Thumb Piano, Large Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been playing the Hugh Tracey Kalimba for many years.
I bought a Mid East Kalimba from eBay.
It was advertised as a Hugh Tracey Kalimba and came
in an old Hugh Tracey box. I thought I had gotten a good deal.
In the picture it looks exactly the same.
The first thing I noticed different was the paint on the tines.
It was a more of a translucent color. I thought it had been
repainted (and kind of a sloppy job at that).
The next thing I noticed, as soon as I took it out the box
was that it was a much heavier wood. It did not have the light
feel of the Hugh Tracey models which are made from an exotic,
resonant Kiaat wood. This thing was thick.
It looked very pretty though.
The big disappointment came when I started to play the instrument.
First off, it was out of tune. I had a rough time trying to tune
this beast. With the Hugh Tracey models, I just wiggle the tines
side to side or use a coin to push the tines.
The tines don't move easily on this Mid East Beast... Damn!
Unless you know what you are doing, you won't be
able to get this thing in tune. It's very difficult.
After fighting with it for almost an hour, I finally got it tuned.
The sound is OK but kind of tinny (if that's a word).
It doesn't have the full, deeper sound of the Hugh Tracey.
It's probably because the tines are thicker.
It doesn't have the mellow tamber nor maintain the sustain.
I also notice the edges of the tines are not smooth.
It's a little rough on your thumbnails.
You probably should sand them down some to smooth it out.
All in all, it looks pretty but not much fun to play.
I would never buy another one
(and wish I could get my money back).
You'd be much better off with a Hugh Tracey Model.
They come tuned, don't scratch your thumbnails
and give you a much fuller, more mellow sound.

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Kalimba. Origin Country: Pakistan. 2.1 lbs. Made by Mid-East.
Rosewood thumb piano, 5" x 7", 17 steel keys and two vibrato holes on the back. The thumb piano originates in Africa. It is also known as the mbira or likembe. The metal keys are mounted on a wooden box that acts as the resonating chamber. To play, rest the thumb piano on the fingers of both hands and hold it between your palms. Cover the vibrato holes with your fingers. Then pluck the keys with your thumbs. As you play you can un-cover and cover the vibrato holes as you like. Many different tunings are acceptable, according to personal preference. Specific tuning of a thumb piano is only an issue when two instruments are played together; then they should generally agree in tuning. Otherwise, the tuning is subjective and should only be pleasing to the player. The longer keys have lower pitches and shorter keys have higher pitches. The keys can be adjusted by tapping them in or out to adjust their length, and therefore their pitch.

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