OrientalMusicSanctuary Reclaimed Century Old Fir Guqin for Performers - 7 String Chinese Zither

I have fallen in love with this instrument. It looks fantastic and sounds lovely. It did need tuned as it spent months in pandemic shipping limbo. I tuned the first string to low B and tuned the rest using harmonics with the first string as standard. It does have a crack in it, first picture, but I can't tell any sound difference and this is a beginner instrument. I'm not concerned. The case is quilt like and the handles on it are convenient. It was late based on Amazon's shipping estimate, but I knew it could be because of the pandemic and USPS being dismantled. Customer service was excellent, and gave me updated tracking info and notified me when it moved. They are on FB using the name Bamboo Grove. I always thought I was musically inept and struggled with reading sheet music. Reading Chinese characters for finger positioning is so much easier for me. I've had it for a few days and am already learning a song, Xianweng Cao. It took some sleuthing but I was able to find English videos on youtube. Check for Juni L. Yeung, she's very thorough. She also has a book you can buy on Amazon.

Because of the whole pandemic, it took longer in the shipping process....understandably so. It was well worth the wait! I am very pleased dealing with Oriental Music Sanctuary. When I became concerned about the package getting lost, I contacted the seller through Amazon. They were very reassuring, taking full responsibility to make sure the package would get to me, but they also assured me it was not lost. I will definitely purchase from them again. Thank you, Oriental Music Sanctuary! The instrument itself has beautiful tonal quality and very well made. It was also packaged with great care. It arrived to my door in perfect condition. While I am somewhat new to the guqin, I can also say I am an accomplished musician in piano, violin, guitar and cello. This is a welcome addition to my joy of string instruments and playing them.

I don't play, but I love the sound. I saw a few while traveling in China, but couldn't buy them there so decided to take a chance here. This one worked out very nicely. The finish is good, as shown on the photo. The extra hardware is appreciated. The sound is better than then price would suggest, I've heard more expensive ones sounding thinner and less complicated. This has a nice vibrance to it. Though it's a string instrument .. so the price does matter, I've played around with one 10x the price and it showed. However, that still illustrates that this one is good value for what you get. I'm very happy with the sound-to-price ratio here. Very much recommend.

Guqin arrived much later than Amazon's estimated arrival date, which is understandable but the seller was reassuring and the instrument arrived safe and sound. Well packed, perfect condition. Well worth the wait!