I'm a new player who bought a Mayfair over a cheap modern instrument just before Christmas. I still can't play more than two or three tunes (The Dark Island, Danny Boy, Summertime). I love the sound from this instrument, that's when I hit the right notes, and IMHO the fact that it was made by Wheatstone, even if it was a cheaper mass market Wheatstone, shines through in the feel and tone. I bought it based on the advice I received here and even though it was battered and bruised and I had to make new straps for it, I have never regretted it.