This forum has taken off nicely. Why didn’t I do this years ago?
I blame myself.
I blame you, too.
I just wish I’d thought of blaming you sooner.
Right. That’s my fault.
Damn you for taking so long 
but bless you for finally doing it. 
Guess it all evens out in the end. 
Hang on! Don’t be so quick to blame. The forum may deteriorate.
Well, who’s fault would that be?
Hey Dale-- just don’t get any of those “Somebody please buy this vintage Gibson F-style mandolin…and send it to me!” ideas… 
Yeah, I’m glad you started this site too.
Seriously.
I propose a flame war. I’ll start:
Fiddles are for sissies.
What kind of a person would play a cittern?
A slattern?
Just a thought.
Roger
Some sort of creep like this.
If that is you SteveK I must say you look like a pretty decent guy… for someone who would play the cittern.
Actually, I don’t play a cittern any more. That one was a 12-string cittern and I could never figure out what to do with it. I had a 10-string too but I traded it for a bouzouki. I still have the bouzouki but there are too many accompinists at local sessions. That quilted think you can see behind me with triangles on it is the cover to my hammered dulcimer. I’m working on that a lot these daze.
SteveK -
What kind of HD and why? I’m seriously considering going for one but it’s a big investment even for the so-called beginner models. I’d like to get as much feedback from the people around here as possible.
And to veer wildly back on topic, yeah, I blame Dale too. Both for not starting this forum earlier and for starting this forum and thereby feeding my insane lust for yet another instrument.
Roger
Oh, yeah, and there is a Dusty Strings D300 w/ stand and case for an insanely low starting price on Ebay right now:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7357724918&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1
Roger
That’s really a hard question to answer. I tried out a J&K dulcimer at a festival and liked the tone of it although it wasn’t a particularly loud instrument. I don’t want one that’s really really loud but not too soft either. Anyway I bought that one. Later Jim said he was dissatisfied with that one and he provided me with another. It was louder and more responsive but I didn’t like the tone as well. Anyway, I ended up with a James Jones. James’ dulcimers have a shorter sustain. The one I have has dampers and an extended range. The sustain and decay are important things to consider when buying a dulcimer. Some have too much and will be muddy when playing fast tunes. The customary advice is to try as many dulcimers as you can before choosing. Although that may be difficult it’s really the best advice.
What’s with those white circles or ovals on the bridges of the Dusty Strings? The DS D600 is a magnificant resonant instrument with a rich bass.
There’s a hammered dulcimer mailing list. I’m not quite sure how to subscribe right now but I can find out.
I emailed the seller for D300 and asked about the white blobs. Apparently, they are paper labels to identify the strings. It is serial #6176, so it was made some time ago. I queried Dusty Strings about the date, but haven’t heard back yet. I’d say that if the owner still has little labels on the strings that it hasn’t seen a whole lot of use.
Since the whole package would be about $2k new, I would imagine that there wil be a steep climb in the bidding near the end.
Chattykathy has been kind enough to offer me some time with her Masterworks, but beyond that I doubt that I’ll be able to test a variety of models. Unfortunately, the internet has yet to spawn an Undisputed King of Hammered Dulcimer Journalism but there are a variety of resources out there. One of the mailing lists is at w.b.paulson@att.com - just email him with your own address. I have just signed on for that, so I have no idea of what it’s like.
BTW, J&K makes some fine looking dulcimers. Sounds like he takes the construction very seriously - real engineering as opposed to the LAR* kind.
Roger
*Looks About Right