The photos and description don't lie! This really is a very decent, good-quality instrument. The craftsmanship is just what I was hoping for. The finish is shiny, but it's made out if real, actual wood, nit that cheap, fake junk. The tuning is easy and holds very well. This is not a toy, like so many lyres out there. If you're a beginner, but don't want to buy something that will just go out of tune in minutes (which would only frustrate and discourage you), and you don't want to spend five hundred dollars on a lyre, this is an excellent choice, as far as I'm concerned.
As far as the sounds goes: I was apprehensive about the metal strings. But when I the lyre arrived and I tuned it to a C Major scale, I found I had nothing to worry about. It sounds great! (Tune gradually over several tunings for best results, and tune in such a way that keeps even tension across the lyre. Go to YouTube or something to learn this; it's not as hard as it sounds.) I considered switching to nylon strings, but maybe I won't bother. It actually sounds kind of like my guitar, with a touch of primitive charm. (Beginners: Don't expect a lyre to sound like a harp. They are different instruments with totally different sounds. Don't believe TV, especially the cartoons. Hah!) I will need to learn how to use "stops" to control the messy ringing, and other lyre-playing techniques.
I want to mention the packaging: What a great job they did! I mean, really! There was no styrofoam around it, but it was bubble-wrapped inside its soft case, then put in a good-quality box the fit it perfectly, and then to top it all off, they wrapped it in some thick plastic and taped the crap out if it. We could have been in the middle of a flood, and it would have been just fine. I heard the mailman kind of drop it on the front porch with a little less care than he should have exercised, but when I finally opened it, I found it was totally fine. Kudos to the people who packed this!
I chose expedited shipping, which wasn't that much more, and I'm glad I did. It took about ten days to reach me from China to the upper Midwest of the USA.
The extra strings, which I ordered separately, were in the front pocket of the soft case (which is padded well, by the way... just don't fling it over your shoulder and bump it around on a bus or anything like that).
A word about the care of the instrument: We have had temperatures around zero degrees Fahrenheit. )We live in Wisconsin.) The lyre was stuck in Chicago, Illinois for several days; I imagine it was shifted from cold truck to even colder truck between several USPS centers in Chicago, so it was no stranger to the cold. (Keep in mind, I also tracked it all the way from China.) So, when it arrived, I DID NOT open it. I put it in a room to let it gradually warm up. After almost three days, I finally opened the box. When I take it to our church for our Christmas service (or "mass," for you Catholics out there, like my husband, who still calls our Lutheran church services "mass"), I will have to do the same. I'll take it there a couple days ahead of time, then re-tune it.
The stand easily screws into the bottom of the lyre. It is a little crooked, but I don't care; maybe it's even supposed to be that way for playing purposes. But it is a good, solid stand; it's not thin, cheap, bendy metal. It really does work to use it on my leg for playing.
There are two real, actual strap nuts (is that what they're called?), so I think I will get a strap for it. I need to refresh my memory on what kind of attachments the strap needs. Guitar players and other strings players will probably know what it needs instantly.
The low-pitch strings are on the left (as you're looking at the front of the lyre).
The strings on the back are not separate strings; that's just the way the strings are strung. They are not for playing and don't do anything for resonance. I'm glad they don't help resonance because that would just blur the notes together and make a chromatic catastrophe.
Anyway, I am very glad I bought the Athena lyre. I highly recommend it.
Now, the only other thing I need is to grow some fingernails or buy some wearable finger picks.
You will not regret buying this lyre. I am very happy!
High quality instrument, easily the highest quality 16 string lyre I have seen on the market.
First is the aesthetic: it is unmatched, and its construction has a classical and distinguished look, something that the lyre is often lacking - many of its iterations appearing shoddy or bizarre; however, this model is dignified and commands respect.
Next is the tuning system. Unlike other lyres, which almost all require a tuning wrench, this model uses the same peg system used in guitars, which is highly effective. The biggest drawback on my other lyres have been the difficulty in keeping a tune, but this model is unmatched in this its ability to maintain tuning.
Next is the sound. The body of the lyre provides excellent resonance on each string, and is much 'bassier' than other lyres on the market. The volume is higher and carries better.
Some of the downsides: given its superior construction, this model is heavy, and all its weight is concentrated on the top where the solid wood tuning rig is. This, of course, is to be expected; however, it is not easy to hold the lyre in one hand and play with the other for very long.
The only other downside is that, at the time that I purchased it, it did not include a spare set of strings. As the strings broke soon after arrival, this was debilitating in that I could not play the instrument without having to wait weeks for new strings to be shipped (these strings are also not currently listed in the Pures catalogue). I really would have preferred the lyre to at least come with one extra set of strings, or a checkout option to purchase extra sets, and I have had to use other, more accessible strings instead.
Finally, a point that was not clear to me at purchase is that the tuning is from F3-G5, one note lower than most lyres' (in my experience) G3-A5. This results in my having to tune each string one note higher, and this, in turn, leads to added tension on each string, exacerbating the string supply issue.
All things considered, I still give this instrument 5 stars, as the downsides are tangential to the main selling points. I am very pleased, not only with my purchase, but with the excellent customer support I have received from the beginning of my inquiry all the way to post-delivery.
Hope this helps!
This is my first lyre I am enjoying experimenting on it and playing tunes. I have a long journey ahead in becoming the lyre player that I would like to be. Thanks for making it.
Excellent quality Lyre for my daughter just learning. We love the guitar style tuners. Her first Lyre was impossible to tune without a lot of work but this was snap. Great quick shipping and all around a great experience.
Packaging was excellent. The tuning system is easy to use and, as stated, the strings maintain their tune.
It would have been helpful to have a clearer note that the tuning was from F to G, as opposed to the more normal tuning of G to A.
I love this very nice lyre harp. I was very skeptical and debated on whether to buy the lyre harp or not. I'm glad I did. I love the tuning pegs that are the same as what is on a guitar and the lyre harp tunes up nicely and easily. The sound is very nice. I think this lyre harp is probably the best on the market. I haven't tried different tunings but I think you could easily tune the strings for sharps or flats. The tuning pegs are very tight which allows the harp to stay in tune. Very happy with my purchase.
Very pretty high quality Lyre, def recommend purchasing since its my first time holding one ever HAHAHA... anyways def get it cause its sturdy and beautiful to touch and to look at!
Skip to content
