Save 55% on These Hugh Tracey Kalimbas w/o Pickup

Use the coupon code NoPickup55 to save 55% on Hugh Tracey Alto Kalimba, the Hugh Tracey Treble Kalimba, the Bb Treble Kalimba, the D Treble, the African Tuned Karimba, the F-15 Karimba, and the Box Karimba.  Code NoPickup55 is good through Jan 20 2024. What about the corresponding models with pickups? Well, I am running out of all of those, so it is business sense to try to sell off the ones without pickups, which I still have a fair many. (Underlying essage: if you need a Hugh Tracey Kalimba with a pickup, you may want to order it sooner rather than later.)

This is part of our “Great Kalimba Selloff of 23/24”. As they say, “Everything must go”. Eventually. Well, I will keep about 100 kalimbas in my personal collection, because I am just crazy like that. I anticipate playing a lot of kalimba in my retirement. I have so many recordings I am dreaming of.

If you don’t own a Hugh Tracey Kalimba, consider this. I have a Hugh Tracey Alto Kalimba I bought around 1989. I’ve had it like 35 years, and it still plays great. It did get the Kalimba Doctor Complete Tuneup recently, which certainly makes it look better… but it plays better too. In comparison, I have some of the recently made Chinese kalimbas that are 3-6 years old, and the tines just don’t hold up to extreme playing. So, if you want a kalimba that you can play for tens of thousands of hours, and pass down to the next generation, buy a Hugh Tracey and take good care of it.

Kalimbas Without Pickups

Here are the Kalimbas That Are On Sale With Code NoPickup55

Hugh Tracey Alto Kalimba

If you only own 17-Note kalimbas, I strongly encourage you to get into the Alto Kalimba. Even though the Alto only has 15 tines, those tines are wider than the 17-Note tines… so the Alto is physically larger even though it has fewer tines. And 15 tines does give you two complete octaves. The Alto is pitched lower, to G below middle C. All this makes the Alto easier to play… easier to sing along with… and in my mind, easier to listen to.  And there are great Alto resources I have created to help you play the best you can.

Hugh Tracey Treble Kalimba

The Treble was the very first kalimba Hugh Tracey started selling in 1954. This 17-Note kalimba was the template from which the 17-Note Chinese Kalimbas were made. But the original Hugh Tracey Treble is tuned to G, but with a low note of B, the 3rd of G. Kalimba Magic has also rearranged / retuned the Treble to make two other tunings: the Bb Treble Kalimba  and the D Treble Kalimba, which are also on sale. See Treble instructional materials.

The African Tuned Karimba

Yes, the African tuned Karimba, without pickup, is on sale at 55% off. What makes this insytrument a “karimba”? The short answer: two rows of tines, and a traditional African tuning. The Karimba, also called the mbira nyunga nyunga, or just the nyunga for short, is a very important instrument in the African history of the kalimba. We have created some great instructional materials for the African Tuned Karimba. This is a unique instrument that plays very different music from any of the standard types of kalimba. If you are looking to include a view to Africa and the traditions of the kalimba, this is a great step for you.

The Box Karimba

Personally? I prefer the box mounted versions of the Alto and Treble kalimbas… but for the traditional African tuned karimba I like better on the board mount. However, there are plenty of people who prefer their African-tuned Karimbas mounted on boxes. We start with a 17-Note Treble kalimba (without a pickup on this one), take it apart, trade out some of the tines for the appropriate lengths, bend some of the tines upward, reassemble, and retune. With or without buzzers. Instructional materials for the African Tuned Karimba are available. The standard tuning is in A “African” – the A tines will be in tune with A 440… but the 3rd, 6th, and 7th intervals will be in between major and minor. We also tune to A Western (A major), A minor, G major, and G minor.

The F-15 Box Karimba

This 15-Note Karimba is made from an Alto kalimba. As the resonator box is larger, it is keyed lower than the 17-Note karimba. It is usually tuned to F, but we can also do F# (Chiwoniso and Mufrika Edward both use F#), or G so it plays with the Alto and Treble kalilmba universe. This is the precise tuning and layout of the Kwanongoma Karimba, AKA mbira nyunga nyunga. We do have an instructional download for the F-15 Karimba.

Alto Bags Are Now $6. Treble Bags Are Sold Out

These zipped soft-shell padded cases are sized perfectly for your Alto kalimba. We are sold out of the Treble-sized cases, but the Treble Kalimba will fit in the Alto-sized case with room to spare. Yes, you can even fit the Treble Kalimba with its box inside the Alto case. As one of my customers said when buying three of the “Kalimba Magic” cases: “These are going to be collectors’ items.” So, get yours while you can. I put aside a few for the kalimbas I travel with.

Kalimba Magic Closing in Spring 2024.

I will be retiring in spring 2024. At this time, Kalimba Magic does not have a buyer, so I am liquidating my stock of kalimbas and books.

I am trying to sell off my inventory at a substantial discount, but in an orderly way that doesn’t disrupt the kalimba market. Each week, I will be offering a different kalimba at a steep discount. If I don’t run out of that kalimba, I will eventually come around later and offer an even steeper discount. But if I run out of a certain kalimba, I am out of that kalimba, and I won’t be getting any more of them. Sorry.

So, I invite you to purchase the kalimba of your dreams now, before they are gone, and before I am done with my business. Or, I invite you to sit around and wait for the deals to get even better somewhere down the line.

Kalimba Magic – Since 2005

When I started Kalimba Magic in 2005, I never expected it would end. I was just living my joy, and sharing it with the world. Writing books to show the world how to play, and writing blogs and making videos. Giving lessons and presentations on the kalimba, karimba, and mbira. It was all a blast.

But things change. I cannot persist in the current business climate, dominated by inexpensive Chinese-made kalimbas and cut-throat competition in which my books and website have been pirated to benefit others.

I’m on my way out. I am closing my doors in 3-5 months. We will continue hosting and selling instructional kalimba downloads. We may partner with other kalimba sellers. But we will be done with shipping.

This is a shame, because Kalimba Magic offers a great many unique kalimba styles and tunings, and most of them have high quality instructional materials.  For over a decade, Kalimba Magic dominated the kalimba ecosystem online. But at this point, I cannot keep up.

If you have been intending to get something special that only Kalimba Magic offers, you may want to contact me about that. Sooner rather than later?

It has been a privilege, and usually, a joy, to serve the Kalimba Community. It isn’t quite time for “over and out” – but I’m getting there.

Blessings, and Thank You!

Oh, and use the code Else25 to save 25% of everything else we sell at Kalimba Magic. And Else25 will not expire until we close our doors.

Mark Holdaway // Kalimba Magic // Tucson AZ // Jan 8 2023

My Retirement Plan: Traveling the Country Giving Kalimba Workshops!