Old instrument to wheel 3D wood UGEARS

Difficulty: 2 (Enthusiast)

Ugears-Models has created a fully functional version of this medieval instrument. The finished model bears a remarkable resemblance to the 16th-century original, giving it a wonderfully medieval aesthetic. This attractive and educational wooden model features exquisite and highly detailed case decoration in a romantic style, transforming the assembly and playing process into an exciting experience and providing hours of enjoyment.

The Ugears-Models hurdy-gurdy design is based on the original prototype, and therefore includes the body, front and back plates, gears, crank, neck, tuning pins, strings, and jacks, all of which together form a beautiful instrument. This mechanical musical model kit is easy to play, producing sound as the wheel you turn rubs against the strings, creating the melody.

The hurdy-gurdy's tuning pegs feature a gear mechanism for finer tonal adjustment of the sympathetic and drone strings. For a brighter sound, you can mute the drone using a small piece called the "dog" held on the soundboard. Additionally, we've added a gear to the crank (handle) to increase the wheel's rotation rate. This has allowed us to achieve a sweeter, richer tone while maintaining the model's compact size.

The keyboard consists of six keys with elastic bands and cranks for smoother, more comfortable playing. The Ugears-Models hurdy-gurdy also features a special mechanism for adjusting the pitch of the two strings (melody and drone) on the bridge, and a beautiful planetary gear mechanism inside the body.

The Ugears-Models hurdy-gurdy comes with everything needed for assembly. All the wooden parts are pre-cut, and assembly is easy thanks to the detailed instructions provided. The only non-wooden parts, by necessity, are the two strings that rub against the crank wheel and the rosin used to vibrate the strings.

The model consists of a melody string and a drone string that provides a continuous background chord. The six keys correspond to six notes, which are played by pressing them while turning the crank. Releasing the keys provides a seventh note. The second (drone) string is tuned by aligning the peg with the melody string or with any melodic interval (fourth, fifth, octave). The puzzle kit includes pieces of rosin to set the strings vibrating by friction.

The Ugears-Models hurdy-gurdy is a fully-fledged musical instrument. It's easy to play rhythmic melodies, from folk to modern. To start playing, simply rotate the handle with one hand to produce a sound from the strings (drone and melody). Then, play the melody on the keyboard by pressing the wooden keys with your fingers. A small sheet of music is included in the kit so beginners can easily begin to enjoy playing the hurdy-gurdy.

Self-assembly required, no glue needed.

Dimensions: 40 x 16.5 x 22 cm
Number of pieces: 292

Assembly: approximately 4 to 5 hours