Kikkerland Make Your Own Music Box Kit, Siler

With 15 notes and a small price point I didn’t know what to expect. The box sounds really nice. Warm deep and sentimental. Just like I would want a music box to sound like. I did not think I could have so much fun, plotting melodies and punching holes. It is a manual process and can be tedious if you look at it that way. But you end up making a product that is completely analog and mechanical. And there is something very special to me about that. It sounds so pretty and it is fun to make your own custom tunes.This is not chromatic, so the note range is very limited. But the constraints are good for creativity. I think. And I am practicing on a 15 note before jumping into a 30 note music box.I think I found a new hobby.

If you can not find the song you are looking for in a music box then this alternative allows you to re-create the song or create your own song. You may need to search for a version of the song that matches the key register of this music box which is C Major ( no flats and no sharps). In my case, I couldn’t find the tune “Turkey in the Straw” which is the song Mickey Mouse plays in Steamboat Willie. It comes with a prepunched paper tape which plays Happy Birthday. It includes 4 blank paper tapes and a hole punch to make the holes that trigger the notes.

**UPDATE** 9/15/2014: I've finally gotten another hole punch (I found it at a local craft store in just the right size) and I tell you what, the box still plays as beautifully as it did when I first purchased it. A long lasting gift in my honest opinion.I've read all the review about this product, but did I never find anything regarding the quality of the hole punch that is included with the kit. I got my music box, and was extremely satisfied with the product: the sound was beautiful, the gears never failed, the whole thing help up extremely well. So having spent 2 weeks composing songs using a piano as reference, i tried to punch out my own songs, and two things happened.1) I noticed that what I had played on the piano was different for the music box (i played an E-F chord on my piano, which was equivalent to the F-G chord on the music box. Minor problem, not an issue to me.)2) The included hole punch (which granted punches holes much smaller than normal hole punchers, so finding another is a pain) has holes on both sides of device, that, whenever the pin doesn't line up with the hole and you try to punch it through, it comes out the other side, rendering the entire thing useless.Many attempts and ideas to fix it ended up in failure. So to those who may end up with the same problem I had, I figured it'd be nice to post where you could find a replacement, or at least the size of the hole it punches as reference, assuming that all of them are made the same relative size.The diameter of the holes made from my hole punch is 2mm or 3/32"You can find Euro hole punches on here but they're METAL hole punchers, so I am unaware of their effective use on paper, but hey, then you can make metal strips.http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Metal-Punch-Pliers-1-8mm/dp/B003JD9VX2/----------- 1.8mm Metal Hole punchershttp://www.amazon.com/Metal-Punch-Pliers-1-25mm-44158/dp/B003L7PLNK/----------- 1.25mm Metal Hole punchers (if you want smaller holes. just make sure your accurate.)http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-12-23508897-Punch-16-Inch-Circle/dp/B0001DT3YU/----------- 1/16" Hole Punch (a bit smaller holes, just be accurate)http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-12-23518897-Punch-8-Inch-Circle/dp/B0001DT3ZE/----------- 1/8" Hole Punch (slightly larger, be careful with holes that have to be close together)A long review, I know, I apologize, but I hope this helps someone else as much as it did me. Other than the hole punch, the music box kit was amazing, I highly recommend it, it looks amazing and sounds beautiful.

This a great thing to get if you want a fun craft project to make as a gift. The gear system is already all put together, but it’s so much smaller than I thought. Not a bad thing in the slightest, you just can’t make a cliche music box that girls in 90s movies have. Instead it’s closer to keychain size.The music is really, definitely worth the price. The gears are made of plastic, so it doesn’t feel like it will shatter in your hands, but if anything were to break it would be those gears.The sheets, where you hole punch into, are good quality (they are not gonna tear on you if lay a finger on them). But, even though they look long, you could probably only write the chorus of most songs on there. Also it has no bass notes, and the box is only tuned to major C.Otherwise it’s a great gift, and you can personalize it by making your own box.

It was a gift. I made the music box, looked for the song, pumctured the holes, so the person loved the effort too.

It's okay. But sort of a disappointment for me because the song I wanted it to play does not exactly work. I was under the impression it could play any song that falls in that 2 octave range, and is short enough to fit on the strips. But that's not exactly true. The problem I have is that consecutive eighth notes (of the same repeating note) do not play. It can handle eighth. But only if the note changes. For instance A-B-C-D is fine. A-A-A-A is not. Repeating notes cant be less than a quarter. Otherwise, it just sort of buzzes. Rather than a crisp chime. Unfortunately, my tune has a few of those conditions. And I was hoping to give this as a gift. So like I said, a disappointment. This is mentioned in the instruction booklet. But did not see this anywhere on the listing prior to purchase. I don't know much about music boxes in general. Maybe it's a common thing.Otherwise, hole-punching is a little tricky. Getting the hole lined up. I think I only messed that up once. Says I can fix with tape. I haven't tried that yet though.Also, don't care for the included Happy Birthday song. But that's not what I got it for anyway.All in all, it's alright provided you have a song that fits the conditions.