Michael, if you can afford it, you might consider sending your instrument back to Folkcraft and asking them to install a pickup. Find out how much that would run you.
If it's too much, Rob's suggestion of the Schatten Dualie is a good idea. I've never used one myself but I've heard good things from several other folks.
No laughing here. Inquiring minds want to know! It lets you plug into an amplifier. There are basically 2 types: magnetic and piezo. Magnetic picks up the vibration of the strings, like an electric guitar. The piezo picks up the vibrations from the top giving a more "acoustic" sound.
I use the Schatten pickup that Rob's talking about and I am pleased with it. I have nothing to compare to as I haven't used any other pickup. I stuck the pickup onto the top of my dulcimer with the double sided tape that Schatten provided, but I actually screwed the jack receiver onto the tail piece of my instrument as I figured it was a sturdier application than glueing or taping.
If you want a stick-on pickup, I highly recommend the Schatten Dualie. Inexpensive and a great sound. I've used mine on my nylon strung guitars, and dulcimers since the dualie has been in the US. (Schatten is a Canadian company.) Never a problem and they are great folks for customer service.
If Jerry Rockwell is making any more of his magnetic, over the top pickups, they are choice as well. Different than the Schatten since they use (I think) a Bill Lawrence humbucker. I'm sure others will offer you more suggestions as well, but those would be my choices.
Thinking of adding a pickup for amplification to my hourglass Folkcraft. Recommendations?
Ayup. That's a bit high. A 2mm doesn't sound like much, but it can be. The height can be lowered by sanding the bottom of the nut and bridge. Carefully slack off all the strings. Put a piece of 60 grit sandpaper, grit side up on a table. Sand a few (10-12) strokes off the bottom of the Nut, then re-tighten the strings and test the height again. Repeat until the strings just touch. Then repeat the process with the Bridge end of things.
So here's the second part of the equation... You said the dulcimer has "a 24" fretboard". Is that the distance between the nut and the bridge? Or some other measure? If that's the distance between nut and bridge, then the 12 and 20 gauge strigs are a bit thin for that VSL (Vibrating String Length) -- and that could be adding to the problem as they would be under more tension than slightly heavier strings to get to the same notes. For a24" VSL, a good set of gauges would be 22W for the bass, 15 plain for the middle and 12 for the melody.
If you have very soft fingers you might get string creases that will toughen over time; but it should not be particularly painful unless you are playing for long periods of time. Darcyhorse instruments seem to have a reputation for having high actions. The Nickel & Dime test we use is this:
Put a dime next to the first fret. Each string should just touch the coin.
Then balance a nickel on top of the 7th fret (not the 6+ fret); again the strings should just touch the coins.
Not sure which is the 6+ and which is the 7th fret? See my article called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? under the Dulcimer Resources Topic.
Thanks Ken, good job!
Jean, your profile page is: http://fotmd.com/jean-ann-moon
Going there, I see you tried to add your event but you added it to your account settings- not the place to do that.
Your personal photo avatar should be showing on your profile page, not your event picture. And your 'bio box' is for describing a little about yourself when vistitors come to your profile page.
Change that picture in your account settings to something more personal for your own membership photo. Change your biop box to say something about youruself, not about your event.
Then in your same Profile Page there, do as Ken suggested- look for the TAB that says 'Events', and that's where you will add your event info and event picture, etc.
To get to your profile page easily in the future click right ON your name in the top bar links....rather than clicking in any of the other drop down menu options. Your name will take you to your profile page. In fact if you click on your name link anywhere here, in this thread too, it will take you to your profile page as well. To actually change your settings, you would choose the "account settings" from the drop down menu at top, UNDER your name.
Jean, I'll give it a try at explaining it to you.
1. Click on you name in the upper right hand corner of this page. Do not click on any of the drop down options.
2. When that page opens there should be a bar under your name with several different options. One of them is Events. I think it is the fourth one from the left.
3. Click on that tab and it will take you to a page called Events that will be blank.
4. On the right hand side there will be a plus (+) sign. Click on that to create your event to be added. I hope this helps you.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
If it's a small event with a single instructor or a club event, see the top links navbar and go to the Single Instructor Forum to post it.
If it's a larger gathering, festival, camp, with multiple performers and instructors, then you can list it in the regular site calendar.
