Glad you got the noters and like them. One of the members here turned me on to using bamboo or river cane as some call it.
Do you like your Feather dulcimer? Thinking about Jay model from Peter. It will fit in my motorcycle trike trunk.
Glad they got there, have fun with them. :)
I have received noters! That was FAST! Dulcimer folks are the VERY BEST around! They are beautiful. Both friends sent me a couple of sizes, and it really blessed me to have some skinny ones for my little Wren/Feather dulcimer. I love the sound and feel like the bamboo slides easier than other noters I've had/tried. I'M SO HAPPY!!! If I get a chance I'll record what we're working on, just go easy on your reviews. 
Thank y'all. I am truly over-the-moon!!!!!!
Yes, I, too am very grateful for the time and energy Ron and Ken put into ED. I'm glad you are both here, though, so we can continue to share our passion for the humble folk instrument we love so much.
I appreciate the time and effort Ron & Ken put into ED and am also glad the fellows are members here!
Both Ron Zuckerman and Ken Longfield deserve our thanks for the work and dedication they put in as ED's Moderators/Admins when Bruce wasn't around (which was often, lol). Well done, Ken and Ron! 
Ron's correct about the value of being able to search/find past content about specific subjects or people.
For example, if you want to find something you vaguely remember being posted on FOTMD concerning Tennessee music boxes, you can punch in: TMB "Tennessee music box"
into the site search box and it pulls up this:
https://fotmd.com/search/results/all/1/25?search_string=TMB+%22Tennessee+music+box%22
Or do a search for: fingerpicking fingerpicked
and you get this:
https://fotmd.com/search/results/all/1/25?search_string=fingerpicking+fingerpicked
Or if you search only within the Forums for: "Richard Farina" you will get this:
https://fotmd.com/forums/forum?search_string=%22Richard+Farina%22
The amazing ED forums had 16 years' worth of discussions and valuable information on dulcimers, contributed by hundreds of passionate and thoughtful people.
I agree with you Dusty. Ron, I appreciate all you did at ED. I know we had a chore keeping things running smoothly; especially guarding against malicious attacks and posts. I appreciate Bruce's creation of ED and his constant attention to it's development in the early days of the site.
We have a wonderful site here at FOTMD. I trust that all of us will continue to support it and Lisa as it continues to grow.
And who know what new developments will arise in the future.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Bruce's explanation for why he chose not to hand off ED to someone new makes a lot of sense. The platform was indeed dated and vulnerable for that reason. It's sad to see the site go 
, but the music plays on. 
Thanks for listening Ken! And also for being one of the first people we spoke to for our podcast. For those who may not know, Ken spoke with us about the scheitholt in episode 3 . :-)
I prefer the Facebook ED to the original ED. At least Ron's Facebook one remains.
I appreciate you saying that, Adrian, but I think the original ED was better in a lot of ways. Facebook really doesn't have a good concept of permanence. By that I mean that you can't find something in the same place every time. Have you ever tried to find a Facebook post and had difficultly locating it again weeks or months after the original post? Also, you can't keep content like tabs, articles, etc. on there easily, and it doesn't seem to be searchable like the discussion forum was.
The EverythingDulcimer .com site has now shut down. If you have bookmared the discussion forum, you'll no longer find anything there.
As he said he would do, Bruce very graciously made sure that folks can download for themselves all the site's TABS, Articles, Events, Club Listings, and Teacher/builder/performer Listing . You can just click on the links he left for this and you'll be downloading a zip folder containing all the desired content.
To read Bruce's message and get the links, go to the domain's main page here:
http://everythingdulcimer.com/
One word of advice I would add is that if you want to keep some of that content Bruce linked to, you should download it now... because he likely will not keep the page with the links and explanation there forever.
Bruce did not hand over the ED forums to someone else, and he explained his reasons there, which I think make a lot of sense.
