Master Works"Student" 12-11 Hammer Dulcimer-Brown Stained Top only

I just helped my mother open the box that arrived today for Christmas (we ordered late, so this isn't a complaint). I was immediately impressed with the quality of the packaging & preparation done. All interior envelopes were hot glued inside the box to eliminate potential damage & confusion. The instrument was clearly safe, and the packaging was amazingly well-designed...plainly obvious much thought had gone into it.The part that drove me to write this review was the wonderful, handwritten note from Russell Cook at Master Works. I've spent the better part of my Christmas vacation doing geneological research, so sharing with her what I documented, and the arrival of the hammered dulcimer, really made her feel special this Christmas. Our lineage comes straight from southeast Ohio, coal-mining and farming Irishmen, Scotsmen, Welshmen, etc., and zithers, dulcimers, hammered dulcimers and all were part of our family story. This was the icing on the cake.Mom pulled it out, set it on a table, and immediately started hammering away. Thank you, Russell, and Master Works!