Professional Arabic Qanun MKA-4 By Mustafa Saglam

### Professional Arabic Qanun MKA-4 By Mustafa Saglam

I received the qanun in good condition, with no visible defects or damage from shipping. It arrived inside a hard case with several foam pieces for protection, with additional cardboard packaging outside. The string tension had not been reduced before shipping, and naturally the instrument needed tuning after arrival.

### The Instrument and Its Sound

The qanun itself is beautiful, and overall the sound is good. It has 26 courses, from low G to high D. The lowest G has two strings rather than three.

The middle register sounds very beautiful, and this is one of the strongest parts of the instrument in my opinion. The bass register also sounds quite good, but it is relatively quiet. The lowest G in particular feels somewhat loose and is therefore weak in volume.

I suspect that the bass strings may be slightly too thin for this Arabic tuning. It is possible that they are better suited to a Turkish qanun, where the tuning is about one whole tone higher, although this is only my assumption.

Several bass notes also have annoying buzzing. Interestingly, on some courses the buzzing appears when all the mandals are raised, while on others it appears when all the mandals are lowered. This may also be related to string tension, but I have not been able to determine the exact cause with certainty.

On some bass courses, when I pluck strongly, the upper string out of the three can jump over the mandals and get stuck outside them. This may also be related to tension that is too low. Since bass strings are longer and move more when plucked, insufficient tension may allow the string to move far enough to jump over the mandals.

The highest three or four notes are less satisfying to my ear. They sound more like a sharp impact on wood and less like the clear, bell-like tone I have heard from some other professional qanuns.

### Hard Case

The hard case is functional, but in my opinion it is too minimal for an instrument at this level. There is no compartment for the tuning wrench, rings, and picks, so these accessories have to be stored separately, which is inconvenient.

More importantly, the qanun is not held firmly enough inside the case. When the case is turned or moved while being carried, the instrument can shift and knock against the inside.

I would expect soft, fitted padding that holds the instrument firmly and securely in place, similar to what is commonly found in good hard cases for violins or guitars.

### Stand

The stand supplied with the qanun is very good. It is strong, stable, well built, and comfortable to use. It is quite heavy, but that is understandable considering its stability.

However, it was not packed for shipping with foam or bubble wrap, and the music holder part arrived with scratches. I am attaching a photo of this.

My other criticism is that when the stand is disassembled for transport, several screws and rings become completely separate pieces and could easily be lost. It would be better if these parts remained attached to the stand.

### Rings and Picks

The qanun comes with Mustafa Saglam rings and picks. I also ordered additional rings and picks as spares, which were not Mustafa Saglam products.

The additional picks were lower in quality than the original Mustafa picks. On the other hand, I actually found the additional rings to be better than the original Mustafa rings that came with the qanun.

### Overall

Overall, I like the appearance of the qanun and especially the beautiful sound of the middle register. The instrument has a lot of potential.

In my opinion, there is room for improvement in the bass string setup, the buzzing, the highest notes, the packing and protection of the stand during shipping, and especially the design and internal padding of the hard case.

i got one of these during a sale, i am new to qanun, and the staff is very helpful. I had trouble with the tuning of the instrument, and they gave me good advice on it. Not to mention the product was very well packaged and was delivered fast to me in great condition. The instrument is great, very well made, the after service is well provided. Though the design looks different from the one in the photo, (i guess that's due to the unique craftwork of the instrument), the quality is very up to standard. If you want to get a qanun i would recommend to get it from here.

Very good thanks a lot