As most of you know, the ED Facebook page will continue on, and is run by Ron Zuckerman, who is now also a member of FOTMD (welcome Ron!)
I know we are all very grateful to Bruce for having given us a wonderful place to connect, discuss, and learn about dulcimers for 16 years. That's a long time to run an interactive site. 
Joellen is a treasure. I will enjoy listening to her. Thank you for continuing these podcasts.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast - Episode 35
The Dulcimer Adventures of Joellen Lapidus
In this episode we feature innovative dulcimer player, teacher, and builder Joellen Lapidus. Her dulcimers are simply the most unique and beautiful dulcimers ever built. Equally impressive is Joellen’s rhythmically sophisticated dulcimer playing.
Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast can be found on most podcast apps.
Here's the link to Hearts of the Dulcimer on iTunes: http://bit.ly/hotdpodcast
Don't use a podcast app or iTunes? You can listen to all the podcast episodes directly on our website: http://dulcimuse.com/podcast
We also have a resource page for every episode, where you can find photos, videos, and song lists. Here's the resource page for this episode: http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/035.html
Thanks for listening! :-)
That's a bit of an exaggeration. New Warren May dulcimers start at $400 while the Blue Lion IW goes for $550. In both cases you can order fancier models and fancier woods and and go over $1000.
I haven't been playing for that long, but I, too, find my preferences have changed. Another reason not to overspend on your "dream" dulcimer until you're really sure what you are looking for.
You can buy two Warren May's for the price of a Blue Lion! I've played all three you brought up, plus a number of other higher-end dulcimers over the years like Bonnie Carol and Modern. Each builder has his/her own "voice" of instruments.
I found over the past 40 years that my taste changed radically. Originally I liked those deep, mellow sounding instruments, and I even had a couple of custom-built dulcimers made in that "range" by Nic Hambas and Till Holloway. But then my taste changed, and today I prefer the "high silvery" sound of traditional dulcimers much more than the deep mellow sound of more modern instruments. There's no accounting for taste!
I am leaning toward the Warren May over the McSpadden......I have played a Warren May, now to try a McSpadden......I wasn't considering the Blue Lion but Hubby mentioned it! I think he is convinced I will sell a few once I get a new one. I know what I want and what I don't want.....curious what I might have missed (like the width of the fingerboard differences) Thanks so much for all the input....more is welcome!
What those three dulcimers have in common is that they are all high quality instruments that retain their value well. But they are all very different. I've not played a Warren May dulcimer, but his instruments probably have a more traditional sound than the other two. McSpaddens are very well balanced and are famously easy to play. Blue Lions have a bigger bass sound than McSpaddens. But there are other small differences, too. The McSpadden fretboard is a bit smaller than the Blue Lion fretboard, and Blue Lion strings are a bit further apart. The VSLs on standard models are also different.
If you have lots of money, buy a dulcimer by each of those builders, play them for a while, and then send me the ones you don't love.
If that's not an option, wait. There are so many variables in dulcimer builds that unless you've been playing for a while and know exactly what you want, you don't know what your preferences are. It took me a few years of playing to determine exactly what kind of dulcimer I wanted (and I want different ones for fingerpicking and flatpicking!). Take your time. If you can visit Warren May, play some of his dulcimers. If you are at a festival and see a McSpadden or Blue Lion vendor, play some of their dulcimers. Whenever you hear someone play a dulcimer that sounds especially nice to your ears, ask if you can play it, and ask what the player likes about it. Eventually you won't have to post the question with which you started this forum because you'll already know what kind of dulcimer or dulcimers you want.
I concur with Ken and Kusani. The sound and feel of every dulcimer can be very personal and fit one player better than another. It would be best to try the one you wish to purchase before spending the money. That is not always as practical as one would wish. Even 2 identical custom-made instruments by the same builder can sound a bit different played side by side.
