Musical Instrument Reviews

My 6 1/2 month old daughter loves this toy. The music and animal noises and flashing lights are fun for her and Mommy doesn't find it annoying like some of the other toys are. ;^) It's educational too in an action/reaction sort of way - different actions the baby does make the toy do different things. My daughter figured out how to change the animal sounds from one to another (for ex: from a dog barking to a duck quacking) and I didn't know it could do that! Hah! I think it will last too, because she's rough on toys and it seems to be very sturdy. It's also very safe w/ no rough edges or anything. I don't know if she'll like it when she's 12 months or older, but for now at 6 1/2 months she's really enjoying it.

My son got this from his great grandma for his first christmas, he was 7 mo old and this was absolutely his favorite toy. Every toy he owns plays some kind of music which he just gets so excited. The music is not at all annoying, and he can play with it several times a day for at least 30 min or more. I don't find any of the music on his toys annoying, because if he is happy then mom is happy!

My 10 month old son loves this toy. He plays with it all the time. We have had no problems with it whatsoever. It seems to hold his attention and the sounds are very pleasant.

I bought this last Christmas for my three year old and five year old. Thesound of the piano is a little off, but all in all the piano is nice for the price. The leg of the stool breaks very easily. Don't buy unless you can fix.

My wife and I knew we wanted to get a toy piano for our little girl, and struggled somewhat with what brand and price range to stick with. I'm glad to have come across this little jewel! Our girl, though only one year old now, plays with it frequently, and likes to hear other people play it. When she's hiding somewhere or getting into mischief, I'll just hit a few keys and she'll come crawling out of wherever she was hiding to join me.

Keep in mind this is a *TOY* piano--don't expect a grand piano sound out of a toy. This utilizes small metal rods of varying lengths in the interior of the instrument to produce the sound, which is a clear, pleasant tinkling; much like a windchime. One note was a bit sour, but I solved this by removing the top cover (4 screws), and adjusting the appropriate metal rod. These slide back and forth with gentle pressure, so it is possible to tune the instrument perfectly. The legs of the piano and stool can loosen over time, but you can easily solve this with a couple drops of loc-tite solution.

There are more well-known name brands and better workmanship out there, but I'm glad not to have spent more than was necessary for a decent quality instrument.

My 2 year old son got this for Christmas last year and was initially very excited because he loves music. However the piano has a very tinny sound and doesn't even come close to a real piano sound. Also the stool and piano legs have to be tightened often and can come off quite easily.

We bought this drum set for our 2 year old who is obsessed with the concept of drumming & marching. This is a first class set and as noted is almost too nice. This is a huge step above the tupperware and pan lids our little guy used to use for his personal parades. The drum is a bit heavy,large, cumbersonme for a two year old and of course is LOUD. The cymbals are also loud but do have a professional sound quality. Do recommend this purchase. It does come a bit steep at $30 but is a very nice looking and performing set. If you little one gets hooked on drumming via the pots and pans, spoil him/her with this first-class set that they should be able to use well into their childhood.

This toy help me learn how hard and entertaining a gutiar is.

The Hohner Acoustic Guitar seems to be well crafted. The hardware seems to be of good quality and the sound is good for a "toy" guitar. The songbook, well......it has a lot to be desired. So don't buy it for the book. It has three songs in the "U.S.A." section and the directions for using the book and the 'dots' are too vague for me and my child to understand. Therefore, playing the three songs in the book is virtually impossible.

I just ordered this guitar for my 8 year old. The guitar is new but made very poorly, it has nic's and scratches all over it. There are also very visable glue splatters on various parts. The guitar is much smaller than I was expecting. This would be a good gift as a toy for 6 years old and younger.

I have been buying Schoenhut toy pianos for kids and grandkids over the past 10-12 years ... starting the wee ones with My First Piano, then graduating to the larger models as the children grow. I have checked out other manufacturers, but have found nothing that compares with the quality (sound AND workmanship) of Schoenhut. One time I called the company with a special request for additional song books, actually talked with a REAL person there, without having to go through dozens of menu options. They mean what they say "100% customer satisfaction." Thanks, Schoenhut, for affordable, educational, and wonderful musical instruments.

I purchased this for my granddaughter's first birthday and she loves it. She loves to tinker with my BIG piano but loves to play along with Grandma. I was unsure how she would take to it and although her parents may sometimes wish she had left it at Grandma's house they do enjoy listening to her play it. I have decided to purchase a white one for my other grandchild's first birthday. I highly recommend it to everyone!

I gave this piano to a friend who has a ten month old baby named Sam. Of course I didn't think Sam would enjoy the piano until age 2 or 3. I was amazed to see Sam crawl over to the piano and reach up to touch the keys. Once he realized that he was the one making that sound, he crawled over to the piano everytime he had a chance. The piano has never tipped over.
Now that Sam can sit by himself, he plays his piano from that position. What a wonderful educational toy!

