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Hi everyone, I just wanted to know if anyone knew of any good European tuners for the Panart Hang?
Thanks,
Tim

Hi Tim,

i play a FIH, when i picked it up in Bern i looked for one whose ding-tone was as near as possible to D.
The one i've found i was quite happy with, but when i played together with other instruments several tones
were about 20 to 50 cent away from the "well-tempered" instruments.
I decided to send it (as a parcel) to Eckhard from ECS Steeldrum, today it came back and i have to say
i am really satisfied with the result.

regards Wolfgang

Thanks! Does anyone else recommend this company?

Tim

I advise against Eckhard C. Schulz letting tune a Hang.
Here is a post that describe my experience at length in German: viewtopic.php?p=8981#p8981

In short: Eckhard C. Schulz doesn't understand PANArt's tuning method that differs very much to his own method. He has told me twice that he is convinced, that the PANArt tuners have no tuning system and that they cannot tune. Also he never touch a Hang or handpan with the Hands. He cannot play a Hang and he refused to let me demonstrate him my Free Integral Hang to give him the possibility to learn how it works. I have played a second generation Hang tuned by Eckhard and wasn't satisfied with the result.

Also Victor Levinson, maker of the SPB in Russia told about an Integral hang tuned by Eckhard with a bad result.

Here is another German post about Eckhard tuning a first generation Hang with a bad result: viewtopic.php?p=8921#p8921

Michael

This is quite a dramatic action which seems to me to demonstrate a total lack of understanding of the Free Integral Hang.

I'm stunned by your actions. Stunned and mortified.

I hope this disqualifies you for a Gubal.

Here is a sound example of the FIH mentioned above : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm21NS9z-5M ...obviously recorded before the retuning by ECS

there are two main groups within the hang / handpan - world. The ones that have a meditative approach to sounds and play a hang a shakuhachi, an american native flute etc. without asking about the tuning or the possibility to play in a context with other persons/instruments.
The other group has a more ore less musical approach. I belong to the second one.
I myself would have preferred a second generation hang, among those instruments you have -according to my experience- the best chances to find instruments with this special shimmer thats laying over the all in all sound and that is only achieved by carefully and skillfully tuning which requires energy, time and love to the instrument ... a quality characteristic that has gone more and more lost in the course of hangproduction - again according to my limited experience.
My first letter of request i have send to panart, was in that time when they were producing the integral hang. I was not lucky to be choosen or elected or however you'd like to call it.
Later i applied for a FIH too, knowing that those soundsculptures can be turned into instruments by additional tuning.
When i went to Bern my secret hope was, to find an instrument with that shimmer and on top of that, is well tuned.
I did not find one instrument with that shimmer so i only looked up for an instrument with a ding-tone near to a well-tempered D.
Meanwhile i assume, that the shimmer i was looking for only occurs at the earlier instruments, because they sound brighter.
All the better, from a musical point of view, a second generation hang or a bellart played together with an integral hang or a (musically well tuned) free integral hang gives a great result, because they complement each other - due to their specific soundcharacteristics - very well.
Last not least it was clear that Michael Paschko would represent the opinion of panart because he is a vasall (german word) of panart. I never found a personal opinion of him that was not in conformity with the panart statements . For example, when i complained in a thread about the fact, panart stopped the tuning-service for their own manufactured instruments. Instead of saying "me too, i am not happy about that decision of panart" he ignored that point totally and instead answered with a long sermon about the difference of an instrument and a sound-sculpture - panart stated their opinion often enough in "hangwegleitung" and others - i do not need an endless repetition of that points by someone else - i need a good sounding and musical applicable instrument (which i have now)
Wolfgang

@ Mowgli

why should i be interested in a gubal ? I am not a worshiper of panart-products.
I appreciate their basic sound quality and of course the huge amount of energy
and persistence they have invested to develop the hang.
I would like -in addition to my hang- to have a spb or halo (preferably with nine tones)
whose scale allowes me to expand my musical hang-work. An E-flat (Gubal) and D -Tuning (Hang)
go not really well together.
And last not least, everything is moving, the development of hang-influenced instruments as well as human opinions

@ Timo Palm
here is the report of someone that is happy too, with the tuning of his hang by ECS.
He writes in his opinion the hang now sounds better than before (Es klingt sogar besser also zuvor.)
I dont know Eckhardt personally, i read four/five good reports of his hang-tuning and the reports
of two persons that were more or less dissatisfied when they received their instruments back after
the tuning. I have waited quite a long time pondering what tuning-alternatives i have.
My "Playmate " that recently could collect a bellart from Louis in Spain did ask beforehand, if it would
be possible to bring on that occasion a panart-hang to be retuned, but obviously Louis only tunes his own creations.
From Victor Levinson -SPB i did not receive an answere upon my tuning-request.
So i got in contact with ECS, and i did not regret my decision.
I only wanted to be probably helpful reporting my experience knowing the possible circumstances being considered
as a heretic by the hang-inquisition. ( i know, its a bit exaggerated but i have no better word handy )
Wolfgang
................................................................................................................................................

Hangwolf, I would prefer if we would stick to arguments instead of name calling ("vasall"). I think you haven't understood what I was interested to express in my post you told about. There are enough critics about PANArt stopping tuning service. My matter was to give some explanation about why this decision was made. I think this can help to understand. Nobody has to agree. And yes, it is a problem for some players. But it were players like you, players who have no respect for their art of tuning, who frustrated the PANArt tuners so much, that they decided to stop tuning service for older Hanghang. They thought: Why shall we take the hammer if those players are satisfied with the inadequate work of tuners like Eckhard. The problem with this decision don't have players like you, who obviously haven't the requirement of the special sound character and quality of the Hang, but the others who wouldn't be satisfied by Eckhard's tuning.

About tuners refusing a tuning of a Free Integral Hang: I think this is the only responsible attitude. I appreciate, that Luis doesn't do this. I also know, that Kyle Cox wouldn't re(de)tune a Free Integral Hang. Victor Levinson did it one time. He regret it afterwards and decided not to do it again. All these tuners have understood, that the free tuning is something, that should only be touched by someone who is familiar with it. While they (Victor and Kyle) are retuning 1st and 2nd generation Hanghang, they understand that re(de)tuning a Free Integral Hang is disrespect and ignorance for the work of the PANArt tuners, because they would destroy the tuning instead of restoring it. A serious tuner will not do something like this, but direct you to the instrument builder. You know that PANArt would have taken back your Free Integral Hang. Then you would have had enough money to buy a BElls, Halo or SPB, instruments that - in contrary to the Free Integral Hang - can satisfy your requirements.

Timo, I don't know which Hang version you have. If you have an Integral or Free Integral Hang, the only competent point of contact is PANArt. If it is an older version, you must consider what you are looking for and what your requirements are. I think there are two main questions you should ask:

1) Is this tuner able to play a Hang and do I like how he plays it?

2) How are the handpans he builds himself? Would I be satisfied with one of his instruments?

Michael