Customer Reviews

Mid-East Thumb Piano Large

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

At $30, this kalimba is an excellent value and I plan to buy a couple more for various tunings. However, the MidEast Music kalimba is not an instrument for beginning musicians. As noted in the negative reviews below, it is very difficult to tune due to the thicker tines. However, once tuned the added mass provides a much warmer tone than the Hugh Tracy kalimba. That added thickness also makes the instrument a bit more difficult to play, but more difficult like a guitar set up for jazz or the heavier action of a concert piano.

Also, the MidEast Music kalimba comes with no manual or tuning instructions and finding that information on the web was not an easy Google search. To tune this instrument, I had to buy a small punch and a tack hammer; pliers didn't cut it and I doubt anyone could tune this instrument without these tools. That said, once this kalimba IS tuned, it stays in tune!

Finally, the tines arrived rough and unpolished, and they would tear up someone's nails within minutes. However, a file and some metal polish took care of the rough edges.

Beginning musicians or anyone afraid of handtools should consider paying double or triple the price for the hand-holding service of Hugh Tracy kalimba models. The HTK's are quieter, brighter sounding and require constant tuning due to the thinner tines, but more suited to beginning musicians who have not yet built up the strength in their hands.

When I was in college, a friend of mine owned a kalimba and allowed me to borrow it for a few days. I found that picking out tunes on it was fun and relaxing, and that I enjoyed the sound. When I saw this item on line, I decided to see if that would still be true. It is! The instrument was delivered promptly, and was well packaged. It is sturdy, and the wood grain is pleasing to the eye. The only reason I didn't give this five stars was that it was shipped badly out of tune, but that was corrected after a brief search on the Internet. It sounds wonderful now! Another thing to watch for is that tiny amounts of the chrome plating on the keys might flake off a bit at first, so you might want to give them a good wiping down to avoid getting any metal splinters. Overall, I'm glad I have it.

I own a Mid-East kalimba, and a chromatic tuner, and let me tell you that tuning it was no easy task, but still, if you're looking for a nice little, sweet-sounding musical toy, or as a whimsical gift, I guess it might do. Afterall it DOES sound pretty, but then so does a child's xylophone. Hugh Tracey makes superior kalimbas..I know I have both. The tines on a Mid-East are thicker so it's harder to pin-point the notes when tuning & the tines have rough edges so your thumbnails tend to chip & fray slightly if you play for extended periods. The Rosewood box is less resonant, African Kiatt wood is lighter & much more resonant & it feels better in your hands, so it beats Rosewood hands down!!

The tines on a Mid-East are not on the same level so chords are impossible, not to mention rippling, smooth glissandos. Not so on a Hugh Tracey Kalimba, they are perfectly aligned and uniform and much thinner, more easily tuned for a better sound!!

Everyone will enjoy playing an HTK because it's so user friendly. Sure Mid-East makes pretty sounds..but a Hugh Tracey Kalimba sounds beautiful. Don't take my word for it experience it for yourself...You won't be sorry you did!

I ordered this for my 3-yr old grandson. It arrived very promptly and it is beautiful. Very dark grainy wood with perfectly inset panels of lighter wood that form the ends. Lovely tone, plays easily, sounds delightful! Unfortunally it is so very sweet-sounding that it won't drive his mother Nutz... which is always a goal in my house! (And now I'm ordering another for my grandaughter.)

I bought a Pakistani-made Mid-East Mfg "Large Kalimba" about 2 years ago, and am holding it in my hand right now. It is difficult to tune. I have heard from some people that their Mid-East Mfg kalimbas arrived untuned, and as they lacked the strength to push the tines or the knowledge of how it should be tuned, it was unusable to them (perhaps that is the sound of a dying giraffe?). Of the 17 tines, 5 on my kalimba make a dull "thud" instead of the nice ringing that most of the tines make (this situation has persisted since a few months after I bought the kalimba, and I can't figure out how to fix it). The wood is beautifully polished, and the kalimba looks beautiful, and would make a good coffee table piece, but not a good musical instrument. It appears to be a nearly exact copy of the Hugh Tracey 17-note Treble kalimba from Africa, but the sound and the playing does not really compare. This is a very inexpensive kalimba, and I dare say that you get your money's worth. For $30, I would actually recommend buying one of the better US-made 8-note kalimbas; yes, it has fewer notes, but you will get more enjoyment out of the kalimba.

this Instrument is BEAutiful..I am 20 and I ordered it for my 15 yearr old sister..I love she really loves it. the sound Is so pleasant and is not a pain to hear. the wood is wonderful.

and when you play it it feels comfortable.

I normally read the reviews on things before i buy them and when i see someone rate something really low i think that they are just being debbie downers, but honestly, DO NOT BUY THIS it is a waste of 50 dollars. Spend the extra 50 and get a good one if you are really interested but this one came out of tune and its just... wrong. It was a total drag and of course i threw away the packaging like a donk so now i can not return it...

I bought this for my husband, which brought back memories for him. It is excellent, however, I wish it had some pamphlet or an instruction booklet with songs to pick out ... otherwise you are just randomly making sounds. Music does not come to all as easily as it does for some. Still an excellent product.

It is a nice toy, makes really nice music. I will not order from this vendor again. I was very disappointed in the delivery time, on this. It was bought for Christmas, and arrived two days late. The express mail I requested didn't happen. I was not charged for it, but it was indicated when I ordered it that I would receive in in two to three working days.