Lexie, She did let me play one. I didn't have a pick and I had just cut my fingernails but I was able to manage Old Joe Clark. I wasn't able to sell it, lol. I did receive a 10% discount coupon to Tamarack. First time I ever received anything for playing (struggling for sure) an instrument. 
Hmm . . . are you saying I'm dumb? Them's fightin' words. 
You are correct, almost. I do indeed see that same toolbar when I go do "Discussions." When I go to my Home Page, however, I have a drop-down menu rather than a tool bar. And in some areas (Music, Audio, Groups, etc.) there is neither a toolbar nor a dropdown menu. The mobile menu icon is always there, so navigation is always possible, but it seems odd that there are different possibilities in different screens.
P.S. I was only kidding about fighting. I would only punch you with my lips on your cheek 
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Those are the TABS you would normally see in the Forums area, if you are responding to an email notification concerning an updated discussion you are following, for example. It would take you here for instance, where you'd need to see and navigate between those discussion area TABS: http://fotmd.com/forums/forum/new_posts
Those tabs links do not appear on the site's main page.
Similarly... If you go to your profile page , likewaise you'll see a selection of navigation TABS that you would normally see on your profile page: Latest Activity, Audio, Video, Events, etc.
Strumelia, using my Android phone (a new Samsung Galaxy S6) I do indeed see the mobile menu icon when I go to the FOTMD main page. In that sense, I can navigate the site fine.
However, if I access the site directly from an email notification, not only does that icon appear on the upper left, but I also have another tool bar (which takes up two rows in portrait mode) that lists "discussions," "newest posts," "my posts," "settings," "categories," and "your settings." When I go directly to the FOTMD homepage, I do not see that toolbar.
And yes, Dan's screenshot looks like he is zoomed in too much.
Dusty, do you mean the top brown site links bar? Doesn't the desktop links bar normally get replaced by the universal mobile menu icon anyway, when the screen is small, like on a small phone?
I can produce a similar effect to Dan's screenshot when I zoom in my desktop view too much, even though my desktop is not a mobile device.
Goes to every concert and jam: the 2013 Berg cherry 5-string that appears in most of my videos, acquired in part through the generosity of a dear friend and fellow dulcimerist.
But...
Will be buried with me: my very first dulcimer, a McSpadden FM12s that was purchased brand new in 1998 for $180, with an apology from the salesman for having to charge so much!
Seems all of my favorite instruments, dulcimer or otherwise, have stories.
Dan, you might need to reduce the size of the screen. Depending on how big your tablet is, that might make it hard to read the words, but it looks to me like you have it sized at least to 125% if not 150%, and you can't get the whole screen. You mention zooming in above, but I think you need to zoom out.
For the record, I just tried for the first time to access the site from my Kindle HD 7, and it works great. The site automatically resizes when I switch from landscape to portrait mode and I see the entire site with all the buttons. The print is a little small, but I have glasses that make me see like a marksman.
However, I did just try to view the site from my Android phone, and I find the tool bar is hidden in ways similar to Dan's screen even though the rest of the page fits fine. Maybe there is an Android problem.
Patty that is cool that they have dulcimers etc. Is that tab books below them?
Did you play them for the lady so she could sell one?
John, who made that dulcimer in your picture?
I would change the name to something like:
Neuhauser Dulcimers
Don's Dulcimers
Something simple yet descriptive. Enzo Ferrari used his name...look how well that turned out. lol
Gotta agree, Stephen... Even without the somewhat sexist connotation, the site name/first page title just doesn't jump out and grab ya!
IIWM, I'd just use
for tht first page title...
My favorite is the Ron Gibson Jenny Lind that I got last February. I enjoy playing it so much that it greatly dampened my raging case of DAD. (Note that I said "dampened", not "got rid of". It's a beautiful instrument.
BTW, I adore the Sasquatch design, complete with little footprints, shown above.
Yeah, the name should absolutely be changed, imho. The name is so terribly important, and the current one gives an icky effect.
Same old mongrel I've always played. I've built up a bit of a collection over the years, but nothing else comes quite close to the old '4 of Hearts'.
Maybe the John Pearse should get an honourable mention - small, light and always a delight to play. Use it a lot to work tunes out on.
This is a doozie of a question for me as it just depends on what songs I want to practice. Some songs sound better in certain keys, so I let that by my guide.
I am a lazy person. My go-to dulcimer is the one that's most convenient to get to. Usually that's the dulcimette hanging on the living room wall. Unless I'm in the kitchen, where the cigar box dulcimer is hanging on the wall.
When I leave the house, I take the McS Ginger because it has the nicest gig bag.
I need a dulcimer that comes when called. And I want to hire a guy to tune it.
As an actual female person, I can say that never for an instant did the phrase "Double D Dulcimers" strike me as having a sexual connotation. However, now that you mention it, Don might not be happy with the image search results if someone Googles "double d dulcimers" and accidentally hits return before typing the "dulcimer" part.
