If something happened to this I would get another one in an instant. I have never played a Baritone by any other company, but we have three Tacoma instruments - Bari, a twelve-string and a mandolin - and they are by far our favorites to play!

Ease of Use
You have to "lighten up" a bit - The strings are very sensitive to the pressure of your left hand - you have to be sure not to press too hard. It is definitely for a finger-picking style - no strumming. You have to transpose your music if you want to stay in the same key as those you are playing with - so you have to learn to think a fourth higher! I recommend you never ever put a capo on this - some people (who don't have one,) have tried to get me to capo it, but i will never do it! I'd rather not play the instrument if I can't transpose it to the appropriate key (or a key that's not too difficult to play.) I love my Bari - I try to use it on as many songs as possible! But I feel you have to be able to finger-pick, transpose chords/notes, so I guess there is a learning curve if you don't know how to do this!

Quality
It is BEAUTIFUL in it's simplicity - I love simple, non-glossy, finishes on my instruments (all three of my favorites are satin - not glossy at all!) and I don't like much if any other embellishments - so this is perfect for me!

Value
Yes! I saved up for this over the course of half a year, and I'm so happy with… read more it!

Manufacturer Support
I've had no need to contact the company - not a single problem after one year.

The Wow Factor
the size is impressive - the sound hole is beautiful and unique as well as practical... I love the blonde color and satin finish and it's clean lines and simplicity!

Musical Background:
professional - vocalist and guitarist - mostly religious services - funerals, weddings, services..., volunteer - community theat

Musical Style:
Christian, contemporary, folk read less