Acrylic Kalimba – Ultimate Guide

Acrylic kalimbas are getting popular among kalimba players and hobbyists. This is because of how elegant it looks and how sturdy acrylic kalimbas are.

Acrylic is a transparent plastic material that has great strength resistance and optical clearness. It’s more commonly known as plexiglass. It resembles glass but has greater transparency and weighs less than real glass.

Now, acrylic kalimbas are known to produce great sounds too. Thanks to its glass-like properties.

Acrylic Kalimba vs Wood Kalimba

Acrylic kalimba is heavier than wood kalimbas

Acrylic is more compact and weighs heavier than its wood counterpart. If you’re a new kalimba player, it would be better to start with a wood kalimba as playing long hours will hurt your hands as acrylic kalimbas are heavier. Acrylic kalimbas edges are also. in most cases, straight up squared, unlike wooden kalimbas whose edges are usually curved.

Acrylic kalimba is quieter than wood kalimba

Acrylic kalimbas do not echo quite significantly than wood kalimbas. This is due to its glass nature where sound travels slower on it. Even with high-quality tines, acrylic still produces softer sounds. Also, acrylic kalimba does not have a hollow inside – it’s compact glass, whereas a wood kalimba has a hollow in it, making sounds to resonate better.

Acrylic kalimbas usually don’t have pickups built in it. You need to use an external recorder to produce good quality sounds from it or to amplify it.

Acrylic kalimbas are usually more expensive than wood kalimbas

This is a no question comparison. Plexiglass is usually more costly to make than using wood. Acrylic kalimbas usually cost 2-4 times more than wooden kalimbas. If you are within budget, it is better to go with a wooden one especially if you are just starting to play kalimba.

Acrylic kalimbas are more elegant to look

Well, this can be subjective and really depends on your preference. There are people who prefer acrylic while some prefer wooden ones.

Acrylic Kalimbas Review

Well, pretty much, acrylic kalimbas are stronger than their wooden counterparts. It is heavy but compares to wooden kalimbas, acrylic kalimbas do not break easily when you accidentally drop it.

The little downside of acrylic kalimbas is that they sound softer than wooden kalimbas. This is because of how they are made – as mentioned earlier, acrylic kalimbas usually don’t have hollows in them like wooden kalimbas have.

If you have any thoughts on the acrylic kalimba review, feel free to comment it down.

Acrylic Kalimba Tabs to Play

Looking for kalimba tabs to play with your Acrylic Kalimba? We have tons of kalimba tabs in our website. You can also download kalimba tabs pdf version of all the kalimba tabs we have on our website.

We have kalimba tabs by difficulty level – Easy Kalimba Tabs, Medium Difficulty Kalimba Tabs, and Expert Kalimba Tabs.

Best Acrylic Kalimba Brands

Top of the list for best acrylic kalimba brands is Kimi. Kimi kalimba brands are best known for their cat-shaped acrylic kalimbas. You can get one at Kalimba Tunes.

TreElf Acrylic kalimbas are also popular among kalimba players. Maybe not worldwide, but Treelf kalimba brands are widely used among east and southeast Asian countries. Treelf kalimba brands are usually cheaper than KIMI kalimba brands. 

PURM acrylic kalimbas are the next on the list. PURM kalimba brands look a lot like KIMI’s. However, PURM kalimbas are usually bigger than KIMIs or Treelf.

Many acrylic kalimba brands are usually just rebranded ones. They only differ on what kind of tines were used, the shape, packaging, and acrylic compactness. There are a lot in the market today and it is best to research first and list the things you will need from a Kalimba in order for you to pick the correct one that perfectly suites you.

Other acrylic brands include BYLA, NALU, AKLOT, and CEGA. If you know other acrylic kalimba brands, feel free to comment below and we will add it to the list.

Where to Buy Acrylic Kalimbas

There are many places you can buy acrylic kalimbas. One of the recommended online stores is KalimbaTunes. They are the gateway to all things Kalimba and carry a number of great brands and ships worldwide for free! They have also expedited shipping if you need it fast. Check out their online store at kalimbatunes.com.

You can also find a number of Acrylic kalimba at Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and more!