Currently still investigating, working with the seller, to try to figure out what he really has or if he even has it. Still have reached no conclusion. May be a simple mistake on his part. Asking for more pics, and will continue to speak with him. He is finally coming out of his shell. Don't want to not help a vet, if he needs the help, but obviously don't want to buy a copy. Thanks everyone.
Update, the has gone missing. How strange. Oh well.
Some interesting information on HA Fleming. If correct he died in 1981. So I came across a sale on an HA Fleming according to the owner dated (H. A. Fleming 08-18-90). It is a beautiful instrument that is pictured, but although he said he would show the signature and build inside the instrument. He hasn't. It definitely looks like a Fleming, but unless he came back from the grave, or someone is building under his name it is interesting. It is a 5 string, currently rigged for 3, and I think two hitch pins have been pulled. Now unless I am missing a tuning knob, there are 4 shown in one pic and 5 in another. The back does not come up high enough to cover a tuner. Would have loved to see pics of the sides and the foot.
Egad! Thanks for the quick come-back! Your peg-box detail showed me something about my dulcimer that I did not know until just now. Your peg-box is obviously three-piece: Although the joining is as good as it gets, the grain is a dead giveaway (not implying that it is obnoxious or anything of the sort). I looked very closely at mine again and sho'-nuff it's three-piece too, except in my example the grain pattern and colors make it almost indiscernible - I don't know if that was deliberate or luck of the draw.
I'm curious, if you would further indulge me, about the nut end of the peg-box: Does it open under the nut into the body?
Comparing our examples with Jennifer's, I see that ours have a flat land between the distal end of the peg-box cavity and the scroll-head, while Jennifer's scroll-head drops straightaway into the peg-box cavity. I don't know if that represents a design change (Jennifer's is the most recent build) or just some experimental variation that Bill indulged in. As for design appeal, I guess it depends on the eye of the beholder. Regarding a practical purpose for eliminating that land, the only thing that comes to mind would be to shorten the overall length a bit.
On the tuners, from your latest photos it looks like I found a durn good match for you. A little polish on what you have and one would be hard pressed to tell the difference, old from new (if the dimensions match, that is). If you elect to replace the broken tuner be sure to leave that extension in the small hole opposite the mounting hole. Not that you necessarily need it - do it just to keep things "as was" as possible (I think it's intended to reduce lateral stain on the peg shaft). As for any adverse affect on collector value, if you keep the broken key, the instrument can be returned to where it was when it became yours. I have this ongoing project dulcimer (a Carstanjen courting dulcimer) that was unplayable as found and after crafting new nuts and replacing the fixed bridges to floating bridges now sounds pretty cool except for a body rattle problem caused, I'm sure, by unbound braces. Anyway, so far, everything I've done can be undone should some future owner want it that way - but from there it would become a wall-hanger only and/or an audio torture device. I'll be talking about this project soon in a dedicated post cuz I do need some advice on where to go from from where I'm at.
Moving on, as a three-course four-string with melody doublet, you could convert by cutting new string notches in the center of the bridge and the nut, but personally I'd hate to see you do that and rather have you opt to leave it as a four course, with or without the doublet. Of course, with the set-up you now have you can do a D-A-dd three-course with a somewhat awkward string spacing yet optionally swap to D-A-d-d four-course by simply loosening the inner string of the doublet, moving it over to the high drone slot, then re-tuning - no string removal required.
From your photos I see you may already be afflicted with the dreaded DAD syndrome. There's something to be said for someone who already owns a three-course trying a four-course. A four course is somewhat harder to master (and at first can be confusing), but it does have a different voice and to me anyway variety is a fun plus, if not the spice of life.
Well, I see I've droned on much longer than I intended to. So I'll close now with a thanks for the follow request - I'm flattered.
Linda, now what made you think I was in any way eager? 
No problem with the photos, five minutes with a photo editor and they look just fine. I'd sure appreciate detailed oblique shots of the key box and bridge area though.
You may have misunderstood prior commentary about Fleming's cursive signature. Both Jennifer and I said the first letters were hard to decipher. Jennifer thought "HB" for her example, while I assumed "Wm" (based upon an assumed abbreviation for William). I'm pretty sure Jennifer would confirm "HA" is possible (and hopefully she will respond). As for me I already conceded that the first letter has always looked more like an "H" than a distorted "W" and that the second letter is lost the the cursive "F" which starts the last name - so "HA" is far and away more probable than my original long standing speculation. As the grave stones confirm "William" was Fleming's second middle name and he went by the nickname "Bill" (which was what he used in our introduction) thereby filling in all the missing pieces of the puzzle. Using a second name as a call name is not especially rare, especially among Scandinavians. My full name is Arthur James Hedman and I've gone by James (or Jim) since birth. My grandfather "Pete", a Swedish immigrant, was Edward Peter Hedman. A little twist with Bill Fleming is that "William" was an "extra" second name and he apparently did not reference it in his signature - which probably explains why all my previous searches for a Bill Fleming were in vain. So much for the confusion about the signature except maybe the underlying date, which in all three cases is of the form "mm-dd-yy" - dashes not slashes, and with the year abbreviated to last two digits.
