FAQ

Yes, even if I prefer to meet the client, it is quite possible to receive a Djillhi by mail.

You will find more information on the scales page. I am definitely open to custom scales, Mutants, bottom notes, Stainless, challenges…

It depends on the number of notes, contact me for more details.

But as most of my instruments with 8 notes plus the central note costs 2200 CHF.

It depends on the waiting list I have. But if I started immediately an instrument for you, you would have to wait at least a month. Why so much time? Well already I am alone and a very large portion of the work is done by hand. I prefer focusing my attention on the quality and energy that I put in each instrument rather than in quantity. Then beyond the manufacturing time it takes a few weeks for the instrument to open (while the glue is curing and small tuning adjustements are done along the curing process).

This is a good question I think … I advise you to: – follow your intuition, the emotion you get while hearing and insturment. – try an instrument with the scale that you would like to order. Playing an instrument is not the same thing as listening to it. – To learn about different scales you can visit the scale page of this website but also listen to many different handpan/Pantams/Cupola on the internet. Note the scales that you like the most, we can discuss them together if you want advice. You can also read this post by David Charrier. All his blog is also a very good resource.

I encourage you and support you morally 🙂 to discover this instrument alone for a while anyway. You can take it as a game or as a daily exercise but in any case try to keep it fun. In my opinion, this is part of the wealth of the Handpan | Pantam | Cupola community. It’s because everyone develops their own style. On the other hand if you are frustrated to go around in circles and you feel that you could develop your potential. I advise you several things:

Djillhi are treated against rust thanks to the nitriding process. Nevertheless prolonged exposure to wet or saline oxygen can cause rust formation. That is why it is useful to take precautions:

–  On the one hand never stores your instrument closed in his bag more than three days. Use the bag only for transportation. If temporarily you have no other place to store it, open at least the zipper to allow air to circulate.

– After each time you play, use a microfiber tab to erase grease stains.

– If needed or Once a year clean your instrument with alcohol and then put virgin coconut oil on the instrument (a small nut is enough).

– Every 2 month spread a small nut of virgin coconut oil on every side of the instrument, don’t forget the rim and around the opening on the bottom side too.

– Avoid direct sun exposure. If that should happen, let it cool down before playing it. Imagine thousands of hammers were needed to make this instrument but they were  cold worked (even if at least 4 tempering took place), if you hot work it, you will permanently detune it.

Yes. To guarantee quality and stable tuning, each Djillhi is tuned many times throughout the manufacturing process. The tensions are relaxed and redistributed several times by performing tempering. Even thanks to all these efforts and like any other handpans, tuning can shift over time. Generally the instrument remains coherent and harmonious with itself. Most instruments tend to become sharper. The need for re-tuning is rarely felt before 2 or 3 years for an amateur musician.

That’s a tricky one :-). They are all different! When I have some instruments that I made exposed in my living room, sometimes I say to myself: “It’s funny it looks like a meeting of musicians with many instruments of different manufacturers!” But why? My priority is sound and touch. My choices for sound have an influence on the appearance and I like to change little things. I like The idea that each instrument is unique. And also I must say that there have already been complaints from a company about the appearance of instruments that could have been copied. It does not have any legal value but perhaps morally it can help to show that all this diversity can not be a way to copy an appearance, what do you think?

Since summer 2019 every Djillhi instrument have an organic wavy design in the center of the bass note.

Yes! I hope for sure that a bound will be created between you and your instrument and that you will share things for years. But if it’s not the case and with the time you want to express other things and you feel that you can not do it with this Djillhi, I prefer that it finds someone another who can be delighted by his sonorities! If you are limited or you have really big money  worries (which I understand particularly well), you can sell it. I recommend you for ethical reasons not to make a profit by selling it.

It’s true nobody has ever asked me this question … But I do not want it all to be too serious! So:

I will give you all the details during our private exchanges but in general I accept only payments by bank transfer.

Contact me it depends on my time and the instrument.