Probably a bit of a shocker for some, but at the moment, I only own...one! A walnut teardrop and the second dulcimer I’ve built (same one in my profile pic).
While I respect everyone's opinion, I hate to see a beginner led down the wrong path and possibly give up learning the dulcimer because of a low quality starter instrument. Apple Creek is probably the only brand that is nearly universally condemned as low quality and inconsistent. In fact, I've seen many that are flat out un-playable.
In my humble opinion, you are better off with a cardboard dulcimer or a lower cost dulcimer from a reputable builder.
At the moment, I have 8 mountain dulcimers here in the house and soon the number will be 7. (My oldest niece is interested in mountain dulcimer and I will be giving one to her when life allows.) Over the past year or so, I've passed several instruments along to a couple young people and hope they enjoy them for a long time!
In addition, I have 3 Ken Bloom bowed dulcimers and one Michael Fox Dulcijo.
I have two mountain dulcimers:
A cherry Galax by Ben Seymour, and a curly maple teardrop by Keith Young.
- I also have an old factory/kit dulcimer that someone gave me years ago, but I don't find it easy to play so I only use it for beginner video demos, since it does not have a visually distracting 1.5 fret.
I also have four 'dulcimer ancestor' type instruments: two epinettes, a hummel, and a langspil.
Probably a bit of a shocker for some, but at the moment, I only own...one! A walnut teardrop and the second dulcimer I’ve built (same one in my profile pic).
I have added a dulcimer since last year. I own three McSpadden dulcimers and one Black Mountain dulcimer. My latest is a Ginger McSpadden dulcimer made of redwood and black walnut with an ebony fretboard. It belonged to the late Jan Schultz. I bought it a month ago. It has a deep, round tone. For a small dulcimer, it a surprisingly loud. If I had to have only one dulcimer, this would be the one.
thanks for your response. My Dulcimer has a flat strum hollow. I think I will go to a Music store and try a Seymour Duncan pick up. I bought a Myers pick up online, and it has never worked well for me to amplify. I hate to buy another item without trying it.
Joe, it is wonderful to hear that Joe Sanguinette started you on your dulcimer journey. He was a very nice gentleman and good builder. I hope you are enjoying and playing all of those "revival" dulcimers. My profile of Joe appeared in DPN Volume 23, No. 3 in 1997.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I am beginning to feel like a bit of a hoarder as I’m reading about everyone’s collections! At last count, I have 57 dulcimers in my collection, mostly vintage 60’s, 70’s & 80’s. Though I haven’t counted them since my last move five years ago, so I’m guessing it’s more in the mid to upper 60’s for count now. I’ve been collecting since 1981 after meeting and and purchasing my very first dulcimer from Joe Sanguinette. Little did Joe know what a crazy odyssey of a love affair that little 15 year old boy who shared his first name would go on to have with dulcimers…all because of him!
Ron
I have a Boss GT-1 Guitar effects processor I make my own sounds with, I am not sure what or how many effects went into the humming tone of the lullaby. I try and create the sound that would go with the music & tone I am after, for the lullaby I was after something that sounded like rocking the baby at 3:00 in the morning
CajunJam
If the other's amp has more then one connection you could, maybe but what ever setting they have it set to, would also be the setting you would be using.
I didn't buy a floating pickup, I made it myself. If you notice the photos of the 2 dulcimers with the pickups you can better see what I am describing. Also, notice in the lullaby iI am playing a different dulcimer, that's because you can make the floating pickup to go on top of several of your dulcimers.
Yes, a humbucking (a little taller) or Seymour Duncan (a little thinner) would work, you just need to place either pickup on 2 little post that fits on the sides of your fretboard and tall enough the strings are not bothered. I am using 2 small wooden screw blocks from the kids wooden construction set & just some mounting putty to hold it all together for my floating pickup.
