Hurdy Gurdy "Saphona"

I bought #5 in a Red on Black color scheme and I'm so Happy with my Saphona Its a dream come true, Been playing another makers model and all I can say is Michalina and her teams product BLOWS the others out the water. Outstanding Sounds and stays in tune always ready to play and has that Medieval harmony going every note. Me and my Saphona spend hours doing play along with you tube videos from Eluveitie to Rammstien, Molly Hatchet to Korpiklaani this is a drug with strings attached. Thank You Ancestore.eu

Back in August 2019 I ordered a Saphona and got mine in April 2020, so the estimated delivery time of (back then) 7 months was pretty spot on, and I'm *so* happy with it! The sound is great, it's also as loud as expected, and all the strings work really well! Also it looks really good, obviously

My Saphona arrived early August with a snapped chanter and the bridge adjustment piece lost, but Michalina was very good about quickly shipping replacement parts and offering support over video call and reimbursing me for the cost of the string. Outstanding customer service and great instrument, would definitely recommend this seller (especially for beginners!)

I am so happy to have placed my order when I did. To be honest, though I have a background in classical music (7 years violin) I am a complete novice to the Hurdy Gurdy. That didn’t stop Michalina from treating me with the utmost courtesy and respect. I’m very much looking forward to the day when I can make beautiful sound come forth but until then I am blown away by the visual beauty of this magnificent piece. Absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for your understanding and your kindness. JP

29 January 2021 I purchased a cedar & mahogany ten string saphona #38 black on red from Piotr and Michalina and I love this instrument. It is acoustically loud with very good tone. The tangents are very smooth and very easy to play. The key box is designed for the ultimate resonance response from the body of the instrument. The melody string bridge with the individual string adjustments is the best design I have seen. I also got it with the electric preamp option and it sounds awesome through my amp. The hard shell case is very well made too and there is plenty of space for all the accessories. Michalina and Piotr have provided excellent customer service and I highly recommend this company. They have addressed every question I have had in a timely manner and even helped me with upgrading a few items on my instrument.

I purchased this instrument with "all available addons" and received it somewhere around 8/2020. I've been playing regularly ever since, so for around 8-9 months. I had zero experience and never even seen a real hurdy gurdy before. That being said, I think my words could be helpful for someone who is looking to get started with this and considering 'Saphona' as their first hurdy gurdy. I'm self learned "hobby musician and luthier". Being familiar with the guitar, song writing, and musical theory in general I was able to pick this up quite fast. It took something like a month of daily practice to get the feel of the instrument and to be able to play something that makes sense. At first it felt really awkward to hold the hurdy gurdy in place while playing. The instrument wobbles around, flows out of place, and so on. After I learned to hold it properly, playing started to become much easier and there was no longer any extra tension in my arms while playing. Initially I thought that it would be difficult to find the keys since you can't see them while playing. However, since the sliding part pops out on the other side it gives you sort of a visualization of the flow of notes playing. Kind of like what you see in Guitar Hero games or karaoke. This helped me a lot with the muscle memory of finding the keys. After you learn to control the trompettes and do alternative rhythmic stuff with the wheel is where you really get the musical potential of this instrument. By rhythmic stuff I mean, for example, imitating the bow of a violin or guitar tremolo picking. Doing vibrato and bends with the keys is also very cool. All this makes me think of the hurdy gurdy as something like a strange piano/guitar crossover. I'm also very pleased with the pickup-system and happy that I ended up adding it to the package. I haven't used it for recording yet but playing with effects like harmonizer, delay and reverb is so cool. Musically I've been using the hurdy gurdy for mostly improvising and jamming with friends (everyone wants to see and try out the hurdy gurdy because it is so rare :D). Arranging your favorite songs for it is also really fun and good practice. I definitely plan to write down some pieces of my own with this instrument as well. Overall I like the hurdy gurdy very much and recommend it to anyone who is looking to broaden the horizon of their musical adventure. If you don't have previous musical experience, it can be quite a challenge, but I would still stay that guitar is way harder to get started with. I don't yet have experience with any other hurdy gurdies than 'Saphona', but it has been everything and more than what I expected. The quality and sound is simply amazing. I'm very happy that Michalina and Piotr started their business of manufacturing hurdy gurdies and made it possible for us all to experience this.

I got my instrument last week, it's my first hurdy-gurdy but I have a musical background, I've been playing the violin for 18 years. I've spent several hours with it every day since it arrived and I can say it has a beautiful tone, and great volume, the keyboard is quite soft and easy to play and stays in tune for long periods of time. It also sounds great when plugged into my amp. The craftsmanship of this instrument blew my mind, you can tell it was made by professionals, not a single piece of it looks cheap or poorly made and I couldn't spot a single esthetic flaw either. The flight case is also top-notch (A bit heavier than I thought, though) extremely well made with a lot of space for all the accessories. Michalina and her team provided excellent customer service, they addressed all my dumb questions quickly and with a lot of courtesy and professionalism, I highly recommend this company! Thanks a lot! I'm in love with my instrument!

My Saphona came in about a month and change ago. This is my first hurdy gurdy, but I have also had the chance to play others by other luthiers. I love the full, lush sound that flows from this instrument. It is deep and warm, partially helped by the cedar/rosewood material selections, but mostly thanks to beautiful craftsmanship of the MM team. I can not recommend this instrument enough. I had the opportunity to play a hurdy gurdy from Weischelbaumer (sp) as well. It was a stunner, but you know what? I am happier with my Saphona. While there is a difference between the two, I honestly feel as though I got away with robbery with mine. Truly the gurdy to go for for full featured without spending enough to buy a new car.

The sound is fantastic, rich and deep (and loud! even with no amplification), it arrived in great shape (I would recommend the flight case for anyone needing any hope of humidity control), and well in tune. MM sent a video along explaining the instrument and the features, which was really helpful for a newbie like me (especially when learning how to apply the cotton and wondering "hey is this supposed to sound like that?"). Three months in, and it's holding up great- the tangents haven't required any serious adjustment since a few minor post-shipping adjustments, and the instrument as a whole is really user friendly for someone with big hands. It stays in tune really well, for something with no truss rod and with the wide range of tension it's holding. It doesn't feel like I'm going to break it by twisting a knob or experimenting with adjustments; it's very solidly built. Honestly this is the most expensive instrument I've ever bought (I mean, custom built, so naturally), but it's the best money I've ever spent on an instrument, hands down.

I tried some Saphona and aplo and i think they are fantastic value for the buck, my hurdy gurdy teacher Sergio González recomends them on www.sergiogonzalez.eu and i really trust his opinion,