LANDTOM Musical Chinese Erhu 2 Stringed Chinese Rosewood Violin Fiddle Instrument Chinese 2 Stringed Instrument with Free Accessories for Beginner Entry Level (A)

I always wanted to buy some sort of bow/string instrument before, It was always on my bucket list. So when I was scrolling through the internet I came across a solo performed on the Erhu and I was like "Wow I should buy that". So I went online and found a bunch of different prices for the Erhu, most of which had questionably cheap price tag. (Cont.)--So if you're completely new to shopping for an Erhu (like I was), the main thing you must check is the quality of the snake skin because that is what determines the sound and pricing. You also need to take into consideration that it must be able to past through U.S Customs, Which LANDTOM had already done so no need to worry about that.--(Cont.) So I settled with this product, I was skeptical at first but when I got the package and tried it, I was just amazed at the quality of the sound. It was everything that was in the description, Perfect for someone who is a beginner or a intermediate. With the power of google search I was able to get the hang of the basics. It's easy to learn but it's hard to master. That aside, There's a couple things I would like to share if you do happen to buy it. I went through a lot of trouble when I was first setting it up. Because I am a complete noob and with my lack knowledge on string instruments, setting Erhu up was the hardest part. Before I go over some of the mistakes that I made when setting it up, I would like to make a disclaimer: Now obviously, I'm not saying I am a professional, So please take everything I say with a grain of salt. These are simply some of the things that I went through and tried to fix by the power of Google search. So here's a list of the things I did:1) I used way too much Rosin on the bow and it sounded like a dying screeching animal. I ended up having to wipe off the excess rosin with a dry cleaning rag and it sounded a lot better. NOTE: when you first get the Erhu, the bow is free of Rosin so you have to apply for a little longer like 3-6 minutes of up and down strokes. I did 30 minutes of up and down strokes till a point where the bow was able to stick on my fingers. So don't make the same mistake, it only needs to be enough to make a solid sound. What I would reccomend is to do little tests after a certain amount of strokes to see if it will make a sound.2) Beware the tuning pegs will come off when you're twisting it. So when you're tuning the Erhu you have to sort of twist and push into the hole the the pegs are in by using your thumb. This helps keep the peg intact as you're tuning so it won't fall off mid-twist. Also don't worry it's not broken if it falls off, just put it back in and re-attach the string.3) Fine-tuners are a life saver. The little gold things I had no idea how to use are a mfing life saver. I spent a good 35 minutes trying to tune the thing with just the damn pegs until I looked back in the case and noticed the tuners and I was like "What's this?". I had no idea what they were and when I looked up a video about them I was sitting there feeling very stupid. So the general idea of the fine tuners is that you use the pegs to get to a certain note and finish the tuning off with the fine tuners. Be gentle when tuning with the pegs, one slight twist and it can turn the whole thing up by 2-3 notes4) Take this one with a grain of salt: Don't be afraid to tighten the bow. when I was first tightening the bow I was afraid it was going to snap in half because I tightened the bow to the point where the stick started to show some curvature. It's ok if it shows a curve but you should tighten it to the point where the hairs itself it able to maintain a straight form when playing the Erhu. Although that thought is questionable because I did do some research on Erhu bows and some of them have the hairs bend. At that point I guess it's more of a preference thing. Again I don't exactly know and I am not a professional. What I have suggested is what worked for me so experiement at you're own riskIn terms of maintaining and cleaning the Erhu for the past days I have been cleaning it off with a dry clean rage and dusting the rosin off the strings and the snake skin (because of my first mistake) other than that it's been making sure that your hands have been washed before and after use and avoiding any grease and oils. Basic stuff that I was taught handling any other intrument. There's a video about how to take care of your snake skin from Eason Studio's, a well known brand for Erhus in Singapore. In short, the idea is to dab a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil (no other replacements) and gloss it over the snake skin. It's like a skin care ointment but for snake skin. One important thing that they did mention was that there is no such that as too little oil. You only need a tiny bit to gloss over the skin. Too much will dampen the skin and will ruin the sound so be careful.I will end this review on that note, I would like continue to rant on about a bunch of other things but this list would continue to grow and become a book. In short I highly reccomend this for anybody who wants to try the Erhu and continue to practice with it. With that being said, I wish you good luck and stay safe :D

They also sell a more expensive Erhu in case you want something more higher end.But, with that said, this was a surprisingly beautiful instrument on multiple counts and a wonderful place for anyone to begin their Erhu journey.The Build:The build itself is solidly and beautiful built with rosewood. There are no blemishes or jagged edges. The cuts are very even and balanced (no deformities). It uses actual snake skin (of which they have already gone through the proper customs processes before shipping to Amazon FBA). The wood finish is also very nice and smooth. Also, the tuning pegs are nice and snug. You can tune with them easily...in fact, I don't even use the fine tuners at all. They hold their place even with the most minute rotation. Outside of metal pegs at the base to hook the strings and the metal strings themselves, the instrument is completely "natural" with no mechanical/metal parts.Accessories:The company has been quite generous about their included accessories. They give you an additional set of strings, a multi-note pitch pipe for tuning purposes (which I prefer over electronic tuners anyway), rosin which seems to be just as good as the one I use for my viola, two bridges, two felt pads, a set of fine-tuners if you prefer to use those (as stated before, I personally do not since I like the tone better without it), and a Beijing-style bow (which is a lot easier to set up with the erhu than a Shanghai-style one). My bow came with a 2cm chip at one end of it, but nothing major and still totally sturdy to get the job done. Also, it obviously comes with a case. The case is good but basic. In terms of hardness, it's pretty much the tough hard foam lined with a kind of felt material incased in a nylon zip-up case. It's light, sturdy enough, and allows for fair protection of the instrument. I would still keep it at the top of my stack of instruments for gigs, though. It also has one small compartment to hold your accessories in.Tone Quality:As a beginner, yeah, you'll sound like a dying cat at first. But as I began to get more and more proficient with it (understanding the effects of various bow pressure, string placement, etc.), I've been getting very solid tones out of it. It sounds beautiful to me. It does have a brighter quality to it, though, than what I'm used to hearing with erhus, but that's not a bad thing actually.Environment factors:One thing I've come to learn in purchasing ethnic instruments (both online and while in the native country of the respective instrument) is that my home environment can be a factor in harming an instrument. I've actually had another instrument split because of a drastic difference from whence it came from. But this erhu has not shown any wear and tear at all. Where I'm from, we have temperatures that can drop to the 70's and then suddenly become really warm. We also have dry weather here...and on top of that, the occasional need for a heater. This instrument has withstood it all.All in All:This is a wonderful place to begin your music journey in traditional Chinese instruments. It has a good build, generous amount of accessories, and a nice tone (once you become fairly proficient). You know how if a company does a haphazard job on an instrument, that can discourage you to keep at it? Well, this is an instrument that actually encourages me to play it and practice because of how well it's built.My only one quip is the lack of beginner reading material. But there is a book you can get (in English) on amazon, and several helpful online resources and teachers.

The product came with everything. The only issue was that the bow was old and I had scratch the resin rub the bow for like 15 minutes straight 😅