Koldot Clear Kalimba 17 Keys Engraved With Notes Bear Shaped Thumb Piano Solid Finger Piano Clear Body Cute Crystal Acrylic Kalimba With Tuning Hammer Hard Case Gifts

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The media could not be loaded. I am a beginner to Kalimba/Mbira, but not to music! I have performed in various styles from Handbell Ringing to Singing at The White House (DC, 3 Presidential Inaugurations), Rockefeller Center (NYC), The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (DC), DAR Constitution Hall (DC) and the Washington (D.C.) Temple in Kensington, MD. I will do my best to leave as detailed a review as possible here of my Koldot Round Crystal Clear Acrylic Kalimba.(I ordered this Kalimba/Mbira as a replacement for my “1st” Kalimba (Moozica Koa-K17K) because the Moozica arrived with 3-4 dead tines!)I decided to get this Koldot Round 17-Key Crystal Clear Acrylic Kalimba simply based solely on the circle shape that looked to be more comfortable to hold and handle since there aren’t many reviews on it yet.It arrived a day earlier than expected (Yay, Amazon!) with everything exactly as shown in the description/photos. It came pre-tuned where every single tine matched the appropriate tone for C Major (the Moozica did not!) and only needed a very little adjustment of slight flatness/sharpness which was most likely caused during shipment. (I’m OCD, and wanted it as close to spot-on as possible.) I triple-checked this with *3* tuning Apps on my iPhone 11. (Tuner/Tuner Lite, Pitch & InsTuner. Tuner/Tuner Lite is my preferred.) And the tuning hammer has a very nice wooden grip which the Moozica did not.The case is a sturdy, protective fit! I only wish the case had a design or a logo on one side so I know which side is the top vs the bottom. In my opinion, this is important for storage so the Kalimba/Mbira is not laying on it’s tines when not in use. However, I’ll be adding my own vinyl decal sticker to one side, so this issue is not a “deal breaker” for me.

The stickers are higher quality than the Moozica with a lovely lamination coating which will ensure they last for a longer time! (As compared to the stickers that came with the Moozica.) I used tweezers to apply them as straight as possible, because again, I am OCD - LOL.The round circular shape is so comfortable to hold while playing! In less than 24 hours of ownership I’ve already played it for 6+ collective hours with no strain. It is a little bit heavier than the Moozica, but the shape makes up for the weight, so don’t let the weight sway you against getting one of these beauties!The Instruction Booklet/Manual is very well written! Only one or two small grammatical errors and much better than the Moozica booklet which is filled with errors. However, there are a few issues I believe should be corrected:1. They give instructions on “How to read kalimba staff?” (officially known as Kalimba Tablature, invented by Mark Holdaway of Kalimba Magic in 2004). However, the 11 included songs (the Moozica only has 4) are written in Kalimba Number Notation. (Number Notation is great for beginners, Tablature is better for Intermediate to Advanced players.)2. The songs are named as “kalimba song 1”, “kalimba song 2”, etc. If the actual names of the songs were provided, it would be much easier for someone to listen to the song in other ways as reference to help with the learning process. (The Moozica does have the actual song names.)3. The songs seem to be more intermediate skill level instead of beginner skill level. (The Moozica has 2 beginner level in Number Notation and 2 advanced level in Tablature.)Overall, I am VERY satisfied with my Koldot Round 17-Key Crystal Clear Acrylic Kalimba/Mbira!! I truly do hope and pray that Koldot will decide to expand it’s product line to include a Heart shape, as well as 8-Key, 10-Key and 21-Key Kalimbas very soon. In the meantime, I have already budgeted to purchase a Rainbow Clear Acrylic Round Kalimba from Koldot soon. (And yes, the Moozica has been returned!)

This instrument is easy to learn it has everything you need. I am a beginner and was happy with what it came with. The shape is comfortable, it's slightly heavy but not too bad. Has a wonderful sound and slight hum. Very nice!

It comes complete with all the accessories, good calimba and pretty good case I buy the round one, fells amazing

The kalimba has a beautiful sound. There were no dead keys, everything was in tune. However, I did have to take one star off because it arrived with a large scratch on it. It's not bothersome enough to return, but it was a bit disappointing.

Sounds pretty and the stickers are helpful for first time learners :) learned about 4 songs first day.The book about reading kalimba sheet music was a little complicated and confusing but if you can learn it that way thats good aswell

Although this was a beautiful, solid, unique Kalimba, it was not that comfortable holding it in the right position to play. Perhaps if I were an experienced Kalimba player, it might be different. The workmanship was beautiful and it arrived in tune with a snug fitting protective carrying case and tuning hammer. However, I did return it for a refund.

Gave it as a gift. Cute

I had been sent the wrong kalimba than the one in the photo and description. I received a cat shaped kalimba, not a bear one. The box even had bear on the sticker with the barcode so I'm assuming that the label was put on the wrong box. I was originally going to return it because of this, however I would of had to pay for the return myself, and would only get reimbursed €9 after they received it but it would've cost me more than that to send it making it not worth my while. I decided to keep it as the kalimba itself was beautiful, even though it is not the one I originally wanted.The case is very good quality, and the feel and sound of the kalimba itself is way above my expectations for the price. I had no dead tines, and it was in tune already.I am unsure if this was a one time mistake, so just be careful when ordering. Hopefully it was just a one off error, but I'm glad it happened as now I have another beautiful kalimba in my collection. I ended up buying a bear shaped one from another seller as I was scared the same thing would happen and then I would definitely have to send one back.