Seagull Guitars M4 Merlin Mountain Dulcimer - Mahogany Reviews

2.5 yeare later and it's holdinf io great. A lot of fun. Jam with an acoustic in dropD or DADGAD and have a blast.
Also sounds greate with a peizo and a little distortion.
A shout out to Gage who helped out on info for this, as well as for suggesting the bag, which is prettt good too

Always messed around with guitar, both electric and acoustic. This is a wonderful sounding instrument. I'm just learning to play it, but I know it will give me many years of enjoyment. Great job Sweetwater!!!

We own two of M4 and have a great time jamming together. By no means are we experts, but this is an easy and satisfying instrument to play. Great sound, easy to tune and easy to take anywhere. Highly recommend the M4 for all levels.

I was able to play a song or two in just a few minutes of unboxing. Just wished it had an extra fret to make a C chord.

This is my first stringed instrument ever. So with that being said. I have enjoyed learning how to play. I have a long way to go, but the Merlin seems to be great. My only complaints if I were to have them would be. I purchased the mahogany version because of the darker wood. However the actual Merlin is not near as dark as the pictures on the website. I also would have thought the wood would be cover with a clear coat. Overall I'm completely satisfied.

Just picked up 2 of these, 1 spruce for me and 1 mohagany for my niece.
These are so fun and well made! This is a perfect introductory instrument because it's so easy to make it sound good even if you have no experience. Every music enthusiast should have one. Its just as fun for an advanced player or a first timer. Top notch customer service and high quality products, Sweetwater goes the extra mile. ~ Robert K Grajeda

Although we are guitarists, it's still fun to play with these! You cant make a mistake either! I suggest checking out youtube so you can familiarize yourself!

I have been an aspiring acoustic guitar player for the last 5 months and am really enjoying the journey. As with any beginner, there are good days and not so good ones. One thing is for certain, I am not giving up playing and improving slowly but surely.

I ran across the Seagull Merlin and it was love at first sight. Since I knew I had to have one, I realized that I would also give one to my wife (the love at first sight thing is a commonality here) for our anniversary next week. She has a beautiful voice and I am hopeful she will also love this instrument. My dream is that I can accompany her and duet together.

Without making this into an epic novel, this instrument tells a true story for us. Made in Quebec, and is being gifted to a French teacher. I can't wait for us to be the next smashing folk duo. (a folksy Sonny and Cher, perhaps?)

Anyway, I have played mine a bit and am blown away by how easy it is. It is not smashing my confidence in any way. It is so much fun and it broadens my learning experience. And we've only just begun.

I saw one of these in a local music store and after playing it for 5 minutes I knew I needed to buy one so I purchased from Sweetwater cuz they always give me the best price and service. I've had it over a week now and have played it every day. I am mainly a guitar player but this instrument keeps my fingers exercised and keeps my melodic creativity going. It's built very well sounds fantastic and will expand your musical toolbox. Everyone who is hurted commented how sweet and soothing it sounds.

Love this instrument. Great fun in the studio or home. My son who is 10 has been playing the violin and piano for 2 years and can play a little uke. He grabbed the Merlin and was picking out melodies in no time. Strumming and finger picking are skills that take time to develop, but with "no wrong notes" his confidence is really growing.

I can see using the Merlin in a live setting with other acoustic instruments.

Sweetwater delivery was quick as always, and they matched a coupon offered by another on-line company. Thanks!

In my previous review I noted the intonation was off a bit (particularly with the A string). After playing, re-tuning, and generally letting the instrument "settle in" for about a week or so, the intonation has corrected itself. I've noticed some other reviewers have had a similar experience with intonation. Be patient - I love this thing.

In my previous review I mentioned (along with a few other reviewers), that intonation in upper registers was a bit off (particularly the A string). Well, it seems to have mostly corrected itself in the past couple weeks. If yours seems a bit "off", be patient and give it a little time to acclimate to it's new home. We're in sub-zero temps here with the furnace on and off (dry air). This breathable piece of wood needs some time to adjust.

Had this little lady for a couple years now. No complaints or issues so far so I would say it was a solid purchase.

This little guy is surprisingly loud and ridiculously fun to play. I was looking for something that would be an easy travel guitar. Something for camping trips that would be easy to travel with and this fit the bill perfectly. It travels way easier than most guitars and at this price I don't mind getting it banged around a little in the back of the car.