Another expository indicator provided by the photos is the spacing of the melody strings on all three dulcimers. They're closer together than any other doublet that I've seen on a dulcimer. A tad closer than even a 12-string guitar... more like what you'd find on a mandolin.
I really like the figuring on the book matched bottom of your dulcimer. The nut looks to be a replacement. I can see that the nut is displaced to the right, probably because it is not glued and the missing "high drone" is causing it to pull that way. It also looks like the nut profile does not quite match the nut slot, but maybe it's just an artifact of the shadow cast by the nut being displaced. I don't know that Bill used anything other than hardwood for nut or bridge/saddle. At least I have no recollection of that being an option on my custom build. I have a nice piece of vintage black walnut with your name on it if you'd like a replica of the one on my dulcimer. I extend this offer to Jennifer too, if she wants a replica floating bridge/saddle.
About that broken tuning key for the "high drone", you might want to consider moving the inner melody string to the now empty nut and bridge slots, giving you the four-string (no doublet) configuration that Jennifer used in her beautiful rendition of The Ash Grove . In other words change from the original "D-A-d-dd" to "D-A-d-d". Another alternative would to replace that broken key with one like the following:
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A little pricey perhaps, but there's a good chance that the your original keys are Grovers and these appear (except for the patina) to be a very close match. The specs, including a diagram, are on the web page cited. I know you only need one, but I don't know if the vendor would sell you a single key (you could always call and ask). Or maybe there is a kind builder/repairman reading this that could help you out.
As for what you paid for your Fleming, all I can say is wow! What a find! If you should decide to sell it, let me know, PLEASE!
Jim, I'm sending you these now because you are so eager! But they are pretty dark, so if you want me to try again later today I can. Mine clearly says H.A. Fleming 7-17-71 inside-- nothing William about it! But you did some good sleuthing to solve that mystery! Hope these help sate your curiosity!
Jennifer and Linda, I've done some more research and am convinced beyond doubt we all have Bill Fleming Dulcimers.
First I checked the source Linda referenced and came up with this:
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Directory of Contemporary American Musical Instrument Makers
Copyright 1981
Pages 44-45
H.A. Fleming
Rt. 2, Gatlinburg, Tenn. 37738
PT 1967 Active 1 emp. MTO
Historical Brochure 12/74
•Appalachian dulcimer Over 50 to
date †•Steel-string guitar 1-10
date †•Mandolin 1-10 to date †
=====
So here's a Fleming based in Gatlinburg, quite possibly active in 1981. But the guy I met in 1970 called himself "Bill" I thought - or was I suffering bad memory after 48 years? Since "Bill" was no spring chicken when I met him, on a whim I did a grave site search on Fleming with Gatlingburg as the location. In pretty short order I had my man. See the photo below, it explains everything!
You were both right, the signature on all three of our dulcimers is H.A. Fleming. And I was right after all - he did go by "Bill". His full name was Harold Anthony William Fleming. Like me, his nickname was not based on his first name - whoda thunk he'd base it upon a third given name?
The grave site search link is: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45622428/harold-anthony_william-fleming You'll see my findings are pretty much "set in stone".
Linda, I'm just dying to see photos of your Fleming.
Jennifer, that rendition of The Ash Grove is breathtaking! You coaxed a sweet rendition otta that old box. {p.s. on second look that back does appear to be book-match after all.}
Jim
I moved this thread to our forum on specific luthiers' instruments, questions, and instrument issues. 
Jennifer, had I not known the maker's name I would have had a hard time deciphering the signature scrawl up to the "L" in Fleming. I just assumed an abbreviation "Wm" for William but looking at it again I can see the first letter could taken as an "H", but bear in mind the grain of the wood might contort the signing to some extent.
Maybe I was not clear about that "open square". The fingerboard is fashioned from a single piece of wood with a sound hollow routed out from the bottom. The inverse square cornered "U" profile of the fingerboard continues right into the peg box - thus if you look into the peg box towards the nut there should be an opening under the nut. He may have omitted that feature on some of his dulcimers but I would think not as I recall him discussing it with some pride. Of the eight dulcimers I own, only one other has an open ended peg box, which coincidentally (?) is my only other violin-sided 5-string dulcimer.
