LOLUNUT 16 String Mahogany Lyre Instrument

 At first I was skeptical as it only has 1 review, but I took my chances with Stephen review, and it’s absolutely worth the price. Not so much of a music genius but the lyre harp sounds beautifully in my opinion 👍🏻 note: came with spare string and tuner

Honestly the Lyre itself is beautifully made and feels amazing in my hands and the sound isn’t authentic to the Greek sound due to the metal strings. However overall it has that beautiful harp like sound that you just can’t get anywhere else I’ve already wrote a few musical pieces and it’s quite easy to tune.

My husband plays this, and he picked it up very quickly, with the help of some outside guides. The tone is simply beautiful, and it’s easy to tune and get going with your musical offering. I highly recommend this lyre. Don’t let the inexpensive price fool you — it’s definitely worth more than you’re paying.

Let me start by staying that I’m not a musician although I have dabbled with the ukulele, mastering 3 or 4 chords but that’s about it. Having seen these instruments on various YouTube clips, I thought it might be fun to have a play around given the relative perceived simplicity in playing – only one finger required at the most basic level. Surely even I can manage that? Time will tell but early signs are promising!
So why this model? Firstly, I liked the appearance from the subtle laser etched pattern around the sides to the more pronounced etching used both around the sound hole and in marking the notes. Secondly, although limited in number, all reviews were positive and thirdly, I thought the price was reasonable. I saw little need in paying for a gig bag or other assorted goodies which I either might have no need of or already possess, such as an electronic pick -up.
So, how is it? Well, it looks exactly like the pictures. It’s a lovely looking instrument which has been put together well with very smooth edges. As for sound, to my ear it sounds fine. I’ve only had it a few days and yes, getting pinpoint tuning can be messy, but it’s easy to get close enough and hasn’t been slipping much. The tuning pegs are certainly well fitted.
So why only 4 stars? Had I been able to, I would have given 4.5 but knocked off a point as some of the tuning pegs are a little out of line and unevenly spaced resulting in some strings being a little closer together than ideal. Not a huge issue but worthy of note.

Incidentally, I couldn’t make up my mind on whether or not to buy a version with a sound hole or one without – the type with a flat shallow-bowl. In the end, I ordered one of each but the other is a model which wasn’t available on Amazon at the time of ordering. It is due to arrive in a few days and so once I’ve had a play with that, I’ll edit this review if I feel it would add anything. It’s a Walter.t and cost a couple of quid more for basically the same package plus gig bag.

UPDATE 16 March 2021: I’ve now had the other, shallow-bowled, model for a couple of weeks. The most obvious difference between the two is the weight. The shallow-bowled, being solid wood (mahogany), is much heavier – around 600 grams heavier which is not inconsiderable if not resting in your lap or on a surface.

The other major difference – and this would be a deal breaker for me – is that this particular shallow-bowled model is tuned from the base and I have found it much more difficult to tune. In this shallow-bowled model, the tuning holes are drilled all the way through the frame and so the tuning pegs are effectively bolts secured by screw and hexagonal nuts (a mini screw driver was provided in addition to a hexagonal tuner!) which makes it, in my experience, very difficult to both tune and maintain tuning accurately.
Note that not all shallow-bowled models appear to have this tuning peg system. For example, the Aklot shallow-bowl model on here appears to be tuned from the top. I did remove a peg from each to see if I could simply replace the shallow-bowl pegs. Turns out the shallow-bowl pegs are thinner and so I would have had to have drilled out the holes to accommodate the fatter pegs of the original lyre. Far easier just to buy a top-tuning shallow-bowl if that’s your preference.
On the plus side, cosmetically, the tuning pegs on the shallow-bowl are better spaced and of uniform height so it looks good. It’s also easier to play two-handed too without having to support the weight if that’s your preferred style as there’s ample space under the strings to hold at either the frame or bowl.
As for sound, given the difficulties in tuning my shallow-bowl model, I’d have to go with the original purchase. I’ll persevere with the shallow-bowl too, though, and if I succeed in sorting out the tuning issue, I’ll report accordingly!

I am in love. I never touched a lyre until 5 days ago. My music background is a couple decades of classical vocal training, so I felt confidant in having enough theory to pick it up. It tuned up easier than I expected it to, and it’s been staying in tune nicely. I anticipated more of a fight based on all the reviews I read before buying. Perhaps the best things about it are the fact that it eases the arthritis in my hands, and I’ll have a tool for bargaining with the gods of the underworld, should I need to free my lover. Truly a multipurpose instrument.

I don’t play instruments and don’t know how to read music sheets. I was curious about the harp and thought the lyre would be easy. I like the whole package and the lyre feels and looks good quality. I downloaded a tuning app instead of the bar code scan on the leaflet which wasn’t English and seemed to be something different. I managed to tune it (first time tuning) it’s fun to learn something new and I can’t wait to learn the strings and play something for a friend. I broke a string tuning but it was easy to put the spare on.

Love it and ready to learn everything I can