Inspired by the art of medieval craftsmen and enriched by smart
engineering of the XXI century Ugears is introducing — Hurdy-Gurdy – the
world’s first mechanical musical model and the genuine gem of the
collection. It is the most extraordinary mechanical model kit which is
all-in-one: model for self-assembly, toy and fully fledged musical
instrument. Just build it together with your own hands and feel like
Stradivari or a popular Hurdy-Gurdy star!
Based on the 15th Century organistrum, Ugears has created an
intricately detailed, fully functional version of this medieval
instrument. The finished model looks remarkably akin to the original
16th century hurdy gurdy, giving it a wonderfully medieval aesthetic.
This wooden attractive and educational model has a highly detailed
exquisite décor of the body crafted in romantic style and turns the
assembly and playing process into an exciting game and brings you hours
of pleasure and fun.
It’s easy to play dancing melodies, from folk to modern. To start the
music flowing, the player just need to crank the handle with one hand
to kick off a drone sound from the bourdon and melody strings. Pushing
the wooden buttons with the fingers of the other hand changes the pitch
of the melody string, as “spring-loaded” wooden blocks essentially
shorten the string. Ugears will include some tablature with the kit to
get newbies off to a flying start.
The Ugears Hurdy-Gurdy comes with everything needed for assembly. All
the pieces are precut into the plywood boards and are easily removed
for assembly following the detailed instructions provided. The only
non-wood parts, by necessity, are the two strings that rub against the
crank powered wheel and the rosin used to wax it.
Number of components: 292
Estimated time for assembly: 4-5 hours