As a guitar player for 35 years - I found my... first "Dulcimer Guitar" at Guitar Center, the Merlin by Seagull (awesome sound) and was hooked. I however decided that I needed more range... I saw this dulcimer and thought YES it looks beautiful, hoping it sounded beautiful as well, and it has a long neck - which by default means more frets and range... I got it delivered and was very excited to open it. First impression - It was so "pretty" I love the work that went into the face - however realizing that the really intricate ports are EXTREMELY FRAGILE also came to mind. I took it out - tuned it up (which was a bit difficult as the tuners are VERY VERY TOUCHY) and began to place. The body is very small and does not have the nice resonance the I found in my Merlin, it sound a bit "rounder" less bright, but it still sounds good. Using a pick vs. finger picking was a totally different experience. A bit brighter, but still not quite as nice. I liked it enough to keep it though so I began messing with it. I found several frets where there was terrible buzzing - as specially if you were in the upper 50% of the fretted area. I am going to take it to a local country string shop to see if there is any way to properly set it up - but that may be difficult as there is no bolt in the neck, so pretty much it's either frets or bridge work. Over all I like this unit and would probably recommend it. I do wish it were louder and brighter sounding. Oh, one other thing - it is a bit hard and awkward to hold - and there is not a strap button in the body, need to see what I can work out there, and the way that the strings hook onto the body by the bridge is a bit problematic as there are sharp prongs (if you will) sticking out of the bottom - which do catch on things... Sweaters, pants, couch cushions... This could be a bit of a pain.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New