Seagull Merlin Mahogany SG Dulcimer Guitar Natural

Despite the statement that there are no wrong notes being completely false (you haven't met me, Seagull.) The Seagull Merlin does sound pleasing enough to keep me coming back for more. I am a totally new person to playing a stringed instrument. I have never even strummed a guitar before and my ability to fret a note is absolutely abysmal right now, however, after a day of plinking around with this little instrument I found myself craving to go back to it. Not to play anything in particular on it, but just to play. The Merlin is a new instrument, so don't look for any music for it out there yet, they just started making them in 2014, and unlike other stick dulcimers (which this is inspired by) the frets are too few and it starts at the third fret for traditional dulcimer music as well when reading tabs. So, playing familiar songs are kind of a no go to be honest. You absolutely can make music that sounds CLOSE to most recognizable tunes though. I personally would rather this instrument be treated as its own thing and for new songs to rise up around it. Given its sound is similar to a banjo and mandolin crossed together it has a celtic kind of tone to it.The instrument itself is light, very nicely made out of quality wood. Seagull has a reputation as making some of the best made guitars in their price range and that craftsman ship comes through here as well. I won't say one bad thing about the structural makings of the instrument, although a clear coat on the body would have been a nice touch to help protect the bare wood that is all over and it does feel kind of rough along the back of the body when you run your hand down it. So, solid, solid construction, but could have used just a tad more love after it was completed.What you get with this instrument is an instruction book and that is all. It has a peg for attaching a strap (which amazon sells) and there is a gig bag (which amazon also sells) and if you aren't finger picking, consider getting ukulele picks instead of plastic ones (amazon sells those too) as the Merlin doesn't have a pick guard over the sound hole and the strings are low enough in tension that the felt picks will work fine. There is no tuner either, a simple tuner will work fine, but if you don't have one as this is your first instrument, then consider buying one of those as well (guess where you can buy one of those at.....)All in all, I am happy with the instrument, it has a nice folksy/celtic sound, it is proving to be far easier to get into than I thought it would be, and it looks nice too. I feel that a combo pack with a strap, the gig bag, some ukulele picks, a tuner, and the instrument should be offered for about $150-$160 to make a total package available to folks wanting to get a complete gift for someone instead of having to buy all of the stuff needed to play and store this instrument purchased separately though. Get on it, Amazon. Make it happen.As an aside, The Seagull Merlin is the name of this instrument, but it doesn't roll of the tongue to well for me. I got a buddy who plays a bard in Dungeons and Dragons and naming his instrument Merlin is pretty thematic, but having a folksy sounding instrument with a name like Merlin is odd. So, given that it is of Canadian make and when viewed from behind it looks similar to boat paddle given its solid wood design, I call a Beaver Paddle. Here's hoping it catches on.

I can play some other string instruments, but I had absolutely no idea what to do with this, I wasn't even sure what it would sound likeAnd 30 minutes after I opened it, I had it tuned (D-A-D), and was playing songs! It's a super forgiving instrument and you can get a lot of milage out of it just playing around, even if you have little or no experience. Interestingly, it has very similar sound qualities to some other string instruments I also have tried, so with a little research, I was able to find tabs for songs for American folk music and traditonal music from 4 other countries, which added some unexpected fun to trying this thing that was entirely new to me.Its solid, well built and aesthetically nice looking. I see a lot of people playing it with a neck strap, but I didn't find that necessary. This one did not come with a bag, althougnthe company also makes a bag sized just for it.

I’m no guitar master. And I’m not a master of my dulcimer guitar but regardless this thing is a blast to play! I’d say anyone can play because it’s set up in such a way that it’s hard to hit a bad note. With just a little instinct you can enjoy a great playing session. Very pleasant sound. It looks beautiful. I have it on a wall rack. One of my cats loves when I play. I love it!

Great quality and beautiful piece! My daughter easily learned to play this. She already plays the guitar but, said it would likely be easier for someone to learn to play this.

This instrument is really fun, sounds good, at a great price. Adds a new dimension to song writing sessions.

This little Merlin is amazing! I love the sound! It doesn't sound as "hillbilly" as a dulcimer does. It is so easy to play! I have never learned to play a guitar. In fact, the finger placement is just too awkward for me on a regular guitar. With this Merlin the finger placement isn't very hard to get use to at all! I downloaded a piano program to help me fine tune it and it was pretty easy if you have an ear for music. It does not seem to come with a finish, so I put a few coats of urethane on mine. I popped a string when I restrung it, but a set of regular dulcimer strings will fit it perfectly. They only cost me $2.99 at a local music store. It sounds better to me just strumming it with my thumb, although it took me a while to get use to that. The pick just sounded to "clickity" or something to me. If you strum it closer to the bride you won't get the string buzz as you might get strumming it closer to the hole. Again, I am just a beginner, so some of this could be my poor technique too. It comes with a soft polishing rag, a couple picks, and a basic instruction book, along with a sticker and some advertising. It really seems like a good quality instrument. The 7 frets allow you to play a "do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti" scale. It is tuned "D-A-D" with one D a scale lower than the other D so you can actually play through 2 scales to my limited knowledge. :) I never use the middle or A string, but someone more talented probably would and be able to get other different notes. Within about an hour I was making some very nice music with a non-existent knowledge of anything about stringed instrument playing.

A fun little instrument to noodle around on.