Stephen,
I looked at the site and my first recommendation would be to change the name from the current Double D to something that isn't sexist and won't run the risk of alienating his potential customers. I have been teaching web design and interactive media for about 10+ years and if you need any help with the design, I would be glad to help. But I would seriously have him rethink his site name; the sexual conotation does not become the quality of the instruments that he appears to create. Women have it bad enough in the media without having to feel objectified when they go to a dulcimer site to buy a dulcimer.
Well there you go then Charles-Thomas, I've learnt something new today, I've always made a new one when I thought an instrument sounded a bit off !!!
JohnH
I remember dulcimers being for sale in a gift shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I don't know if that is still the case. That was over 40 years ago.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
For the most part my go-to dulcimer is my all walnut Folkcraft FSH. When I'm playing noter/drone it is either my J.E. Thomas or the Prichard reproduction dulcimer I made. Because my Blue Lion has a built-in pick-up, I often use that one when playing out in noisy venues.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Carl Gotzmer makes very good instruments. Here is a link to the June Apple Cellomer page. http://www.juneappledulcimers.com/pages/Cellomer/ I would not play it as a bowed dulcimer. I would play it as a regular dulcimer. I hope you got a good deal on it.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I think I'd treat it as a Bowed Dulcimer -- play it with a bow, upright in your lap like a cello. Ken Bloom is the "Godfather" of the modern Bowed Dulcimer... www.boweddulcimer.com
The old site was not mobile-responsive, so it could be zoomed-in/out all as one picture of each page. Of course that would mean endless scrolling on a smartphone, so not good. Dan, can you maybe post a screenshot here of your menu area taking up half the screen? What hapopens in vertical orientation for you?
Ken, thanks for your take. I don't have much control over the virtual keyboards on people's devices, Im afraid. But glad to know otherwise you are not having a problem.
I'm writing this using my Nook Tab4 in Portrait Mode.
In Landscape Mode the virtual keyboard hides the text area and I can't see what I'm writing. Other than that, no problems zooming in or out or resizing.
my favorite is usually my latest acquisition. But I do like to play the others also - some sound better in different tunings than others so the tune I am playing sometimes decides which gets played. Also I have my 42 year old project dulcimer that I keep messing with that is starting to sound pretty good after the addition of metal tuners from wooden pegs bridge/nut adjustments.
Penn Alps in Grantsville, MD has 2 or 3 hanging in a local mountian craft shop. It in a artisian village with a restaurant. Just off I68 in western Maryland
Kevin, we did stop at Tamarack. Yes, he had a few there too. The sales lady at the Travel Plaza says a man comes by at least once a week to play the dulcimers. She says when he comes to play them they sell.
Another picture of the Jim Good dulcimers along with Psaltries. There were lots of thumb pianos too.
Jim also has them at the Tamarack, near Beckly.
On our trip to West Virginia we stopped at the Travel Plaza off the I64 West Turnpike. What did I see when I went into the gift shop? I saw a couple of Jim Good dulcimers for sale. Is it only in West Virginia that someone can see dulcimers for sale in a travel plaza gift shop? Has anyone seen dulcimers for sale in places other than a music store?
So, my go to is the June Appple Cellomer, It is so unique, Has such a big voice. It doesn't just speak to you, It preaches to you, so smooth, clear, but almost overpowering. Yet it keeps it in check. A great stage instrument, but sounds even better on the back deck in the evening, here in the Rocky Mountains.
'
Everytime I build one I have a new favorite. But I don't usually get to play them long.
My "favorite" seems to change with my mood, have 14 altogether so it gets hard to choose, I guess the go to's would be McSpadden 6 string, ebony fret board. Dan Doty 6 string, Bonnie Carol 4 string ebony fret board, or my newest June Apple Cellomer, really BIG sound.
I own a variety of standard dulcimers,4 string,6string,ginger model,banjo dulcimer etc.
I recently found a used June Apple Dulcimer, it is really oversized, it is 45 inches long, 12 inches wide, 2 1/4 deep.
Would this be considered a bass dulcimer? Or is it not really classified because of the odd size.
It has a great big sound, I have experimented with different tunings and it seems to be very fond of minor tunings, I have it tuned in a really odd tuning right now but it is a great haunting ethereal sound to it, C-G-CC.
Here is a photo of the instrument and the possum board I built for it, anyone else ever played one of these? they seem pretty obscure but really nicely built, came out of a traveling musical instrument museum. (At least that's what the salesman told me) :-)
I find myself picking up my McSpadden all walnut hourglass most of the time.
JohnH- we,re suppose to "tune" them? Who knew .That changes everything!
My GoTo dulcimer for Open Mic nights is my Bobby Ratliff Hogfiddle tuned Bagpipe B -- Bbb, which suits my voice better than C or D. It's fitted with a stick-on pick up.
My GoTo for un-amplified playing is my John Knopf Thomas replica with its new 1/2" thick balsawood Possum Board. The dulcimer has 3 feet so the possum board is just a flat plank, and the balsa is super light!
The one that might be in tune, lol !
JohnH
As you can see in my avitar my 2 treasured dulcimers in which I go in between to play sometimes I choose one for a certain song, sometimes it is the one I want to play.
Both are fabulous to play and I love it!