I have purchased several Schoenhut Baby Grands for kids and grandkids in my family, also for friends, and have been 100% satisfied with the quality and tone. This piano is always a BIG HIT, not only with the little ones who started on My First Piano and "graduated" to a larger size, but for first time players, young and old alike. There are cheap imitations, but I opted for a company that has been in business for over a century. Schoenhut, you've got my vote ... and my business .... again and again and again.

I have a black baby grand that I have had for the past 3 years. I got it for my first granddaughter, which she played every time she came to my house. I thought as she got older she would loose interest but she still plays every time she comes over. Since then I have two more grandchildren and the piano is still in excellent shape, the sound is perfect and my youngest grand child loves to play. The music book is great for teaching them the popluar childrens songs. It has been quite a good teaching tool since the older children have gone on to electronic keyboards. I am very satisfied the the quality and performance of this purchase. Nancy Gardner

I recently went into a ... store and bought this baby grand piano for myself, for i play the piano and thought it would be very cool to have JUST for looks. I WAS RIGHT. The companies review said it was made of strings, so i thought (as gullable as i am) that it would sound like a baby steinway. It sounds like a vibraphone that has been dropped off mount Everest! Anyways, I returned it and got a full refund, DO NOT buy this even for a child, for the top looks like it was made of plie wood that has a nice finish on it. ...

If you have an aspiring guitarist who is ages: 4-8 who likes to emulate the "big boys" then get this guitar for the following reasons:

1. My 4 year old thought it "looked cool"
2. Has the amp and speaker built-in which makes it portable.
3. Is made by First Act which has proven to be reliable for my family of a 6 yr old girl and 4 yr old boy (we have had their acoustic guitar for a couple of years)

The educational value is what you make of it....right now, my son who has only had his electic guitar for a total of 2 weeks has begged me to bring it to school for sharing (I finally relented after checking it with the teacher) and has been pestering me for lessons. It's the lessons which make it educational - the guitar by itself is not educational, per se.

Have fun!

the toy is just a little bit to small for kids 10 and older.if your looking into getting a guitar look for a diffrent one besides this one

This is so cool.The best part is that you do not need a Amp because it comes with it.Kids can learn how to play music.It does make alot of noise (it depends how high the volume is)it is worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The kids don't seem to mind that the piano is seriously out of tune. I don't think this toy is worth the money. We have a $10 little tykes piano that is easier to pick out songs on.

The only thing I can say is - BEWARE! There are some serious quality control issues with Schoenhut. I finally received this piano after waiting over a month, and even though it was packaged well and the box was not damaged, the piano was damaged beyond belief! The keys were defective, some were stuck, legs were scratched, and there was a dent on the top that someone obviously tried to cover up with paint. For the price tag on this thing, this is unacceptable!

Do yourself a favor... just buy a cheaper brand at your local Toys-r-Us. Schoenhut has no pride in their workmanship.

My nephew and niece absolutely love this piano! It is absolutely precious and perfect for their little fingers! The piano is of excellent quality! My niece especially loves to use the colored keys for instruction on what key to press next.

Drumsticks are awesome. (...) great to use. Durability is good. Education comes out of this because when your playing Metallica thats educational. I recommend you buy these drumsticks.

What can I say about Mark II except that they are the lowest quality I have ever seen? I own a set of Mark II drums that I bought brand new for about $250, a five-piece (the box said ten piece, because it counted every cymbal, the stand, and the pair of sticks as pieces) metallic red set with the worst crash and hi hat I'd ever heard.

At the time I had never been in contact with a good drum set, just the bad set our church used (also Mark II), so I didn't know that I had such a bad product, I just knew I was getting a full drum set for less than three hundred bucks.

The worst thing about the set, however, is the sticks. The Mark II sticks the set came with were nothing short of horrible. Instead of the nice pressed hickory sticks I use now, these things were made of some kind of very soft wood. The result? The already crappy Mark II crash cymbal made almost no sound at all when it was hit, and the wood itself began to break down and leave big white marks on the drum heads.

Word of advice to drummers: If you want nice, affordable drum accessories and sets, go to ebay. Just don't buy Mark II.

My 10 year old daughter really likes this toy. It's a lot of fun. But I agree that it is impossible to play without the user manual/instructions. We lost the user manual but I just called Mattel and they sent it to us electronically. In the US: 800-524-TOYS (800-524-8697) In Canada: 800-665-6288. They also said they could mail it to us if we had problems getting from our email. Mattel was VERY helpful!! Don't give up on this toy. It can be really fun if you take the time and use the instructions!

I really like this toy. It's really fun. I lost the user manual but my mom just called Mattel and they sent it to us electronically. In the US: 800-524-TOYS (800-524-8697) In Canada: 800-665-6288. They also said they could mail it to us if we had problems getting from our email.

i think that it is a amazing toy and that im glad my mom bought this toy for me