These babies were discussed on the Sweet Music dulcimer list a while ago. I seem to remember that the consensus was generally positive, on the basis that anything that got people making their own music was a Good Thing, and that there was a place in this world for starter instruments. That said, there was also hope that the purchasers would be drawn to their local dulcimer club to learn more about the instrument and set the stage for moving up to a better instrument.

I started on a plywood dulcimer with a mile high action, and it sufficed for a while. But the problems in intonation in the upper octave drove me mad as soon as my ear came out of its thirty year retirement, and the action made chord-melody playing a real challenge. However, it did teach me enough that when I went to buy my McSpadden, I could play well enough to make an informed choice. And the change in instrument quality gave a real boost to my playing -- suddenly I could do the things I had been grappling with.

The old plywood "cheap & cheerful" now lives in a closet and comes out once a year for our clubs annual dulcimerfest, where it serves as a loaner instrument for people wanting to get their feet wet musically.