I do have a dulcimer that has a flat strum hollow and the Seymour Duncan just slides under the strings - but most dulcimers don't have a flat area. That's when I came up with the idea of above the strings. these pickups are great, they read the strings not the vibration of the sound board, so you get a better tone & more responsive.
I hope this helps
m.
Nice to see I'm not the only one adding to their collection. Thanks for sharing.
Updated since last year:
Jacob Gross fretted zither -- replica of one in the Mercer Museum
Large Burnsville NC holly leaf
Small Burnsville NC holly leaf
Til Holloway hourglass -- out on loan
Harry Wicker KY hourglass
Ozark Walking Stick coffin shape
Korean Honda hourglass -- out on loan
John Knopf JE Thomas replica hourglass
Bobby Ratliff Hogfiddle elliptical
Bobby Ratliff Cumberland Travel model elliptical
2 Anglo-Saxon Lyres
1 laptop Cajon Box Drum
4 Mirliton flutes
2 Pennywhistles
I just looked at the previous post in this discussion. I need to update my list and add a violin my wife found in a closet when doing spring cleaning. Neither one of us remembers where it came from. Also, I now have three more dulcimers and an Oscar Schmidt autoharp. I also discovered a recorder, tin whistle, and Native American flute. There are probably still more for me to find in closest and cabinets.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
As of right now, I do not have any mountain dulcimers but I have one on order and one kit that needs to be built.
Ron Gibson cherry - on order
Hughes walnut kit - to be built
I do have other stringed instruments:
3 concert ukulele
1 tenor ukulele
a Seagull Merlin stick dulcimer
a McNally strum stick
and for fun, a couple of kazoo's
I do not want to even try to count how many weaving looms I have, so I understand acquisition diseases quite well. At first I was surprised when all of the sudden I had 4 ukulele, but I should have known it would happen🤣
Congrats on your new dulcimer. I know you are excited.
Dulcimer Acquisition Disease. 
I ordered #7 today. I've been contemplating this one for quite a while. My husband said "life can through you a curve ball at any time....just do it". So I got my order in. A 4 month wait begins. 
(Hickory sweetness, with some secial features.)
I usually play acoustic. But occasionally our club will play in a large room like a nursing home. Most of the others have built-in pick ups. Would a humbucking Or Seymour Duncan allow me to plug into the amp that the others are using. Can I buy it as a floating pickup? Thanks
If the cardboard dulcimer kits were less than $50, I'd support the suggestion that they are a good first instrument. My wife started on a borrowed one.
Given price realities, I'd strongly recommend the small Applecreek dulcimer. Musician's Friend sells it for about $90 including shipping.It is also available elsewhere, including local music stores, for about $130.
It has a nice sound. It's built in an ISO 9001 certified musical instrument factory in Romania from the same woods that the company uses to produce violins, guitars, etc.
Thank you both for your help! I am in the process of ordering a dulcimer from a builder in Bradford, PA. I just couldn’t pull the trigger on a cardboard one.
@tull66 , Ken H has answered your original question below.
I'd like to point out a place that will answer many of your questions as to how to post in a forum, how to add photos, etc:
https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/site-questions-how-do-i
Note- that forum i linked to is not a place to ask your dulcimer questions, but if you browse the threads there you'll see answers to many of your questions on how to navigate this site.
Welcome!
Ron makes some very nice, sweet sounding dulcimers, and I'm sure you'll be pleased with your purchase. I've not been to Gebhard Woods, but the Festival has a long history and you should be very welcomed. My advice is to take whatever classes appeal to you, regardless of the so called "skill level" listed. Take the beginner classes, of course, but don't feel that you should only take those. One day, down the road, something will happen and you'll go "THAT's what that teacher at Gebhart meant!
A number of years ago I wrote a booklet called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? . It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimr terms (so we all speak the same jargon), plus answers to many beginner questions about the tuning, playing, care and feeding of your new 'friend'. Here's a link to the booklet to download or read on line:
Ken Hulme's "I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What?" Article - Strumelia | fotmd.com
Anytime you have a question, feel free to ask them here, There are no dumb questions, just ones that you haven't gotten answered yet.