I agree with your statement about your dulcimer's f-holes being exactly like mine. Small point maybe, but there's a certain distinctive elegance about his pattern that immediately grabbed me when I saw your first photo, telling me "hey, another Fleming!" Everything else you have shown or said amplifies that first impression - well, except for the open peg box (but the jury is still out on that). The signature is the final nail it would seem.
As mentioned in my prior post I have made efforts to garner more information on Bill Fleming, including searches on this site, Everything Dulcimer, checking Dulcimer Players New archives etc. but had not posted a query such as yours. Thus, I am grateful you did post. At least I know Bill was still building in 1972.
As for the buzzing I'd need more information. I know Bill was into floating bridges and his were made of hardwood and triangular in cross section (see my side view photo). My action is on the high side and I intend to make a duplicate bridge with a lower profile (rather than mess with the original which I want to keep intact). I'd guess your bone (or plastic) bridge is a replacement and may have an overly low profile which could, as Ken Hulme suggests set the action too low. Use a nickle as a gauge at seventh fret; it should pass under without putting pressure on the string. If it buzzes on open strings there are other possibilities, like improperly cut string slots in the bridge (or less likely the nut) or a broken glue bond in a brace or lining inside the body of the dulcimer. If you get buzzing only when depressing a string or strings a certain frets the problem is a fret that is too high or too low or (less likely) a warped fingerboard. Most of these issues can be addressed by someone versed in dulcimer "set-up". Warps and un-bonded bracing (or lining) requires someone skilled in repair.
As for tuning a four course, five string set up like ours start with D-A-d-dd. I use D'Addario 5-string banjo stiring sets (23bw-16-12-10,10 gauge, where bw=bronze wound and gauge = x/1,000") you may wish to replace the 12 gauge with another 10 gauge but the slightly heavier gauge does not seem to affect much and makes an alternate D-A-A-dd tuning possible that can be fun to experiment with. Or the 16 gauge A can be dropped one step to a G (i.e. D-G-d-dd) which yields a "New Ionian" (aka Reverse Ionian) in G. I guess some may use a "1-3-5" tunings which are also reachable with that string set, though perhaps not optimal. For example D-F#-A-dd which is 1-3-5 in D or D-G-b-dd which I guess you could call a New Ionian 1-3-5 in G. But again, start with D-A-d-dd as this is the closest thing there is to a standard tuning for your 5-string layout, which makes finding chords and tabs a heck of a lot easier.
Got a little long winded here.
Hope it helps.
UPDATE: This post has been revised to correct and or clarify information pertaining to tunings.
It may not be the frets causing the buzzing; could be a combination of the wrong string size(s) and an action set too low.
Jennifer, this appears to have been made by Bill Fleming who had a shop in Gatlinburg, TN. I visited his shop in 1970 and had one custom built from a list of several options which included body style (hour-glass and "fiddle-backed" for sure - can't remember if he offered tear-drop or not), tuning keys could be set up as friction keys (like yours), violin pegs or "traditional" hand turned pegs - in hickory as I recall. He had several options to chose from for sound holes, with upper and lower bouts mix or match. There was quite a variety of woods to choose from too.
I opted for a fiddle-back (aka fiddle-sided) in walnut with the "traditional" hand turned pegs. It has f-holes in the lower bout and dogwood flowers in the upper bout (his favorite was the dogwood but he usually recommended against it because of the delicate carving - I went with it anyway). The back is book-matched but not the top (it appears your top is book-matched but not the bottom).
A couple things to look for to confirm the maker: The top and bottom should be "fiddle-edged", i.e. overlapping the sides by about 3/32". The ends of the side pieces making up the waist of the body should abut the sides rather than the other way around. The simple, yet elegant, scroll head is one-piece and not carved through the bottom. Inside the scroll head should be an open square where it attaches to the body - sort of a hidden sound hole. I believe all of Bill's dulcimers had floating bridges (I think they were generally of the hardwood used in the instrument so your bone bridge may be a replacement). Lastly look through the near lower bout sound hole with a pen light - you should see a signature and a date in pencil.
I've searched for information on Bill Fleming from time to time but until I came across you post I've come up empty. Bill Fleming was a contemporary of Bill Davis and there may have been some cross influence one way or the other. Their "fiddle-backs" are similar but with distinctive differences. For example, Davis scribed his name on the back of his dulcimers, the overlap on his "fiddle-edges" was greater (about 5/32"), the key pegs were of a slightly different style and the scroll head was flat sided with carving. Also, the waist side pieces cover the ends of the side pieces (opposite of Fleming's set up).
