Gecko MC-S-17 key Kalimba Curly Maple Review

Let me guess. You are deciding to buy a kalimba and looking for different options or you already bought one? In this blog, I am going to share why I have decided to buy this kalimba.

I ordered my kalimba in Lazada last June 6, 2020, worth PHP 2,196 including shipping fee. I received it last 15th of June. Aside from the origin of the item is from China, the General Community Quarantine made the waiting time longer. It is priced PHP 2,409 as of this writing.

Specifications

Material: Curly maple wood (Triple sound hole) and Carbon steel tines

Tonality: C tune

Keys: 17 keys

Size: 13 x 18.5 x 3cm

Weight: 306g

I admit, I do not have any experience playing a kalimba before I bought it, but I have experience in arranging and reading guitar tabs and I guess they are not quite different somehow.

When I received the kalimba, I was not able to use the tuning hammer because it is pre-tuned. I used gStrings app to verify the tone.

What I liked about it

Sound

Flat boards sound great but the resonance from the sound hole of this hollow box is very eargasmic. Watching youtube comparisons helped me in deciding between Gecko flat board and hollow.

Style

I preferred its style and color because it is well finished and varnished, giving it a smooth feel whenever played. Some kalimba are using plain mahogany wood without design which is also cool but I chose the former just because I think its much more worth spending for.

EVA case

It comes with a hard case that is very helpful especially if you are travelling a lot and bringing it with you. This will help to prevent your kalimba from being damaged. It also comes with a tuning hammer, cleaning cloth, a pouch, beginner's tutorial and notes stickers.

Brand

The biggest factor why I chose this kalimba is the brand. Gecko is one of the brands recommended for intermediate/pro players and is known for its good product and sound quality based on a Facebook group post at Kalimba Music Philippines.

Price point

Spending P500-P1,000 and ending up not being satisfied with the sound quality and components of a kalimba is quite disappointing. Why not save few more cash for a higher end product that will make it worth the purchase. The price difference is not very huge. This is a quality purchase for its price point.

What I didn't like about it

The 17th key

I don't know if it is just me or the 17th key is quite dead even if it is tuned. I think it is a common issue with other 17 keyed kalimbas as well.

The original stickers

Reading the notes and numbers on the stickers is quite a struggle especially if the room you are playing on is not well lit. 

Final note

I just figured out that the stickers are very important while playing the instrument and reading this format of tabs. When you reached the 5th part of the tab, the notes will not be visible so you have to depend on the stickers or the red shaded tines.

From: Image from ranchguitar.com

These stickers will not let you get lost around the tines. It will help you easily find your position and the note to be played.

This is the first part of my translation of April Yang's Pipa Language Ktabs arrangement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8OizlZzynI

The notes and number stickers is useful when reading tabs in number or letter format. Like the one above. I prefer reading tabs in this format.

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