Shakuhachi Plastic Copy: Bell 

I was surprised too. The natural shape and texture of the inside contributed to the tone color more than I realized.

Why not? Plastic and "ebonite" which is a natural hard rubber, and wooden, clarinets and oboes sound the same. The only difference is, with the wooden clarinets, those tend to be expensive "pro" models and are optimized to sound best with an experienced player's air power while the student ones are made to be easy for students to get sound out of and enough range to work for high school bands. If you duplicated Artie Shaw's wooden clarinet in plastic or hard rubber it would sound the same.

First the disclaimer: I have no sponsors or relationships to any makers, but I do sell medium and high end old bamboo Shakuhachis. That said, perhaps the greatest benefit of a plastic flute is its consistency in manufacturing and it’s low cost. I love plastics, and was in product development for many years. Plastics is like a soup, a lot of choices are made when preparing it and there is great skill involved in producing a tasty result. Limits are one’s imagination and a concern for the natural environment, but a quality molded Shakuhachi is not ending up in a landfill anytime soon. It takes great skill to really maximize the acoustic qualities that a famous Japanese maker has built into the flute. But the sound quality has appeal to players of all experience. Also, because these instruments are fragile and require careful attention to humidity levels, I do not recommend them to beginners. Look for my new video about “Shakuhachi Care”. Thanks for your comment.

Yes, the Yuu has more energy, while the bell is more subtle and introspective.

Thank you.

You’ve got me curious about the Hoshi Arashi. Thanks for your comment. Discussions like this are good for viewers serious about getting started on the Shakuhachi. There is also Monty Levinson’s manufactured cast bore flutes, which fit halfway between plastic flutes and full jiari bamboo flutes in terms of price and performance.

@@nyohaku hello Daniel . It depends what you’re looking for and the taste of each ( sound colour , timbre , dynamic….) . Everybody has his own preference , like with the wine , the painting , the girls …….. 😂 . I like the hoshi arashi because it’s precise, strong plastic and 2 parts easy to travel and resistant to the difference of weather . But the more I like it’s his power and dynamic. You can play softly or very strong . So to have this possibility, increase the expression. Maybe the little defect would be it’s weight, and his brilliant sound ( some people like a warmer sound ) . I don’t know the Monty’s flutes but I’m sure they are stunning talking about the quality sound , and also nice looking and nice bamboo . But I heard that to have a good cast bore from him , it’s maybe better to not buy the first price (400$ meditation model ) , but the advanced student shakuhachi who still doesn’t have root end but better . Monty make beautiful flutes . In pvc if you like soft and wam sound I would recommend the Bell of Jon Kypros . Very nice . But long waiting list

I started on a maple flute. After one year I went to a good 1.8 Zenmura flute. I definitely would have started on the Monty cast bore at the beginning if I knew about it. I have a Monty 1.8 for sale on eBay. You can hear it on RU-vid at . ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4aNp-PKSRfA.html

@@nyohaku love all your videos

Sounds like a good choice in this range. I have a $500. Levinson that outplays bamboo jinari flutes costing $1500. Often a new player does not know where to start, so comments like this are helpful since excellent flutes can be had for a few hundred dollars - if you know which ones.

I had a Johnson and set it aside for a while and a mouse or something nibbled on the horn utaguchi blade, which pissed me off so much I sold it as a "fixit" on Ebay and it went overnight. Sigh. I could have repaired or replaced that blade myself. I've even got some ivory around. I had a PVC shakuhachi given to me and that's how I discovered the shakuhachi, then a bit later got a Yuu, which I noticed was harder to blow, by a little, than the PVC one which makes sense. Then I sold the Yuu which I never should have done but I did it... got the Johnson and found it easier to blow than the Yuu or the PVC one as far as that's concerned but I'd been playing a lot of trumpet so I was not sure if the Johnson was easier to blow or I'd just gotten that much stronger. At time of this writing I will be shakuhachi-less but over the next couple of days I will have a "Kukyo" and another Yuu so I can A/B test them. This review of the Bell further reinforces that I'm not really interested in a Bell. When I am ready to get a better than beginner flute I am looking at getting the "Enhanced" Yuu that's been worked on by Monty Levinson. Those are about $750 and probably worth every penny. The durability of the Yuu with the playability of a Levinson. I'm more of a jiari than a jinashi guy, since my interest is in busking. So I like a little purer tone ...

