Suzuki QC1 Q Chord Digital Sound Guitar, Purple

very good

My husband bought this for me, as I have very arthritic hands and was really missing being able to play music and sing. This fun instrument is fully portable as it runs on batteries as well as mains, is very light and easy to hold either in the arms or on the lap, it's only 19 inches long and weighs only five pounds. It can play 84 chords and the strum plate is sensitive enough for my wonky hands to use. With 100 voices, a rhythm section and automatic accompaniments, it sounds surprisingly good, it also is able to be used with headphones, though you'll need an adaptor for a larger jack, and to be plugged into a stereo speaker. It also has midi capabilities. You can use it to accompany yourself when singing, or with the addition of the QCards, song cartridges of tunes arranged for the QChord, you can play as if you're part of a band, which is a lot of fun. I absolutely love this thing to bits. If I have one tiny comment I would say that it's a product of its time, the headphone and speaker jack needs updating, it needs better marketing and promoting, so many of the people I've talked to have never even heard of it, and we need a lot, lot more song cartridges for it. But I don't know of anymore fully portable electronic instruments that literally anyone could play. I'd thoroughly recommend it.

I have wanted one of these for ages, it Has power but no sound at all. Which is really disappointing. I'm hoping I have just missed something so I don't have to return it but it's not looking good right now. Batteries were also meant to be included but we're missing

If You want to use an external power supply for this, bear in mind, that it shall be 12 V reversed, that is +to outer and -to inner. It draws very little power, so it runs hrs and hrs on just batteries. But still batteries cost.

I was looking at autoharps - wanted an instrument that was easy to learn, easy to carry, and sounded good. Then I found the Q-Chord and the price was so good I went ahead and bought it. I am SO GLAD I DID. I absolutely love this thing. AC Adapter for Suzuki QChord ). I bought the Rhythm Style QCard Cartridge (for use with the Suzuki QChord) as well and a book of folk song songs that included the chords and the melody line. Wow. All I can say is that I can waste HOURS playing on this fun instrument. I could start playing songs right away - not much learning curve on the basic functions. It is really not like a guitar - it is more like an electronic autoharp with jamming capabilities. Even though in the photos they show people holding it and playing it like a guitar, that would actually be impossible because you can't reach all of the chord buttons. But it works very nicely on my lap or on a table. You don't need any keyboard or piano skills. Just press the chord button and stum with your fingers. No picks, no sore fingers. My husband plays guitar and I've always wanted to be able to play along. Now I can. And I didn't need months or years of music lessons! If you love music but don't know how to make it on your own, the Q-chord is fabulous. Even if you just hum or whistle its fun. My plan is to learn a handful of old time songs and hymns and then volunteer at the nursing home or hospice. I'm really glad I chose this instrument.

I've had one of these things for 10 years ever since my fingers made it impossible to play a guitar. I really like to sing and this provides me something easy to have music without Melody but something to keep me on key. When people ask me about it I say it's music for dummies because it doesn't really take any great knowledge of music to use it. It is a little pricey but other than that great

Love it. Makes making music easy.

First of all, let me dispell some misconceptions about the Suzuki QChord I read on previous reviews: Note: I'm a studio musician with over fourty years of experince. I play the guitar, clarinet, trumpet, and piano. I am not "musically challenged". Here are my observations on the QChord: It is not a toy. It sounds great. The voices are not "cheezy" or "70s synthesizer" sounds. It is easy to play but practice and working on your technique out will result in a wonderful musical experience for you and your family. This is a real musical instrument that is enjoyed by novices and professional musicians alike. You do not need musical talent or experience to play, but knowing music theory and chord progressions will allow you to do some amazing things with this instrument. As with all musical instruments, you get out of it what you put into it in terms of practice and knowledge. I highly recommend buying this for your pre-teen or teen interested in music. It's not cheap, but (again) it's not a toy. PS: mine came with an a/c adapter included. I believe that is the new norm. I would absolutely buy the two RYTHYM cartridges available and skip buying the song cartridges. You will be able to play lots of songs with any songbook or sheet music that has chords and a melody line. There are zillions online. Don't buy music, download it free and then you can use your smartphone screen to read it while you play. I would also note that a small, plug-in (mini plug, not USB input) speaker and a good set of headphones would be great additions to your QChord purchase. Enjoy and don't listen to the QChord "haters" out there. They are probably jealous you're going to have so much fun!