If you would like to buy a Handpan or Hang please read this page for further information and a list of reputable makers.
Want to Buy a Hang drum?
If you would like to buy a handpan or Hang drum be aware that there are many poor quality instruments and scams online, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is! I highly recommend that you visit handpan.org and do lots of research, or speak to others who are knowledgeable about handpans. Be very careful and make sure you know what you are buying. Better still, only buy a handpan in person. Don’t rush into a purchase, take your time.
Prices for a new top quality handpan range from about £1200 – £2500 (€1200 – 3000 / $1100 – $3000), second hand PANArt Hanghang have been know to sell for as much as £12000!
I have added a list of some of the longest standing makers below and a few new builders. Many of them have websites and invite you to join their waiting lists. Some offer annual raffles for customers to get the opportunity to buy, others sometimes auction handpans on eBay for charity, advertise random sales on their websites or through Facebook pages to whichever customer is the first to reply. There are also two Facebook groups dedicated to handpan sales.
List of Makers (click links to view websites)
Europe
Aciel – Michael Colley – France
Panstream – Mark Wilson – UK
Meridian – Duncan Arnot – UK
Pan Amor – Daryl Quinn – UK
Zephyr – Dean Richardson – UK
Ayasa – Ralf Van den Bor – Netherlands
Jan Borren – Jan Borren – Netherlands
Asachan / Echo Sound Sculpture – Ezahn – Switzerland
Bells/ BellArt – Luis – Spain
The PANArt Hang – The first handpan ever made – Sabina Schärer and Felix Rohner
Meraki – Jean-François Dorsimont – Italy
Shellopan – France
USA
Saraz – Mark Garner – North Carolina
Halo – Pantheon Steel – Kyle Cox – Missouri
Aura – Jon Antzoulis – New Jersey
Symphonic Steel – Sean Beever – California
Aether – Colin Foulke – California
Dave’s Island Instruments – David Berry – California
Isthmus – Jenny Robinson – Wisconsin
Other Countries
SPB – Victor Levinson – Russia
Live-Metalart – Nobuya Yamaguchi – Japan
Yishama – Yonatan Bar – Israel
There are many more makers, the list is ever expanding.
Visit handpan.org for a list of makers and new developers.
For more information on handspans and how to buy a handpan visit:
http://www.hangdrumsandhandpans.com/p/all-of-handpans.html
Affordable Handpans
Does such a thing as a cheap handpan exist? Yes with a bit of luck, research and persistence (though be careful as some may be terrible). Be prepared to follow makers on social media, check websites regularly, perhaps even write to a maker. You might come across a maker selling old prototypes or a new maker starting out.
I refer to my Dad’s favourite saying (though not mine!) “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know..” when I recommend that you attend handpan festivals and events, support artists, follow handpan builders, have lessons with a local teacher, hire a handpan. You might hear about a good deal this way. I certainly have sold my old instruments to students at a fair price and will likely continue to do so if and when I change instruments.
Mark Wilson of Panstream is selling refurbished instruments for a very reasonable price at https://www.refurbishedhandpans.com and via Facebook. His brand new mini pans are a bargain at £1000.
Considered an alternative? Tongue drums might satisfy your craving. They vary in price from about £50 – 800. Rav Vast tongue drums are one of my favourites (and the most expensive), Guda Drums are also fantastic and much more affordable at around £250, and there are hundreds more tongue drums out there and a dedicated Facebook page on which to seek advice.
The PanArt Hang – Brief History
The Hang was created by Sabina Schärer and Felix Rohner of PANArt Hang Manufacturing Ltd. in Bern, Switzerland in the year 2000.
Hanghang were initially sold in local music shops for just a few hundred euros. Later when popularity of the instruments increased PANArt invited interested buyers to write a letter to them and PANArt would write back to successful customers, inviting them to Bern to select a Hang
Soon people around the world became entranced by the sight and sound of the PANArt Hang and some were inspired to build a similar sound sculpture. The early builders include Pantheon Steel (USA) and Bellart (Spain). There exist many terms used to describe these instruments and there are varied opinions within the player and builders’ community of acceptable terms to use. Such names include Handpan, Hang Drum and Pantam.
Visit PANArt to find out about what the original Hang makers are building now. They are no longer building the Hang but a range of new and exciting instruments including the Gubal and a string instrument named the Pang.
Update May 2020: PanArt are once again building Hanghang!
Milly Hoddo 