I'll take some pictures so you can compare the two, but there's little doubt in my mind that you have a Bill Fleming Dulcimer.
UPDATE: The signature on my dulcimer appears to read "Wm Fleming", i.e. he abbreviated his first name William. Under the signature is the date "11-5-1970". I've attached some snapshots for the sake of comparison with what you have.
Looking forward to hearing from you and anyone who has some information on Bill Fleming.
This Fleming dulcimer is wonderful! It is missing one mechanical tuning peg--the outer part you turn--but sounds beautiful as a four-string! Definitely glad I got it and thank you for the recommendation that gave me the little push, Jennifer! And guess what--no buzzing! Once I got the bridge set correctly (and the strings, which, holy smokes, I'm not sure what previous owner was thinking. . .!!!) intonation is excellent and tone is warm even with mostly old strings! Sigh. So lovely!
How lovely! And good to know that using a capo can make it playable, in the event that mine suffers from the same ailment as yours. I have plenty of dulcimers that need special accommodations to be played :), so perhaps this will be one more of those-- I will ask about the fret buzzing, but I don't think it will be productive since this person doesn't know dulcimers (that's the story, anyway!!).
george,
(ones he personally built were signed by him carving/engraving his name on the back side of the dulcimer,)
Sam Carrell also, I just picked up a Carrell fiddleside dulcimer. He also signs his name on the back
jenniferc,
I hope you enjoy your fiddleside dulcimer, I have my Sam Carrell '84 fiddleside tuned DAA (only using 4 strings, not the 5th string) and the tone is also so beautiful.
I have never seen a Bill Davis with the upper f holes, and only a couple that were done with heart holes, mine also has just the upper round ones, I'm attaching a couple of pictures of the signature, and the headstock so you can see the Davis looks quite a bit different. My understanding is, and I very well could be wrong on this, is that Davis was the "original" builder of the fiddle side design.
Looking at the photos you posted, I would still lean towards it being a Clemmer.
Good to know about the Bill Davis fiddle shapes and kits; I stand corrected!
As was mentioned about Bill davis, it does look like his style, and he did sell kits, the ones he personally built were signed by him carving/engraving his name on the back side of the dulcimer, kits were not signed. I was fortunate enough to find a Bill Davis sometime back, signed that way but also carvet with the name of the person he built it for.
Otherwise I would also lean towards Mike Clemmer.
Either way a sweet one, I love the five strings, and as far DADisease, I am now up to 28, the dulcimers live in the house, if I add any more I'll be sleeping outside.
It looks like cherry in these photos, but it could be walnut with reddish lighting when the photos were taken.
Cherry looks deep orange or orange-red, and sometimes has small black "pitch pockets" here and there in the wood.
Walnut usually shows more grain, and can be medium- to chocolate-brown in color.
Jennifer, while I can not be certain, from the photos it does look like cherry. That would be my guess.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
On Saturday at the Pocono Dulcimer Club Winterfest I encountered a similar dulcimer. The shape is the same. The peg head shape is slightly different. The pegs on the one I saw are wood, not mechanical friction tuners as in the photo here. The lower sound holes are identical, but the upper sound holes on the one I saw are round. Another difference is that the one I examined was made of wormy chestnut. There was no label inside. Bill Davis did sell kits but I do not know whether any of them were this style. This shape is also the shape used to make the "Masterpiece" dulcimer in Chet Hines book How to Make and Play the Dulcimore.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Bill Davis made kits for this style. I know, because I helped a lady repair hers. The head on his was different though-- it had chip carving on the sides of the scroll, and the end was larger. Too bad there's no label in it. Chet Hines wrote a book on how to build a "masterpiece dulcimore" like this.
That's no kit, believe me! No one I've heard of in 40 years has ever made a kit for the fiddle shape; it's not a simple build. It's not "vintage", that's for sure, but it might be a dozen years old. There should be a maker's label visible through (usually) the lower, far side sound hole. Mike Clemmer is the primary builder of that style, although a few others offer it. If the seller is only asking $100, snap it up -- tonight!
Jennifer, she's a beaut! Looks like a Mike Clemmer ("Wood 'N' Strings", Townsend, TN) from here. If so, snap it up!
Bill Davis from Gatlinburg, TN and Jean Schilling from Cosby, TN popularized that particular style, with its violin shape, its 5 strings and its large size.
Hi all! This is my first post here, but I've been lurking awhile. I came across a used dulcimer for sale and wondering if anyone might recognize its builder? The seller could only tell me "it's vintage", but the price is great and I'm considering getting it. Only the one picture so far, but waiting on more. Thanks for any help!
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