I am so happy with my Seagull Merlin.

I bought this for a specific purpose: something that was easy to play that would have the right sound to accompany me when I sang scary songs. I am a professional storyteller that specializes in ghost stories.

I learned the ukelele but frankly, a uke's sound is way too happy for a song about, say, a gruesome murder-suicide.

The beauty of the Merlin is it's open fifth tuning--since the chord is missing the third, it can be either major or minor.

The Merlin really has a great sound for what I wanted.

And it is really easy to learn to play.

I would strongly recommend this instrument.

i have the mahogany "M4 w/ EQ" with built in pickup and tuner (not sold by sweetwater )
its legit a blast to play to the poimt that i logged onto here just to add another positive review bc im so pleased with the purchase

i was pleasantly surprised by the fit and finish...
"unique" is the best way to describe a dulcimer sound - very backwoodsy with a hint of banjo, and a hint of uke and a dash of mandolin

in the stock dadd setup there isnt a good way to play a C major, however you can use 343 as a "good enough" substitute

i also have gone to ultimate guitar app and used the transpose function to step some songs up a key or two so as to move the Cs to Ds and voila - prob solved

you can also change the tuning to cgcc if it really bothers you but im pleased so far

the tone is quite good for what this is. dont expect perfect intonarion but its way better than i had feared

5/5 very pleased with purchase

Great, Great, Great!! My Grandaughter just arrived from out of town. She picked it up and I haven"t had a chance to check it out myself. I did catch on before she came how to play single note songs. I can"t wait until later to really work with it. So more later

Got it today and haven't put it down yet almost 6 hours later. Beautiful graceful workmanship. So light and easy to play and it's got a big but delicate sound. Very intimate yet easy to play. This one will be with me forever. Thanks Seagull-Godin. And Thanks to Jeff at Sweetwater for taking such good care of Me.

I have two seagull guitars and I love them. I decided to get this after wanting a mountain dulcimer and love the sound and feel of this instrument. Now I play it for fun all the time and to accompany simple folk songs. What a fun and beautiful instrument!!

Awesome acoustic instrument recently purchased here as a gift. The build quality is really good and the tone is amazing. 'Purchased the Seagull Gig Bag with it along with some extra strings.

As always, Sweetwater's Robert Williams took great care of my order...They're all customer service experts!

Thanks!

This instrument is so addictive and easy to play that you'll have a hard time putting it apart. For the price you get very good construction with an unique sound to fall in love. Of course, being in D limits it possibilities but you will like it just for fun. The Sweetwater experience is always top notch, fast shipping and follow up. I'm happy with it. Get one and have fun.

I am loving my new Dulcimer. I play guitar and was curious about this instrument. It's easy to play for anyone from novice to expert. Songs come instantly with a very intuitive string set up and fret bars. This will become my little travel companion to fiddle around on. Loving it!

RECEIVED MY DULCIMER TODAY--VERY SURPRISED AT THE SERVICE AND THE QUALITY OF THE DULCIMER. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE INSTRUMENT TO ANY ONE.

Really easy and fun to play

I LOVE my little Merlin Mountain Dulcimer. It arrived promptly after ordering, shipping all the way to California with no issues. It may look small, but this little guy puts out a lot of sound. It is super lightweight, making it perfect for camping and hiking. I took it up to the crags and got to play it on top of a mountain. It's a lovely little instrument and very unique sounding. 5/5 would buy again, thanks to the staff at sweetwater for always being top notch.

I was very impressed with mohogany sg. It was very reasonably priced, and has not sacrificed quality. It's tone quality is high, it resonates, and even the smaller details have been noticeably crafted with love.

This thing is just awesome. Good plain fun. It was cool to be able to pull out of the box and just start playing. My wife asked how I learned how to play the Merlin without owning one. Haha. It really is that easy to play.

The craftsmanship has exceeded my expectations for an instrument at this price point.

I love this thing so much that now I plan on (eventually) getting the spruce top and the G tuned versions.

Now off to look for more crazy instruments to add to the collection.