You must add an event from your profile page- go there, and click on your Events TAB and look for the plus sign. Hope this helps. 
(Site calendar events will be pending until approved by admin)
Hi Lisa, it would be nice when you go to a forum, like Drifting Thread, that the newest posts come up first instead of the older ones. Down the road, I'm sure you are still up to your eyeballs.
If all of the dulcimers in the world were laid on the ground end-to-end it would be a very good thing.
I was 17 here, learning to fly with hopes of becoming a crop duster. I never became a duster pilot, which is probebly for the best.
Strummelia, that's me in about 1967. We were in a somewhat different place in our lives those days. 
All these pictures are great! Loved looking at them. I am about 10 in this one, warming up for a performance.
Lisa, I am impressed! Did you have turtle soup that night with you duck dinner? Did you dive in after them or were they cooperative.
Not to worry Dusty, It'll never get to that...I bet HD's would burn longer, too.
Thanks Dusty, problem solved ! It was occasioned by the fact that the popup box was not appearing, due I think , to the fact that I had an 'empty box' ie, no fav. tune shown.
Ain't it all exciting !!! Time for bed now tho'........... probably dream of that missing chat feature !
Mike, please use our site settings questions forum for your questions about the new site.
For example, it answers your group question already: http://fotmd.com/forums/forum/new-site-questions-how-do-i/14543/why-do-my-groups-not-show
John, once you've logged in and your UserName appears to up on the top toolbar, hover your cursor over your name. A drop-down menu will appear, and one option is "Account Settings." You can see all the variables that you can change on your account. You will see two lines for "password" and "repeat password." Put the new password you want in both places. After you save that page, a pop-up will tell you that you need to indicated your "existing" password to make that change. The "existing" password is the auto-generated one that you were sent by email. Once you enter that, your new password will be active.
Looking for following tabs: "When I Die" and "MacPherson's Farewell". Please respond to: joebesse@aol.com
Thanks.
I have one of Don's instruments. It is a Galax dulcimer in the Russell style in spruce and cherry. It has a massive sound and is unbelievably alive; you can tell the dulcimer was made by a true artisan. I use it for old time and bluegrass sessions playing at festivals and in our local pubs here in Wales. I love Don's dulcimer, it is such a great workhorse and the first instrument I grab when heading for a gig or session.
I'd be more than happy to write something for the Galax dulcimer page. Perhaps talking a little about the background to these dulcimers and the playing style, then going on to describe why the Neuhauser instruments are so good!
Lisa, you were a doll in that picture (and still are)
Thank you everyone for the great new site. Your hard work has paid off from what I can see. A bright and cheerful outlay!! Thanks again to all involved.
The one or two Oscar Schmidt ukes I have tried had poor sound. We have 2 Kala ukes, a concert and a Travel Tenor, and both sound pretty nice. The Travel has a very thin body, so it doesn't sound as nice as the other Kala. We also have a baritone Favila made in 1963. This is my favorite, but Favila closed up some years back. The fourth is an Islander concert made by Kanile`a. I think Islander is their budget line. I would put the Islander up with Kala for sound and quality. It sounds better than the Travel model Kala, but the Travel Kala gets the most use.When it was my only uke, I put a pickup in it for playing out, so it gets the nod by default, plus being thin makes it easy to fit in a crowded car or under the seat in an airliner when travelling. I feel cramped on the 2 concert ukes, years of playing wide necked 12 string guitars, probably. If I played them enough, I would probably get over that. They are my wifes toys, actually.
I don't advocate buying instruments without playing them first, though a friend's 8 string Kala almost had me ordering one. I did play his, though. I can't see having a fifth uke in the house. But buying without playing robs you of one of musics greatest pleasures, and can leave you wishing you had "known then what I know now." I wanted a Martin guitar for years. But when I saved the money to buy one, I tried a lot of them, and the necks felt like the wrong end of a Louisville Slugger. I ended up with a Taylor instead. Had I ordered a Martin without trying, I might be wishing I hadn't. Hindsight is much clearer than foresight.
Lexie, so glad to see you've 'made it across'! lol
Images that were attachments to posts in the old site were not migrated to here- it was not possible because of the Ning archiving tool formatting.
They would have to be added again new. Sorry!