I modified my Yuu almost from the first day, and now I love it. Monty’s reworking I’m sure is an improvement to the original. But something has changed with the slump in the world economy. I have to sell 1,2, and $3000 flutes at half price to move them. Ouch. My opinion is that you can do way better now in the 6 to $1200 range with reputable bamboo than with well engineered plastics (if you are a intermediate player or better).

@@alexcarter8807 HI Alex...I have a Monte Levinson enhanced Yu.- most of what you pay for is the ratten at joint, the little silk utaguchi cover and silver rings at joint. I didn't want all that- way too much money for the enhancement because it's not offered alone, it comes with the extras I mentioned, you can't just get the simple enhancement. Now, the Kukyo that is $600- or 650. is the best flute I own! I can't make guarantees because every flute is a little different, but man, it's my BEST flute- so sweet toned, easy yo play! It blows away all my other flutes, Monty's included as well as my Japanese Jinashis and 2 other very expensive jiaris that I returned.Do me a favor, tell the maker that you you know me, or spoke to me( I'm Frank From N.Y.) I don't want to give my personal info on here, but tell him I purchased a few of his flutes, that he made one especially for me. He'll know who I am. Even his least expensive, while not having the cut just above the joint to make it flare out a little as per Japanese anesthetics, which doesn't affect the playability- still blows away many far more expensive flutes.I had him make me one with the cut just above the joint, for the complete Japanese aesthetic, and he really made sure the tuning was spot on- is a GEM!,my favorite. He made that for me,top-notch, and it was because of my conversations with him that he made available the $600- 700. ones on Amazon. I would suggest one of those- or BETTER, talk to him first, he'll probably do for you like he did for me- he'll send you pictures of what he'll be making for you and everything. HERE IS HIS E-MAIL: ouseikei8888@163.com .On Amazon, you can't be completely up-front cause Amazon doesn't like that, even though initially, that's what I had to do. tell him you want him to make you one, after talking to me. Good luck in your choice making!

Try Shakuhachi.com - look under Flute accessories. You can find fabric caps there. Maybe leather. Also try mejiro.com (The Japanese Shakuhachi store). I have a bell, it fits cap size 6.

Here is a video discussing two possibilities. Shakuhachi -Inexpensive Options ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F45bm5wRBeY.html My first Flute was purchased at Isetan department store in Tokyo. A sturdy and inexpensive maple 1.8 shakuhachi. These can easily be found used online. I started on a very tight budget and focused on using my money for lessons while working hard at practice. Best wishes for your future and enjoy the adventure in Japan.🇺🇦🇯🇵

Yes, and the bamboo might contribute to its nice sound. Jon Kypros has stopped making these by the way. They are all handmade and painted and are a labor of love - but also very labor intensive.

They are both ideal for starting out. So is the maple flute. The Bell however can be hard to come by and cost a little more. Flutes with a joint are very convenient; when I started out a carried the flute everywhere. If you play softly, you will find that the Bell has a lot of charm.

If you're really not sure, make or buy a PVC shakuhachi first. You might decide you're not all that interested, or are interested but it's more work than you want to or can, put in. A few years ago I was at my Buddhist temple's New Year's party and we were treated to shakuhachi music by the shakuhachi group. They sounded *awful!* So this is not like the tonette you played in intermediate school. It's more like violin or trumpet in that you get a lot out but you have to put a lot in... After that, get a Yuu. You can take it hiking or to the beach or play it in the shower. Look around on RU-vid here and you can find some very fine playing on a Yuu, and there are people spending a few years on a Yuu before they get something better. And "better" is relative, the Yuu is Pretty Darned Good(tm).

Thank you, Alex, I completely agree. Maybe I should emphasize more often how difficult Shakuhachi is to play. But once somebody has been seduced by even the glimmer of that amazing sound, there’s no turning back. To that person, “hard work” is a joy.