Ron makes some very nice, sweet sounding dulcimers, and I'm sure you'll be pleased with your purchase. I've not been to Gebhard Woods, but the Festival has a long history and you should be very welcomed. My advice is to take whatever classes appeal to you, regardless of the so called "skill level" listed. Take the beginner classes, of course, but don't feel that you should only take those. One day, down the road, something will happen and you'll go "THAT's what that teacher at Gebhart meant!
A number of years ago I wrote a booklet called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? . It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimr terms (so we all speak the same jargon), plus answers to many beginner questions about the tuning, playing, care and feeding of your new 'friend'. Here's a link to the booklet to download or read on line:
Ken Hulme's "I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What?" Article - Strumelia | fotmd.com
Anytime you have a question, feel free to ask them here, There are no dumb questions, just ones that you haven't gotten answered yet.
Welcome Tull66. Elsewhere you wrote:
I’m new here, don’t see how to start a new topic. I don’t own a dulcimer yet and want to know how to choose. I want to dabble making music, not looking for an heirloom. Where do I begin? Thanks. Also looking for a mentor in Jeannette PA.
To start a New Discussion you go to the Discussions Tab and scroll down until you see the category you want to start a discussion in -- This is the General Category. Then in that category you click the + sign at the top right of the page, and a new window like this one appears.
Choosing a first dulcimer can be difficult because everyone here is going to recommend their own personal favorite brand/style and all that!
Since you at this point aren't even sure if you'll like the dulcimer, I suggest you start as inexpensively as you can while still getting an instrument you can trust. Believe me, there are lots of cheap, fly-by-night "deals" out there to be avoided.
I've been building and playing dulcimers since the mid-1970s, and have owned and played many different styles, brands,etc. My advice to you, as a complete newcomer, is to choose one of the Cardboard dulcimers you can find here:
www.backyardmusic.com › page › subpage › dulcimers › simplicity-dulcimer.htm
or here:
https://www.folkcraft.com › products › cardboard-dulcimer-kit-2311071
It may sound almost silly. But it isn't. The material the body of a dulcimer is made from isn't particularly important. Wood is the most common material, but there have also been perfectly good sounding dulcimers made out of Legos, thin plexiglass, gourds, and violin cases! However, the accuracy of the spacing of the frets (to the nearest 1/100th of an inch or less) is critical. Many of those "deal" dulcimers are made with inaccurate fretboards. The cardboards instruments in the links above have VERY accurate fretboards, and are VERY suitable for a newcomer to learn to play. Those compoanies havebeen around for mny years and have thousands of satisfied customers.
Once you've got some experience playing, and have hung around here reading and seeing what folks say about this and that -- for six months or so -- then you'll be better prepared to decide which next dulcimer you want. BTW, finding a mentor would be a great thing, but many.many of us learned to play from one or another book, without any formal teacher.
IN the meantime, here is a link to a booklet I wrote a number of years ago called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? . It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terms (so we all speak the same jargon) plus answers to many beginner questions about the tuning, playing, care and feeding of your instrument. Enjoy your journey!!
Ken Hulme's "I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What?" Article - Strumelia | fotmd.com
Thanks for posting Theresa. If a Festival organizer doesn't approach FOTMD and ask to post a Festival announcement in Events, it doesn't get posted. Too much work for Lisa or the other Admins to keep track of all the Festivals out there.
Thanks Ken, as I am new to the board and to dulcimers, I was not sure how all that worked.
So, June 11 & 12 in Morris, IL there is a music festival and I for one, can't wait! I had originally planned to try out mountain dulcimers there, but I was too impatient for that, so I ordered one from Ron Gibson. Hopefully it will be here in time and I can take it with me.
