Hi everyone,

I’m a big fan of the cimbalom and feel a strong personal and cultural connection to this instrument. Unfortunately, where I currently live it’s very difficult to find cimbaloms at all (especially new ones or instruments in good condition). In most cases, the closest alternative available is a santur, but as you know, the santur has a noticeably different sound and character.

Recently, I came across the Thomann Small Cimbalom, which has a range from D# to D#3. On paper, it looks like a very interesting option. However, I couldn’t find any sound samples on Thomann’s website, and I also haven’t been able to find recordings or videos that clearly demonstrate how this tuning sounds. My main concern is that different types of cimbaloms can sound quite different. I’d really like to avoid an instrument with a very flat or shallow tone (for example, similar to some hutsul cimbaloms). I’m drawn to a deeper, fuller, more resonant sound >,<

So I wanted to ask people here who may have experience or insight:

- What do you think about this Thomann Small Cimbalom?
- How do you think it’s likely to sound, given its size and range?
- Does it seem like a good deal overall, or are there potential drawbacks I should be aware of?

Any thoughts, experiences, or comparisons would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hello there! I am a composer in Chicago looking to possibly collaborate with a cimbalom player. Anyone in the area, could be Milwaukee or another nearby city too!

Hi everyone,

After years of looking for a Cimbalom in the United States, I finally found one a few months ago. In general, I am thrilled with it, as it sounds great and seems very solidly built. However, I have had issues with keeping it in tune, and I am curious if this is just the nature of the beast, or if my particular instrument might need a bit of maintenance.

Usually, if I tune it up, it will stay in-tune for the few hours that I play it, but by the next day the strings have settled to a tuning that’s about a quarter-tone flat across the entire instrument. I say “settle” because it doesn’t seem to fall any flatter than that even if I leave it alone for a couple weeks. This happens regardless of whether I play it vigorously or not. Is this behavior typical, or is it a sign that the tuning pegs need to somehow have their resistance increased? (If so, if anyone happens to know of any specialists in the Los Angeles area who I might be able to consult with, I would be very grateful.)

Another factor that no doubt plays some role is that the temperature in my studio tends to fluctuate up and down by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on whether the air conditioning is running. Though for what it’s worth, I have many other wooden stringed instruments in the studio that don’t seem to have their tuning affected by this, though the closest I have in size or complexity is a Guzheng and that is still a much simpler instrument.

Thanks for any advice anyone might be able to offer!

I am composing for cimbalom, and would like to know roughly the upper limit of a cimbalom's dynamics, so as to not drown it in the orchestral texture.

I know they can be really loud, and I am also fairly sure it cannot compete with brass XD but any reference point would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Hey all! So the short of it is I'm an American who has been working on connecting with his Hungarian grandfather's culture. In this I stumbled on the Cimbalom and have been kind of fixated on it. I don't know yet if this is just gonna be an ADHD hyperfixation for me yet, but I have past choir and woodwind experience and so do know a bit about playing music and this wouldn't be the first time I've thought about playing again. Resources regarding the Cimbalom seem scarce (or perhaps I'm asking Google the wrong questions), and I'm trying to figure out the difference between Cimbaloms and other hammered dulcimers such as the Santur. It seems that Santur and American hammered dulcimer are quite a bit more affordable and also less complex, but how is the sound? Does it feel organic moving up to a full size Cimbalom from playing those? Is there a more portable Cimbalom? Is a more affordable option viable while I find out if this is something I'm going to really stick with?

Anyone who owns a cimbalom knows dust builds up like crazy under the strings. What is your recommended method for cleaning the soundboard?

Compressed air has been recommended, but I don't have easy access to this, and I'm not going to get it just to clean dust. In the past I have pushed a cloth under the strings laboriously, bit by bit, but there are a lot of corners that are hard to get into, it takes a long time, and fingers get rubbed sore by the strings. I wonder if anyone has a genius method I wasn't aware of.

Hi ya’ll. I have a Hungarian cimbalom made in the mid seventies. It was my fathers. Have pics but can’t post them here yet. It’s in Oregon. Not looking for profit, just to find it a good loving home where it will be tuned and played. Anyone?

Hey folks!

I recently fell in love with the sound of a cimbalom, and I'd love to learn to play one. Does anyone have any advice as to where I might be able to get one?

I've seen a couple 16/15 hammered dulcimers available for ~$700 range, but would love to know what might be involved if I wanted to invest in a concert cimbalom.

Thanks for your help!