Learn everything you need to know about buying a handpan in this Handpan Buying Guide:
A good handpan is handmade. And manual labor takes time. To create a handpan of the highest quality, many work steps and processes are required. In this post, or more precise Handpan Buying Guide, we try to explain the value of a good handpan.
But that’s only part of it, because:
What do I do if my handpan is out of tune or otherwise broken? Here it is important to understand that every Maker builds differently, which means that a repair means understanding how the other person worked, what material was used, and so on. A guarantee is not self-evident, and there can be high tuning or repair fees.
With the growing popularity of this instrument, the purchase decision is becoming increasingly difficult. Some makers have waiting lists of up to 12 months! Depending on the scale and number of pitches, this can vary and of course it also depends on the demand. There are instruments for low three-digit amounts, but the sound, the processing and the stability is usually correspondingly inconsistent. These pans don’t sound as nice as a quality handpan and they may not even be in tune, or get out of tune when shipped or while shipping, which is due to inexpensive packaging, or quickly become out of tune at home. Therefore, caution is advised.
Get help with our Handpan Buying Guide
But how do I prevent it? Auditions and workshops are good opportunities to become familiar with the instrument. There are many sound samples on YouTube, but you can also listen to the sound of the instruments on our website. Especially as a beginner in the field of handpans, it is important to gain experience or to seek personal advice.
But now, let’s talk about the price:
A budget of around €1,500 to €3,000 is required for a good handpan.
But just as there are people who try to flood the market with cheap instruments, there are also those who try to make a lot of money with these fascinating instruments at horrendous prices. For comparison, the price of the Opsilon Handpan has remained stable for years, despite the numerous crises and inflation.
In other words, it turns out that the quality is not always in relation to the price. This does not necessarily mean that the more expensive instrument is automatically the better one.
The exciting question, how is the price then composed?
In this Handpan Buying Guide, we will tell you:
1) On the one hand, the material determines the price. This applies not only to procurement but also to processing. That is, some materials require more labor and some less, which can also increase and decrease costs. The coatings of the instruments can also be an argument. We have many years of experience with nitrided steel, we have only been building stainless steel for a few years, so the working time for stainless steel instruments is correspondingly higher.
2) Is the maker known, an experienced maker or is it an inexperienced maker?
3) Also important is how many sound fields/notes the handpan has. This is a big criterion, as this can make a big difference in the price.
4) Then the condition plays a big role, the better, the higher the price.
Let’s summarize again:
Making a handpan is time consuming.
This means that not only does the high demand mean that you have to wait for an instrument, but the construction of the instrument itself also takes time. Depending on the manufacturer, an instrument can take up to several months.
This is due to the different work steps:
For example:
- Shaping the Shells
- Nitriding (not applicable to stainless steel)
- The pressing of the clay fields
- The first rough tuning of the instrument
- The burning process
- Gluing and polishing
- Then comes the fine tuning of the handpan – this usually doesn’t happen just once
These steps take time and cannot be done in a few days.
Used handpans:
Especially the handpans or hangs of the first generations are a rarity today and although the sound and the skills have continued to develop and improve, these instruments are still very popular. Therefore, sometimes horrendous sums are called.
Especially as a beginner, it is very difficult to focus on the essentials of used handpans without prior knowledge. Because of this, we gathered some of the things that are important regarding used handpan. Remember to ask for these things and you are at least safer:
1) Always have pictures sent
The simple reason for this is that on the one hand you can be sure that the instrument has no rust or that there is no other damage to the instrument.
2) Even better, have videos sent.
In addition to rust, the problem is often that the instruments on the used market are out of tune. If this is the case, it should be considered that there is still a need to invest in retuning.
3) Does the instrument still have warranty.
Always ask about the guarantee of the instrument and make sure that the guarantee sheet is also sent with the purchase. At best, assert the transfer on the sheet.
4) Ask about previous damage
As with all second-hand goods, it is helpful to know whether there has been previous damage or whether the instrument has rusted at some point. This is extremely important as it interferes with the grooming routine.
It is always better to seek advice when in doubt. In the worst case, it is necessary to pay twice. With an investment as big as a handpan, that would be quite annoying.
Now back to the question, what makes a good handpan?
That’s a difficult question because it’s very subjective. There are those for whom the visual is more important than the sound and then there are those for whom the sound is more important than the look. Here is our first tip: The sound is crucial, if the look is right for you, all the better, because one thing must not be forgotten, handpans are unique.
Here are some more tips:
Could you get an idea of what you like in terms of sound? This works via YouTube and other popular streaming platforms.
YouTube is probably the best platform, as most people put the scale in the description or title.
This is how you train your hearing: The more handpan videos you listen to, the easier it is to listen accordingly.
And that should be the most important criterion: Because with a handpan it is all about the sound quality.
The Opsilon handpan with the D minor scale is a good choice for beginners, as many songs are composed in D minor, making learning and playing easier. Since many use this scale, it also shows that even the advanced can gain a lot from the D minor scale, making it perfect for beginners and advanced players.
The Opsilon D minor/ D minor handpan:
Inform now.
Handpans can be easily bought online these days, we recommend playing the instruments beforehand. We would like to let you know that free appointments are a matter of course with us.
Our conclusion:
Due to the increasing number of high-quality handpans and low-quality handpans, the selection has become large. This makes it harder to choose the right handpan. Here it is important to convince yourself of the sound, to do a workshop and to slowly approach the instrument.