This little instrument is fantastic! I play several different instruments to some extent, and this one is incredibly fun to play. I got it for Christmas, and it is by far my favorite gift. Whether you are experienced with playing other things or not, it should not take long to figure out how to play this. It is fairly loud considering its size. The size makes it very portable. It is a little longer but a little narrower than a mandolin. I play it every day. Get one. You will love it. I play a lot of bluegrass, classic country, and gospel, but it could be appropriate for other things as well.

I wanted something different, small and portable to carry around with me. The Merlin is exactly that! It is easy to play, with a diatonic scale, it makes an excellent first instrument for a child or anyone else for that matter. I was surprised by the variety of music genres I can play on it, not just folk or bluegrass music.
The Merlin is tuned in the key of D and being a diatonic scale instrument it has some limitations. However, just transpose to a workable key. There are tons of tab and lessons videos available for the Merlin.
Construction is quite good. The wood has a natural finish. For a small instrument, it puts out an amazing volume of sound. The Merlin is so much fun, you can hardly put it down. I play mine for hours at a time.
I also purchased the Merlin gig bag, extra set of strings and some felt picks. The fun factor alone is well worth the price.

I have never played a string instrument before and decided the Merlin would be a good choice based in the other great reviews. I was right!! The quality is wonderful and the sound of my mahogany Merlin is a beautiful mellow tone. My Sweetwater reps were absolutely fantastic!! I have ordered from them again with the same excellence. It's great to see a company with such high standards!

Genuine folk sound, easy to play and develop new sounds. Top quality craftsmanship. While it may seem limited, the Merlin provides a great change of pace and fits well as a simple tool with a pure sound. Get the case with it!

This Dulcimer is so much fun to play and sounds great . I have a hard time putting it down . Sweetwater is a 5 out of 5 in customer service . Thank you ! I will be back .

First of all this is a well made instrument. For all you mountain dulcimer fans this is a must buy. It is a lot of fun to play and there are no wrong notes. This little instrument can bring out your creative side and give you a lot of pleasure and satisfaction playing. Get yourself a dulcimer song book for DAD tuning and go for it. You will not be disappointed. Thank you again Kurt for all that you do.

Truly a great instrument for anyone, whether your beginning to play a string instrument or you're a seasoned veteran. You just can't stop playing this thing. It is just flat out fun! Hard to play a bad note on this, unless of course you are out of tune. Everyone needs one or two because your friends will want to play the Merlin.

This is so much fun...everyone should have one!

When it arrived I was surprised by how small the box was - than when I openned it and found an even smaller box inside i was a bit worried. To my surprise it was perfectly tuned right out of the box and sounded great. I own a Bass Guitar and an electric Guitar as well as a strum stick, and I can tell you this Merlin does not sound anything like a strum stick - which is good because I love how it does sound.
So how small is small, it measures 31 inches from end to end, that's much smaller than my strum stick, but the fretboard on the Merlin is a bit wider than my strum stick, which I like.
The Merlin has four strings and seven frets. It also plays louder than a strum stick, which I also like. For the price, you will not find a better sounding or easier to play instrument, period.

First of all the customer service from sweet water was awesome, I got a call letting me know that it had shipped. Second, it came in a day early!

This instrument sounds just amazingly beautiful visually and don’t get me started on the sound. its the combination between a mandolin and a banjo and has a celtic sound that i just love and am going to add to my the music that I make. I let my dad (who doesn’t play any instruments) try it out and even he loved and could create a melody on the spot. Everyone should get one, you won’t be able to put it down!

Any amateur singer/songwriter like myself or advanced musicians alike will love this little thing

it's simple, easy and well built

It's a nice addition to my collection of sound. I'm building my "acoustic arsenal" and this fits nicely. Sounds great, but in the upper register, intonation is off a bit. Probably can be tweaked, but not sure if I want to dive into that yet. Meantime, I'll play it and make my own "player-adjustments" and continue to be happy with it.

This thing is really fun.
While vacationing in North Carolina, I came across this musical instruments that I had never seen. The Mountain Dulcimer was easy to play right from the start. Since it is a diatonic scale, there are no bad notes. Just start plucking away.
I have been playing guitar most of my life but I think that a beginner would be just as entertained.
I bought this from Sweetwater because it was about half the price of the ones that I was playing in NC. and I wanted to try it out before spending more cash. It sounds great, crafted well from all hard wood (only two pieces of wood), that's all you need. There is no finish on this instrument. I was thinking of putting my one finish on but thought that it might interfere with the sound.
For the price, you can't go wrong.

