Hohner KidsPercussion Blocks, inch (S2203)

Good quality

Dudes. Nice little wood block. I slapped this on a washboard (shut up) and it us great for a little extra sound (shut up) wiuld also be good for kids in like elementary schools or something. not like, a "Serious" use but good for sound effects :)

I bought this for my 2 1/2 year old who typically loves percussion instruments. He loves playing bongos and has since he was so small he could not hit them and played them by scratching the skins. Now he sets the bongos up with a tambourine in the center leaning on the books that are behind it so that he can hit the middle one and get a different sound and he will play them for 15 minutes at a time, to his own rhythms or, somewhat syncopated, to recorded music, forever on the 2 year old timescale. So, I thought, he might like something that he could play in the car and stuff.He used it for one trip and decided to leave it at home the next time. The things I noticed were the same as others did - the "sweet spot" is small and only on one side, and he experimented a little hitting it on other parts, the only really wood blocky sound was in one small hard to hit place. Maybe if he was older. It is a very sharp sound, but he is too young to ask if the sound hurts his ears. (Well, I could ask him, but I can't interpret his answer.)The photo shows a lacquered mallet. The mallet we got was painted. The block was lacquered. Not that big of a deal, just worth mentioning that the photo did not quite match what we got.The wood is soft wood. It looks like stained pine. My grandson didn't play with it long enough to make marks on it.

Only issue is that I wish the hollowed out part was more uniform rather than a semi-circle. It appears they used a dado blade to hollow out the block. In my opinion, a router would have been much better an give you a much more uniform sound and larger striking target. the area for striking is rather precise and small. Harder for younger children to do. BUT the tonal quality is great.

My husband, the musician, says this woodblock has a good solid sound. I found the quality a little lacking. Varnish a little blotchy on the block and the mallet is downright fugly (white with a navy top. Would have preferred to match the dark wood of the block). My kids have many different percussion instruments to play with: a couple different kinds of little drums, kid accordion, kid uke, etc. This is the first instrument I want to hide because the sound drives me insane. I think it is just a normal woodblocky sound, but oof. Would not inflict this on another parent.

Ligke weight good sound good price.

Very loud, with a piercing sound. The sound this block makes is higher in pitch than most blocks I'm used to. It really can hurt your ears if your too close to it. For people looking for this sound, it does the job. This block will cut through any big band!

I read all reviews carefully before purchasing a product. These Hohner wood musical instruments are solid. They're beautifully crafted, make hardy music, and can be used by kids and adults alike. I gifted it to my 9-month old niece whose mother is a singer because I knew they could both use it. I love versatile toys, and love even more when they're aesthetically pleasing and of quality material. Fantastic buy!