As the title says, this instrument is not traditional. I have seen quite a few cuatros in my life and the scale of this instrument is closer to that of a ukulele than an authentic Venezuelan cuatro. Still, I don't think this is a bad instrument at all! Let me tell you why.
To start off, let's talk about the scale length. The scale of this instrument is around 49 centimetres. That's about 19 inches. A common Venezuelan cuatro would be around 55 centimetres in scale length, which is roughly 21.7 inches. It does make a noticeable difference.
You need to remember that a Thomann brand instrument tends to be your best option for a first, inexpensive instrument. That's why I think that the scale length can be somewhat forgiven. It's a great instrument to learn on. Moreover, the short scale length makes this a great instrument to just carry with you anywhere. The cuatro comes with a soft gigbag, which provides quite adequate protection. There's a pocket with a zipper for extra strings, which is quite handy.
The build quality is very nice. Obviously, the wood is going to react a bit with whichever climate you live in, but you can avoid any big problems by letting it slowly come to terms with the climate and keeping it in the gigbag when you're not playing it. Mine has gotten a tiny, tiny crack onto it, but a tiny bit of hide glue or wood glue keeps it in great condition. There were no parts in the instrument that felt like they were halfway done. It was beautifully crafted from well-chosen pieces of wood. Honestly, it's better than what I expected at this price!
The sound is amazing. It's that simple. Just amazing. At first, the instrument felt a bit too boomy and dark sounding, but after playing it for a long time, it began opening up and showing more brightness and percussive tones. I got even more percussive tones once I made the bridge saddle lower by sanding the bottom part of it. It really helps with that percussive attack often found in Venezuelan music.
The tuning machines are pretty good and changing the strings is as simple as it is with nylon-string guitars. Nothing complicated, and you can find online guides everywhere if you're not familiar with the way it is done. The cuatro stays in tune pretty well. Honestly, it's way more down to the string set than the instrument, because the tuning machines don't slip.
In short, if you want a cuatro to practise with, this is a great instrument. It's not exactly traditional, but it will get you started very well and you'll have a lot of fun with it. ¡Viva la música venezolana!
