Hello!
I’m looking for a first (student?) baglamas for my seven-year-old son. Since this will be his first experience and an opportunity to experiment, I’m looking for something reasonably priced. Does anyone have any recommendations, offers or advice?
Thank you! 
Eliza
Lovely idea to introduce a young child to a small-sized instrument. 
That said, let’s also mention something obvious that many of us nevertheless fail to pay attention to. Regardless of who is playing a good instrument or how skilled the player is, the instrument remains good. Therefore, I’d advise you not to consider the instrument’s price as the main criterion when choosing one, but rather its quality as an instrument. A good instrument helps prevent injuries, is easy to play so it doesn’t cause fatigue, and of course has a good sound, encouraging the player to spend more time practising.
I hope these brief tips will help you (even just a little) choose the right instrument!
But imagine the little one picking up an instrument that costs a fair bit and accidentally breaking it.
I consider the baglamas a tough instrument for a 7-year-old child’s little fingers. I hope I’m wrong!!! I have a feeling that perhaps you might have waited a little until they were older and introduced them to the bouzouki!
On the other hand, perhaps you know best, since as a parent you have a better understanding of what they like and how best to introduce them to our traditional music …
Thank you very much for all your thoughts and advice; I don’t know very much, so they’re invaluable!
The truth is that he was about to start guitar lessons with a musician friend. But I’ve never seen the love I saw in his eyes when he held and “played” the baglamas. The truth is that he has frequent contact with musical instruments, and there are instruments at home and in his surroundings. But the way he fell in love with the little baglamas while playing it in the Vamvakaris Museum in Ano Syros is something I can’t ignore. I really do need to pay attention to the quality, and I’ll definitely need advice there. Then we’ll see whether it’s going to be a lifelong love or just a passing infatuation. In any case, he deserves to experience it. And if he falls in love with the bouzouki too, that would be wonderful! As for the instrument being hard on the fingers, is there any advice on finding something a bit more child-friendly for little fingers?
In any case, I only wish I could share with you the glow on my Nikola’s face when he was “playing” alongside Markos.
I’ll take your answers into consideration; thank you! All the best! 
A small baglamas is just right in terms of size and scale for a child’s hands. As mentioned above, the issue is the string tension, which is usually higher than on a bouzouki. The cheap “student” instruments usually have high action (the distance between the strings and the frets), which makes them difficult for a child to play. For me, the first thing I’d look at is this: it should be set up as low as possible, even if that means sacrificing some volume.
Hello, I have a baglamas that I’d like to sell. It’s quite small, but I don’t know whether it’s suitable for children. However, I can send photos.