Seagull M4 Series Dulcimer, Natural Spruce

Having tried one out at a family gathering my son saved for six months to buy this for himself.It's really easy to get to grips with, sounds much pleasanter as a learner than some of the other instruments we have.Lovey quality instrument

The trouble is finding a suitable tuning app that isn't expensive and charges by the month.Overall, the instrument sounds pleasing and is very lightweight, which can be ideal for someone who travels and/or weight is a burden.It comes with a booklet that 'explains' the chording and has several 'simple' tunes, but I cannot understand it. I cannot read music, so I just play the M2 as 'experimental,' rather than trying to play 'Mary had a little lamb'.

This is basically a shortened Appalachian dulcimer with the strings flipped, a much more playable finger board and a body that projects well.It is solidly made and very well finished, and is playable (after tuning) straight out of the box.Clearly to get a useable range of notes for a melody you will be using all of the strings for this on occasion as it is only half the length of a full size dulcimer, however this is not a hardship, in fact it is easier to play than the full size instrument.It comes with a handy little book to get you started and there is a book of 10 tunes you can buy as well, though it demands a higher degree of skill than the starter book.It is diatonic (like most harmonicas) and normally tuned to D major, fewer wrong notes to hit, but that suits much of the music you would play on this instrument.I have bought a couple of spare sets of strings, but havn't had a need to change them yet, and the manufacturers gig bag since this will be travelling.

Love this instrument and use it at gigs as well as my Seagull guitar. It gets lots of notice and a great sound for it’s size. I actually tune it to E B EE

This is a great little instrument. Not a toy, as another reviewer commented. It's well made and has surprising volume. Unfortunately, mine didn't come with a book that I had seen included elsewhere. So I knocked a star off. Luckily Seagull's website has an electronic representation of it, but still ... Whether you are a beginner or season musician this will bring a smile to your face and provide hours of fun.

Beautifully crafted and sounds amazing

Fantastic instrument whether you are a beginner or professional. It is fretted in the diatonic scale, which means that it plays in any key as long as it is D major. The limitations are what make it fun for a seasoned player. Godin has taken the Appalachian dulcimer and turned it into a guitar of sorts.Bought it for my son and now thinking of buying one for myself as well.

It's very easy to pick up and learn, was delivered quickly.

Hard to sound bad with this thing. If you know what you’re doing you’ll have a ball. If you don’t, you’ll think you’re better than you are. Great instrument to discover the joy of making your own music.String a few words together and head to Nashville. Worth the price.

What a fantastic instrument. Well made, bright tone and it has to be the easiest musical instrument I've ever played. Straight out of the box it was ready to play. It fits right in with my collection of musical instruments and is a little bit unique compared to the others. $235 including delivery from Canada, bargain.

War ein Geschenk für meinen Mann. Wunderschöner, spezieller Klang, sehr schön verarbeitet. Ein Schmuckstück! Schnelle Lieferung, riesiges Parket, also gut verpackt ;)

This was an impulse buy I won't regret. So much fun to play... Hesitated between spruce and mahogany, and finally picked the spruce top. I think this was a good choice for me. Bright distinctive sound can be heard on top of other instruments. Surprisingly loud for such a small instrument. Tried it with a neck pick-up, mixer with pre-amp and small keyboard amp, and sound was great. Strings are new so frequent tuning expected in the first little while. Instrument is very light so small paracord string can serve as strap. Great to take camping or on the road. The only negative thing would be the size of the neck which could have been a bit more generous width-wise (larger string has a tendency to roll-off the edge - but that could be my "technique" or lack thereof). Also, limited range (2 octaves). But adding range could result in a larger instrument which may not be as easy to play... Of course, you are limited in the keys in which you can play, but that is inherent to the design of this type of instrument. Altogether, I would recommend this product to anyone who wants to experiment with rythms and sounds, from beginners to more advanced musicians, and anyone who wants to learn a string instrument and finds a guitar too intimidating. I was not paid or provided any consideration for this review. I just wanted to share my views to help other potential buyers make a purchasing decision.

Thank you very much. Please keep up the good work.