Thanks for posting Theresa. If a Festival organizer doesn't approach FOTMD and ask to post a Festival announcement in Events, it doesn't get posted. Too much work for Lisa or the other Admins to keep track of all the Festivals out there.
I did not see any mention of this festival in Illinois. I am not a member of the sponsoring group, just that it is close enough to me that I am going to go. It will be my first dulcimer festival and I am hoping that I have my instrument by then. Is anyone here going? It looks like there is a nice list of workshops and other happenings.
http://www.gebharddulcimer.org
Many thanks to you dulcimer veterans for sharing your knowledge! Once again, you have given me helpful direction in my dulcimer journey. I will heed your sage advice.
One other thing, the doubled melody string produces a different sound/tone than a single melody string.
Why not give yourself both options. As Dusty Turtle has pointed out, many builders are slotting the nut and bridge to allow either four equidistant string spacing or the double melody string option. So there's no need to limit yourself to one of the options. You can have both if you want them.
With that being said, I prefer a three string instrument for the majority of my playing. I do, however, own a couple of four string dulcimers that are slotted for both four string equidistant spacing or four string double melody spacing. The extra bridge and nut slots are barely noticeable.
Conventional dulcimers have three courses of strings -- melody, middle drone and bass drone. Any one or all of those courses can have 1, 2, or even 3 strings. They are played, and often tuned, exactly the same regardless of how many stringare in each course -- CCCGGGccc, CCGGcc, CCGccc or CcGgcc are all played the same way that CGc is played
4-Equidistant strings are a different ball of wax. They have 4 courses, and that 4th course adds an additional note to the tunings and the creation of (by dulcimer standards) some 'exotic' chords that are unlike conventional chords.
I suggest you spend some time joining and reading the posts in that Four Equidstant Strings Group
Most dulcimers made nowadays have notches in the bridge and nut so that you can string them with four equidistant strings or with three courses and a double melody. You can switch back and forth and don't have to choose!
There is a group here devoted to playing with four equidistant strings . You might consider joining that group and perusing the discussions to see the variety of ways people tune with four strings.
I'm enjoying my three string dulcimer but am considering acquiring a four string instrument (can't have too many instruments!). Most four strings have a double string but I've seen a few instruments in which all four strings are spaced equidistantly. Should I stick with the standard double string arrangement or go the equidistant route? Any input greatly appreciated.
Having met both Kevin and Howard at the Redwood Dulcimer Day, I can say they are both kind, friendly folk. Howard is always tickled to meet someone who plays one of the old Capritaurus dulcimers. (Of course, he likes new orders, too!)
The Germantown Dulcimer Society was organized in June 2016. We are in SW Ohio and meet near Middletown/Germantown Ohio area.
We meet the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 6pm. Meeting place is Union Chapel United Methodist Church, 8284 Keister Rd, Middletown, Ohio. We generally have a traditional jam where we go around the circle and each person chooses a song. Sometimes we learn new songs, help newcomers with techniques, or discuss club activities. Bring your own tablature. If you want to be on our email list and receive more details on the meetings and new song tab just let me know thru this site.
Hope to see some new folks!
Meeting dates for summer are June 14, 28 July 12,26 August 9,23
---Debbie Simpkins
Wow, Ken, that's pretty cool you got to visit Mr. Rugg! And you have a fun story about how it came to be, too. :)
Thanks Robin. That was a delightful interview. Six years ago I had the good fortune to visit Howard in Felton. It was rather serendipitous as my wife made a mistake in navigating our camping trip. She booked us in to a campground about a mile from Howard's shop in Felton rather than finding a place closer to the Monterey peninsula where we were headed. I had a great visit with Howard. He is just as you see him in this video with Kevin and Bosco.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Mr. Rugg is 86 years old and has been building mountain dulcimers again.
I remember that day he tried to play fiddle...brought tears to my eyes too!
Yes, the beauty of it moved him to tears. 
