Joy of Wood Thrush 12 Hole Alto C Ceramic Ocarina Sweet Potato Shape in Exquisite Craft (Free Smokey Coffee)

Absolutely love it!! Well tuned, sturdy, comes with a great case, and plays well! Would definitely buy again!

I really love this product. Every tune plays correctly as long as you have the holes covered correctly and with the right amount of breath for each note. I didn't run across notes that broke, or sound too "windy", unless it was myself playing incorrectly.This was an Amazon Warehouse product, and so I don't think this is a problem with it if originally packaged but it was soaked in what smells like medical sanitizer and because its not completely sealed ceramic, it soak in the smell. I've had it sitting in warm water to help dull the smell and even taste but I am assuming its going to take weeks before that smell/taste of hospital is gone.Other than that this is ceramic so don't expect this to feel lightweight, but it feels amazing in your hands. It comes with a nice necklace you can optional tie on, a protective case, and booklet on how to play with a handful of songs.One issue with the booklet is E4 is incorrectly displayed. It shows the two bottom holes uncovered which is not the correct fingering for that note, they must both be covered.Cons: - A4/A4# is especially hard to play in tune, its very very low breath. I have to leave 1/2 of my mouth off the ocarina or angle it, because its too hard to maintain the little breath required to hit the note. It makes long A4 notes really hard to play as a beginner. Its just a big jump in breath compared to the next note up B4. - The hole to hit the A4/A4# curves with the ocarina, even thought here is a small divot, it makes your finger curve to sliding up to hit the A4/A4# note makes it easy to not cover the bottom hole. The sub-hole is also a bit large which makes its ever so slightly harder to cover when playing faster.

The first one I got was used and had some stuff on it! Ewww! I returned it for a replacement The replacement was defective. So I sent it back and got a third replacement. The third one had much better sound than the first one but the music book was missing in the replacement.The weight and design seemed to be good on these but the first one had defects in the holes which affected the last three high notes. The second one was missing the music book. With the music book missing, (and this is two of three orders not getting it right), I question the quality control of either Amazon or the seller recycling used or defective products back into the marketplace.The design is good and the color is pretty but it it is a gamble on what you will get. The advertisement says these are "tested" but what qualifies as a successful sound test or not is not specified. Final conclusion? It's a mixed bag of possibilities. IF the instrument is not defective and IF you get all the accessories it says, then it is worth 5 stars.I give Amazon help a 5 star rating for doing their best to right the oversight by Amazon fulfillment and the seller.I also purchased another Ocarina (MIFOGE 12 hole) and that one was great and perfect right out of the box.

I received this quickly, and Amazon gets props for making the return easy. I had chosen to purchase a slightly more expensive Ocarina hoping that I'd have a more quality product- it looked good, it had a hard sided case, as well as a lanyard (this was pretty flimsy and small, but still- it was included.) Once it arrived, I found that it had been sent in just a bubblewrap bag, and the instrument had just been put in the case, with no additional padding or packaging. When I opened the case, I immediately noticed large chips off the point, one of which was in the case. Considering the chip that was present didn't come close to covering the entire breakage, and there weren't enough crumbles in the case to account for it- it's pretty obvious to me that it was packaged and shipped in a broken condition. I'd recommend the manufacturer invest better, safer packaging for something that is made out of ceramics.On a side note, I did play it a bit, and the tone was lovely. Too bad about getting a broken product right out of the bag.

Good price and the sound is great! Just make sure you ventilate well.

Incorrectly tuned by a half step. Tuned to the key of B, not C.

great

Arrived fast, plays beautifully… glad I got it!

Item came early and it sounds okay except for two notes that sounds airy but I am no expert.My biggest issue with this is that it smells pretty bad almost like someone was a heavy smoker.Tried washing it and the smell will not go away.