video yet must've taken it off the internet awhile ago. Maybe I can do another demo sometime.
Hey Robin- didn't you used to have a video on here demonstrating your felt pick? It was great...where'd it go? 
When putting simply the word "picks" in our site-wide search engine, it pulls up a veritable feast of pink adventures to enjoy exploring:
https://fotmd.com/search/results/all/1/25?search_string=picks 
I wrote a blog post a few years back describing my own fickle adventures with picks as well:
https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/03/take-your-pick.html
Like Robert, I make my picks from various plastic lids and containers. (I cut them into a big kidney bean shape.) They are big enough I have lots of points of contact so can have a very loose hand to hold one. Unless I'm strumming the daylights out of something and I hold tighter. :)
The harder the wood the better. Harder wood can be sanded much thinner and played longer before the tin edge at the tip wears away. Maple is good, myrtle also (nearly as hard), and I really like bamboo splits from a culm that is big enough that you don't have to deal (much) with the curved surfaces. Bamboo, of course has a lot of silicon in it, which makes it particularly tough.
Oak is hard enough, but not pretty. Walnut may be pretty and tough, but the thin edges wear out quickly. Hickory, Birch, Ash are also good.
Ken H, when you make your wooden strummers does the type of wood you use make much difference? Are there any you definitely would use or definitely NOT use?
I make my picks from various plastic lids and containers. They fit my loose style of strumming. No matter which pick you choose always be sure they can't fit into the sound holes. I'm always amazed how easily a pick can fall into one.😂...Robert
On guitar and mandolin I use small hard hard picks made of Tortex, a material which gives a sound similar to the traditional tortoise shell picks of the past. One gets a big sound from a hard pick. I tried stone picks, wood pick, and even coins, but discovered I want a little bit of flex in the pick. The problem with using a really stiff pick is learning to roll the thumb so that one can play softly.
I have never wanted to play dulcimer loudly. I have noisier noiemakers for that, resonator guitars and five-string banjos. That's why I like a more limber strummer or my thumb for the dulcimer.
But by all means experiment. Discover what sounds good to you. In artistic circles, this is what's call "finding your voice."
Wooden "picks" called 'strummers' were fairly common in the Olde Dayes of dulcimer and well into mid-20th century. Robin Clark in Wales uses one periodically as do I and several others I know of. He found an old video of someone (Nettie Presnell??) playing with a strummer.
I make my own strummers from a variety of hardwoods -- maple, chestnut, yew, oak, bamboo, myrtle, etc. I have a Lignum Vitae noter, but not a strummer. The strummers I make are about 3-4" long and 3/4" wide -- roughly index finger size -- and are generally used with broad sweeping motions mostly. Thickness varies from 1/8" to a feather edge, averaging about 1/16".
I also have a pick made from Vegetable Ivory. When I was out in the Pacific I picked up a number of Ivory Nut Palm nuts, and carved picks from them. Most went to dulcimer and uke playing local friends out there.
I really should settle for one pick and practise more. Unfortunately, I allow myself to be distracted and when I am not reading different books about the dulcimer and watching YouTube videos I find myself moving in the direction of eBay to see what is on offer.
Tonight I found wooden picks. Being married to a Thai lady it was a given that I would buy a Thai Sindora one. I decided on two very hard woods - Lignum Vitae and Ironwood - as two others.
Is anybody able to give an opinion on these, please?
This is a link to a British website which has these on sale.
http://www.gear4music.com/TimberTones
I can easily understand how your American forefathers used quills, leather and wooden noters as plastic was not available to them. Having read a lot about noter/drone playing I am surprised that I have found no mention of wooden picks and the woods used to make them.
I would imagine that wooden picks were used and that somebody here will know about them.
Now, I really must get that thing out of its case and apply myself.
Aw!
That one of the kitten and the dulcimer got me thinking of an old piano instrumental piece called "Kitten on the Keys" and how there needs to be one for Kitten on the Dulcimer -- maybe with some meowing.
As long as Sally Ann doesn't mistake it for a scratching post, may she learn there are people's toys, too.😉
That's one beautiful cat. I know you will enjoy her. Thanks for adopting a rescue.
She's a sweetie, David! Congrats!
We brought Sally Ann home Friday and introduced her to our dulcimers. Right now she thinks our house is one big cat toy. I'm thinking she's about 8 weeks old. She could be 9 weeks old.
I'm with Rob -- the tune of any song can be made into an interesting instrumental piece. You as the arranger must like the tune or you won't do it the justice it deserves.
Not that I make instrumentals out of song tunes, I just don't sing the words and play the tune at the same time...
You just have to like it. Any can be interesting.
Just a poll, and I hope this question makes sense. When making instrumental arrangements of a vocal/lyrical song, like any given country, rock, or pop song, does anyone feel that certain types of songs, with certain compositional attributes, make for better instrumentals, or can literally anything make for a beautiful or interesting instrumental with the right arrangement?
Good golly, is Sally (Anne) sweet or what! <3 And I love the tune of the same name-- one of my favorites.
