One-Metre Dugout Mini brings dugout construction into a one-metre body — for professional players who want tone without giving up portability.
The soundboard is carved from a single block; achieving full resonance in a small body is harder than in a standard dugout. Bridges and nuts are matched one by one, and assembly takes markedly longer than a standard mini.
The tone has the density and layering of a full-size instrument, and carving largely removes the cramped feeling of short strings. The decay is clean and transitions are natural — this is a mini you can seriously perform on.
A carved body is more sensitive to humidity: use the case and humidity card together, and avoid long sessions next to air-conditioning or radiators.
For sizing and where a small guzheng fits, see choosing the right guzheng size.
Buying advice: this model is listed at CNY 18000, which is the top of the range of the 9 models in the Mini guzheng series (prices run CNY 4000 to CNY 18000).To keep the budget down, start from Dawn Ink (CNY 6800). Bulk pricing is explained in How to order.
FAQ: Can a student alternate between a mini and a standard instrument? Yes, but choose a mini whose string positions and fingering stay close to a standard guzheng, or the change of action will interrupt their progress. For performance goals, keep the standard instrument primary.
Suitable for: the mini guzheng suits a child’s first lessons, a beginner’s start and travel playing — light, portable and good for practice in limited space. For a child’s instrument or a portable setup, tell us your scenario through the enquiry form and we will help you pick a size.
The bridges are smoothed off nicely, and do not catch your hand when you shift position, it feels very solid overall, and it does not shift even when you play hard!
I read through the reviews before buying, and it was not a mistake. The string spacing is even, the octaves are true, and it barely needs adjusting. It looks even better made in person than in the photos, you can see the details far more clearly, very happy overall!
A friend recommended them, she said hers has given no trouble in three years, the edges are finished very cleanly, with no rough spots!
I rent, and there is really no room for a full-size guzheng, so this is perfect, the tone overall is on the warm side, rather than bright, which I prefer, my child practises an hour a day, and likes it more the more she plays, I'll be back!
The colour is a shade darker than the photos, but it feels better made, the strings feel a little soft under the fingers, so a child can press them without strain. At this price it holds its own against anything, five stars!
I take it on business trips to practise, and can play in a hotel room, they sent me a video of the actual instrument before shipping, which put my mind at rest, very happy with it!
I compared several sellers, and went with this one, it shipped the day after I ordered, delivery was faster than I expected. The harmonics ring out clearly, and come out with the lightest touch, this much workmanship at this price, there is nothing to find fault with, the manual is too basic, so I learned to tune from a video!
Easy to take out to performances, it goes straight in the boot, the tuning pins are set just right, neither loose nor stiff. The sound is very clean, with none of that muffled buzz.
This is my second purchase here, and the feel is just as I remembered, after-sales rang me to check it had arrived, which is rare, the grain on the soundboard looks natural, the finish is thin, and you can tell it was applied by hand!
The low register is full, and Fisherman's Song at Dusk sounds wonderful on it, compared with my last one, the difference was obvious straight away, five stars.
It lives in the teaching room, where students take turns on it, and it takes the wear, the tuning holds very steadily, two months of playing and it has barely drifted.