Review on 🎵 UGears Hurdy Gurdy: Unleashing Musical Magic Through Mechanical Self-Assembly by Steve Brethorst

I've been waiting for this barrel organ for months. I was very glad they did NOT have any of the infamous toothpicks in this design. Instead, it's held in place by lots of pins and well-placed parts. There's even a hammer for hammering parts into place. Other Ugears models weren't complex enough and only took me 30-60 minutes to assemble. This model was exactly what I was looking for. It took me about 6 hours of non-stop work. It requires great attention to detail and the ability to follow instructions well. This is more of a toy than a real tool. It's cool enough that my husband tried to steal it while I was playing it. They contain some simple songs. This "instrument" is really easy to play and I was able to play a tune within minutes of picking it up. It's really beautiful and a lot bigger than I expected. Probably the size of a ukulele. This is a great presentation. I'm pretty sure I'll want to buy or build a real barrel organ after I've made this one. A few things that might help you with assembly: 1) The gears in the neck don't turn if you install them properly. . Don't try to fix it. I was sure I had broken my model, but everything fitted together. They are very tight on the pins and will rotate once in place. 2) The strings must be VERY tight. The sound was so faint I could barely hear it. After tightening them VERY tight, the sound came out as expected. 3) Everything on wax. There are a few frustrating donuts to cram into the walls. Surprisingly, the more wax you use, the easier it is to apply. It essentially lubricates them. Ugears includes a broken candle that works fine but smells disgusting. I ran about a third of the way and started using cold beeswax. It works just as well and smells a lot better. 4) It's not for kids. It's much more adult oriented (haha). 5) There are many additional details. Expect them and don't worry. 6) I would suggest building a stand first and setting it aside. It's a little less digging around when looking for parts. I'm not sure why they made it the last step. Basically I am very satisfied with this model. I wish I could find more of these. :)