I expected an atleast playable instrument. I've made tow kalimbas (a very similar instrument) and both have been far better than this mbira. It looks cool. Rusty. Third Worldish. But not playable. The tines/keys are rusted and not filed properly. It is nowhere near in tune and can't really be retuned due to the weird bridge design. I'm disappointed. I'd love to say I love it. As a decoration, yes. But not as anything else.

I have other instruments of this type, so I know that the notes are off, there is a funny tinny sound with some of the notes, and it was much poorer quality than pictured. I shall return it as defective.

This is a cheap instrument that is fun to play. Great for kids and creative people looking for a unique sound. It is difficult to record the lower notes without getting way too much buzz from the cymbals, but that might be fixed by hammering the nails in further and securing the cymbals tighter.

• Did the color match the color displayed onsite? yes
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Quality of materials is not high--one of the keys wiggles around, and the "cymbals" buzz a bit too much, and the wood isn't sanded.
• How accurate was the sizing? not sure--it was smaller than I expected but I don't recall the dimensions given

It sounds fine but it is not tuned and there are no suggestions on the best scale for tuning Hopefully I will figure it out by trial and error. Since the sound is nice I will spend the time to figure out the tuning but it is not easy to do this.so do not buy it if you don't know choice for scales ( C G or D are typical scales I use)

• Did the color match the color displayed onsite? yes
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. OK
• How accurate was the sizing? OK

My first mbira was a thumb piano that was mass-produced in South Africa. I learned to play it by listening to smooth jazzz. Years later I received an Zimbabwean mbira from a friend who lives in Harare. The tone was much better than my first instrument and I played it to music or by itself. I was laid up for a couple months and I found myself relaxing as I ran up an down the keyboard. I believe it has a special quality that encourages good health. Because of the craft involved in these refurbished instruments, I have sent this one as a "get well" gift for an old friend. She loves it too!

• Did the color match the color displayed onsite? Yes.
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. This instrument shows excellent craftmanship.
• How accurate was the sizing? It was perfect.

Not an instrument per se. More of a decorator item perhaps. Returned it for refund as it was unplayable.

• Did the color match the color displayed onsite? no
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. bad
• How accurate was the sizing? bad

this is a piece of junk - but the good kind of junk. I love this! it has nice sound and is fun to play. It really is made from recycled junk so don't expect something new. It comes with a card explaining the process and that just makes it even cooler if you ask me. I bought this for my son and I know he will love it. I love helping the people who made it as well.

• Did the color match the color displayed onsite? yes
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. it's primitive and scrappy
• How accurate was the sizing? don't know for sure

This was a present for our grandson(8yr, old) who has played with it, using it like a toy. Perhaps an older child would use it for playing music or composing new songs.

• Did the color match the color displayed onsite? The color matched the color onsite.
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. The instrument had a 'tinny' sound.
• How accurate was the sizing? The size was a little smaller than expected.

I ordered the Mbira for my son's birthday and had it shipped to him at college, when he received the Mbira he loved it! He's a music major and is collecting "different" instruments so this was a perfect addition.

fast shipping, rad kalimba. reasonably priced too. looked a little different than the picture but it plays well and everyone is always taking it from me because they think it looks cool. i wish they would give it back so i can play it. the top notes have 3 redundancies [same keys] but the upside to this is you can play double-speed.

I purchased this item to be used in staging for a model home. It provokes discussion. If you're hoping to use this as an instrument, buy "up." My instrument arrived a bit tarnished, which I thought added to the character.

For a recycled piece it does play well. My friend is helping me learn how to play and it does sound pretty. Would recommend for a beginner being it's a 15 key which is good to start.

A solid Instument and a nice piece at a great price. I was excited when I discovered this little Gem and am even more thrilled now that I own one. It is well constructed and has a warm and inviting sound. When it arrived I began happily playing right out of the box !

I bought the mbira as a surprise for my husband who is a percussionist. He loves it. It is well crafted and has a nice sound. He had never had one before, so he practices on it everyday to develop dexterity. He does percussion workshops in the elementary schools and plans to use it in his Black History programs next year.

This is not simply a display piece, but it's a true, traditional Shona-style mbira (aka karimba) from Zimbabwe. Mine came in perfect relative tuning (I haven't checked it against absolute tuning). The price is great; I contracted with an instrument-maker in southern Africa when I was there (where I learned how to play the instrument) to make me one of these and the custom-built-from-scratch-by-the-master cost was only a few dollars more than this one. This one from Overstock feels nicer on the fingers and projects better than the one I bought in Africa. My only problem with the instrument is that the wood in the picture is nicer than what I received. The wood has been lacquered, rather than sanded smooth.

This is a nice plaything. Not a toy, but not a serious musical instrument. Compared to the other type I got, this was was close to being in tune, and so can be played to make pleasant music. Sound is pretty good, and fun to play around with. I like the two levels of keys compared to simpler ones with fewer keys. By recycled, they mean made from recycled materials.

when you use your fingers to make the sound, it sounds like between a xlophone and wind chimes. its almost magical when you first play it. one of yhe keys had to be pushed back into place but works fine.its small so you can take it anywhere.everyone who saw it loved it.its unusal and it appeals to me since i love curiosities from around the world.its not too complicated to use.this would make a good piece of musical instrument in any collection of around the world.

grandkids are very interested in this mbira instrument. they all take music so maybe we will end up with some tunes. great fun addition to any den.