For a beginner, consider a clavichord. Price is reasonable and the volume won't bother others in the house. It takes up no more space than a DP. You can later d

For a beginner, consider a clavichord. Price is reasonable and the volume won't bother others in the house. It takes up no more space than a DP. You can later decide on a bigger instrument. Tuning these days is MUCH easier with PitchLab Pro on your phone. But you have to go through the Amazon App Store to get it. I tune the 8's on my harpsichord several times a week. It doesn't take that long. Mechanicals on clavichords, virginals, spinets and harpsichords are simple to look after. Strings and plectra break, damper felts get out of position, stuff mysteriously gets between keys, jacks hang up – all straightforward to fix, especially compared to replacing a broken screen on a phone or tablet. Agree that humidity control is key for any wooden instrument. My instrument is covered when not playing with a humidifier that maintains 54%.