I have owned/played McSpadden and Blue Lion. They are both excellent and sound great. But they are worlds apart in sound, not at all in a negative way: just different. I like the sound of Warren May's dulcimers but have only strummed one in his store in Berea, never owned one.
Blue Lion sometimes has a vendor space at some festivals and sometimes there are McSpadden resellers/dealers at some festivals so that may be an option for trying each of those. I do not know if Warren sells at festivals or not. I know the last festival I attended had a couple of people come by just to shop the vendors though they did not register for the festival.
Deciding on another dulcimer is always a process and the careful buyer weighs lots of factors over time to make the best decision. If only one could buy all three and then decide and send the others back.
Best wishes on making your decision.
AW, thank you. You have no idea what that means to me this morning. A kind word goes such a long way.... I will surely share! And I will use one in a church performance.
I have had the opportunity to try out two different Warren May dulcimers and I absolutely adore the sound of both......I was just curious what your thought were regarding which you prefer!
Do share with us your initial impressions on bamboo noters when you receive them, Sandi.
So great to have you posting here again, by the way! 
Echoing Ken's comments a bit; don't buy any dulcimer without trying it unless you are a beginner and buying a 'cheapo' to learn on to decide if you want to keep playing and purchase a 'keeper'.
MacDonalds, Longhorn Steakhouse, Commander's Palace.
McSpadden, Warren May, Blue Lion
McSpad and Blue Lion are "production" instruments at both ends of the dollar spectrum. A Warren May is an individually made masterpiece that may not be for everyone. Don't buy any of these without trying them...
I am in the market to add another dulcimer (you can't have too many, right???) What are your thoughts on these three? All opinions welcome! GO!
Heart overflowing! Thank you Kusani and Richard!!! 
Sandi, It' going in the mail today. Enjoy.
Y'all are too kind! Always, ALWAYS such a blessing. Thank you! 
I have access to bamboo and will be glad to send you some noters if you like. Send me your address etc.
I make mine out of black bamboo which I grow on the property. Send me your name/address and I'll send you one.
LOL! Where does one get just a piece of bamboo?
From the bamboo clump in the backyard... or down the block... or in the woods. Some people actually have to buy a short bamboo pole from a garden center or similar place and cut it into lengths.
I love this Q and it's answers! We have quite a few uke players in our church. Thank you.
Ken, I love your ideas always. I remember you sent me some woods, and I was so new I thought they were actual noters! I still use them. LOL! Where does one get just a piece of bamboo?
Strumelia, I'm a fickle gal, too!
Hi all,
I'm sorry I hadn't see this thread again until recently, but I am glad Lois and others were able to download the site successfully. Also glad the tab from ED has found a new home on the web. :)
Make that c6 for open tuning. GCAE = chord C6
Glass noters I've tried out seem to give an odd metallic tone. Might be cool for certain effects though.
Every time I've settled on a favorite noter, a month or two later I discover that one of my other noters is actually my favorite. 
I'm a fickle gal.
I wanted to remind folks to check their everythingdulcimer.com private message INbox and Sent box etc, to save any important private messages in your ED account that you might not want to lose. Only 4 days left... 
I use a variety of "pen blank" of exotic woods that are 3/4" x 3/4" x 5", which I round out with a belt sander to about 1/2" diameter. I prefer noters about the diameter of my index finger. One of my favorite hard woods is Lignum Vitae one the hardest 10 woods in the world. My other choice for noters is a 4-5" piece of bamboo.
I've used glass -- a swizzle stick -- a time or two -- very fast!
Lois, that is a super clever idea! I say always share, because someone will definitely benefit! ~so cool~
Sandi, I never tried glass, but bet it would really zip along. I stay with wood when I don't "finger dance", but had such a hard time at first placing it squarely on the strings that my husband gave it an inner circle at the tip cutting in all around so that I tend to place it more accurately. I don't know that anybody else would be interested, but, if they are, I can have him take a picture of it. Guess it could be considered like "training wheels" on a bicycle.