The good looks of the Merlin first attracted me. I watched the videos about the Merlin on Sweetwater's website. They demonstrated how good the Merlin can sound. I thought about for a couple months to be sure I really wanted it, then ordered. Wow! The Seagull Mahogany Merlin Mountain Dulcimer in D tuning is easy and fun to play! The tone is beautiful!

I looked at Sweetwater and on the web in general for a dulcimer book and didn't find much. But there are several people on Youtube that have uploaded Merlin tutorials for hundreds of songs and some basic theory. You will find plenty of help learning to play songs in many music styles for your new Merlin.

I am really enjoying mine. I bet you'll enjoy yours as well. Be sure to buy the case for it to protect it. Thanks Sweetwater!

What can I say, I love it!!!

Easy to play. Impossible to make mistakes! Well made, great value, Size perfect- nice neck length. Comes with nice booklet with a few songs to get you started. Small part of neck finish should be a bit smoother but instrument is well constructed and assembled. Once you start playing- everyone wants to give it a try!!!! Pleasant sounding. Has the same quality standards as Seagull guitars do. Played it with a pick up and amp- sounded great too!!!!!!!! Shipped promptly, professionally packed etc . The sales- team- phone rep- super. I had contacted two other e dealers and did not my questions answered until I contacted Sweetwater- rep did a great job so I ordered !

I never thought a single musical instrument could bring me so much joy. It is impossible to not feel great playing this thing! And MAN is it versatile! I've figured out passages for several of some of my favorite songs -- still can't quite seem to come up with the perfect lyrics & music for something of my own... Yet! You can do everything on this dulcitar that you can on a guitar -- pull-offs, hammer-ons, even string bends and playing with a slide or tone bar!

My only complaint is there are minor imperfections in the woodwork (I say minor, but I can't help but think they have a major impact on the tone, being such a small instrument): there's a tiny protrusion in the neck, at the 'heel', on one end, but the other end is smooth. There's also at least an inch or so of unsanded wood on the inside of the instrument. For a great price, I suppose that should be expected, but with such a respected name as Seagull, I'm a bit upset and put off, but not sure what I can do about it.

Make no mistake: this is a REAL instrument, not a toy! Do yourself a favor, and pick this up -- just make sure you don't neglect your other responsibilities (with this, you will be tempted)!

Cool way to add a different string sounds to your arsenal. Kind of a mix of mandolin and banjo sounds to me. Can help get a riff or idea going for acoustic guitar. Sounds and records good. Even better when layered over ornpaired with an acoustic guitar.
Shout out to Gage who answered a bunch of questions on what the hell this thing was!
Oh, and the bag is worth it too.

Fun, well built instrument that captures the sound of a traditional mountain dulcimer. The Merlin is held like a guitar when played, and the strings are in reverse order to a lap held dulcimer. Still it is easy to go back and forth between the two.

This is a fun version of a dulcimer. It has a bit of a twangy/banjo-ish sound, so not quite as sweet and full as a standard lap dulcimer, but it is a lot of fun to mess with : ) I don’t play 6-string guitar (I play bass and dulcimer) so I’m happy to have this opportunity to own a Seagull product. It’s well made and has a fun shape to it. Fun instrument!

Growing up playing classical music and loving that, I now am enjoying the different sound and feel of the Merlin. It's easy, blends well with other instruments in an acoustic group or duo. Lots of fun. Thanks!

what a fun instrument, i love diotonic instruments and own a MCnally strumstick,washburn RO5 Strolling Minstrel,and a cedar creek 6 String mountain Dulcimer,..amazing quality for the price,,short scale lengh but still fun.

There is no question that the quality to value quotient of the Merlin deserves the top rating. But, like any novelty instrument, it is less versatile and is best experienced in small doses.

The Merlin is a big disappointment. It doesn't stay in tune,poor sound quality, and just feels cheap.

I love it and I love Seagull in general (I have a 6 and 12 string) but man, this intonation is FAR too sharp to make it playable as a recording instrument. Way, way off. Great fun though.