I may have to adjust my guess of the age of this instrument as it has no 6 1/2 fret that I can see. If someone were going for a traditional dulcimore, I understand leaving out that fret, but since at least the mid 1970s the 6 1/2 has been basically standard.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Whoever built it did a very nice job!
I agree. It is a little unconventional, but a nicely done piece of work.
It would be nice to see a view of the top.
It sounds terrific. I like to learn as much as I can about my instruments!
The bottom line, How does it sound? aloha, irene
I have no idea who made that dulcimer. I doubt that the peg head and tailpiece are carved. It looks like a simple cut with a band saw. From the look of the tuning pegs, it would guess it was made within the last 20 years or so.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I've always loved Doug Berch's "Shame and Scandal in the Family".
My grandkids love the following, sung to the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb: Bunny rabbits have no tails, have no tails; Bunny rabbits have no tails, they use powder puffs; Same song, Second Verse... Bunny Rabbits have no tails, etc.
No, doesn't make any sense but the kids love it. :) Like, 99 bottles of beer on the wall....etc. :)
Whoever built it did a very nice job!
It's a "PushMi-PullYu" dulcimer. 
Thanks for introducing, me to yet another person to spend my time and money on!
Nope. No marks. But thanks for your input. The string holes are in the tail piece. Ball end strings are anchored and out of sight in the holes. It’s a very nice design!
It’s a strange one for sure!
Is it coming or going? Never seen the like of it. Sorry I can't help you!
Bought this used, without any labels or marks. Is this a one-off or a known style of some luthier?
I saw John McCutcheon perform a song once that started out funny and ended up hilarious. I can't remember the title, but the song was about some kid he grew up with in Wisconsin who would get his tongue stuck on the frozen metal swingset at school every winter. So he sange a verse or two, and then he asked the audience to sing along, but to do so as though our tongues were stuck on a swing set. So each chorus we did that, with everyone trying to sing with our tongues sticking out of our mouths. Perhaps the second or third chorus, he grabbed a camera and took a picture of us, all looking as foolish as we did.
He claimed afterwards that his kid told him no one would be willing to sing with their tongues sticking out, to which he replied, "I bet they will in California!" I'm sure he amends that line to refer to whatever state he's in.
I don’t think sing-alongs necessarily count as “funny songs” but your take on Waterbound is objectively funny. And i’ve not heard the watermelon story but i’m certain it’s the cherry on top.
I don’t think we’re going to return to normal soon, or perhaps ever. But if quarantining longer means we lose people (especially those in vulnerable demographics), I’ll happily keep watching reruns of Matlock for another few months.
Well, maybe not Matlock...but the Rockford Files definietly.
Aw Terry, I feel for you and for the residents who were so looking forward to your music and high-jinx. So sad indeed!
Keeping my fingers crossed that things will turn around very soon, especially for the old folks in nursing homes and assisted living residences. 
Stay well Terry!
You know your Dulcimer has a hold on you when you constantly pick it up to play whenever you have to wait a few minutes for something...
.. and then get interrupted by the very loud smoke alarms sounding because you forgot about the toasted cheese you were waiting for, that you put under the grill maybe 10 minutes ago.
Yup. Mrs. C. And the cats were very unhappy with me. Doors and windows open, extractor fan on, changed my clothes.
Cut the burnt crusts off and ate the chewy, cheesy middle bit though. 😂👍
Hi, @john-c-knopf , yes, I knew there would be a challenge to what song had the most. There's some generic portability if you choose to go that way. Speaking of Old Joe, I can never play it as fast as my banjo picking husband, so I don't try. Instead I have a jig where Li'l Liza Jane meets the Old boy. First half is her, second is him, then I quietly sneak in a whisper on the melody string giving her the last word. It's an arrangement by @Larry Conger and I should be practicing it. The June meeting will be impossible at Paint Creek Folklore Society, I'm sure, but the theme was "Youth to Old Age" and that was going to be what I played.
Lois, I always thought that "Old Joe Clark" had the most verses, but so many of those folk-song verses are portable!
I guess love songs have a lot of variety (cheeseburgers!, animal songs, cocaine?!?) , as @rob-n-lackey says, "It all depends on what you love!" Personally I'd choose Shady Grove. It's claimed to have the most verses of any song so obviously I'm not alone and your can pick and choose the way you want it to go.
Cedar Creek Dulcimers also makes a very nice selection of kits and the quality is excellent.
Dictum, the company in Germany who makes the Herdim picks, says that they began making them in the 1960s for guitar players and developed by Gunther Dick. There are three gauges of picks; yellow, thin; red, medium; and blue, thick. On each pick there are three points: I is thin, II is medium, and III is thick. Folks have measured the various thickness of points on each pick, but the measurements vary depending upon who does the measuring. I use the blue pick and mostly play with I point.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I like them. I bought an assortment of all 3 colors and I found the blue to be my favorite. The difference between each color pick is not so evident until you start to actually use them; the difference between the 3 points on each color is quite subtle, but it is there. What's nice also, is that the picks have raised areas in the middle which aids in gripping them. Also, they don't seem to wear out (I've been using the same pick and same point for 7 years).
Picks are a very personal choice...I use several different ones. Some seem to work better on different dulcimers, and I use them for different effects, or even for how I feel that particular play session.
Check your local music store, or, check the Folkcraft website, to see if they have individual Herdim picks. Or, buy the assortment of a dozen, and try them...if you like them, great! If not, they make swell gifts for your dulcimer playing friends! 
Welcome to the forum, Steve!
I vote for the McSpadden "Sweet Song" hourglass dulcimer kits, as I have assembled several with great results.
Depends on the kind of dulcimer you're interested. Generally speaking Folkcraft and McSpadden kits are very good. There are a few custom builders like Bobby Ratliff who produce a kit, but they are generally for more specific and specialized kinds of dulcemores.
Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum and new to dulcimers for that matter. But I thought I might enjoy building one.
I’m an experienced guitar builder, but thought I’d start with a kit so I didn’t have to build forms, jigs, etc.
So my question is, who makes the best kits out there? I’m more concerned with quality than cost.
Thanks in advance for your help
steve
denvirguitars.com
I see one comment on a store's website that reads, "Cant say if there is any difference between the blue, red and yellow one - all feel same to me." I have used one (beige?!), and they're fine. But it seems to me that the folks I've seen using them always decide they like one corner or another best, and just use that one. So why not just use a cheaper pick that is the thickness and stiffness you like? (I buy Dunlop .88mm picks by the dozen, but other folks like thinner or thicker. Personal preference. But I sure couldn't afford a dozen Herdim Triangle picks!)
You ask a good question. Herdim does not really publish the exact measurements of each corner, so it's hard to know if the different colored picks overlap or not.
When I first started on the dulcimer I bought a dozen of the yellow picks thinking that's what I was supposed to use. I found it too thin and too pointy and gave them all away.
Some people like them, but I prefer a traditionally shaped guitar pick and buy Dunlop Tortex picks by the dozen.
I see one comment on a store's website that reads, "Cant say if there is any difference between the blue, red and yellow one - all feel same to me." I have used one (beige?!), and they're fine. But it seems to me that the folks I've seen using them always decide they like one corner or another best, and just use that one. So why not just use a cheaper pick that is the thickness and stiffness you like? (I buy Dunlop .88mm picks by the dozen, but other folks like thinner or thicker. Personal preference. But I sure couldn't afford a dozen Herdim Triangle picks!)
