Japanese Shinobue Flute 7/8 Hon Handmade Bamboo Flute Musical Instrument (Black 8Hon)

Has a crack

Feels like nice solid bamboo. This is my first shinobue and was surprised at the quality for the price. I can easily make a sound from the flute but I still need to learn how to play!

It's an interesting item at this 17.99 price point. It seems overall reasonably well thought out and made, being made of wood, bamboo I believe, and well finished with a black laquer of some kind, it feels decent in the hand and has no strange smells or anything that seems like an error or oversight in production. That said musically it sounds pretty unrefined, it has a rather harsh tone and it doesn't strike me as being well in tune, that said it's not the worst sounding thing either, and with practice it could be fun to play. It switches fairly easily between different octaves depending on the shape of your mouth as you play, I would primarily think this a good choice for someone who wants a cheap and novel musical learning experience - or someone who wants to add a new sound to their repitoir and doesn't mind if it has some limitations provided the price is right.

flute split right down the middle. didn't use the flute too much but purchased it about a month and a half and already broke. wouldn't recommend this vender if you're thinking of a buying a Japanese Shinobue Flute.

I have to admit I was surprised when I saw how well made and attractive looking this shinobue flute is for this price. I was expecting something more like a toy, but this is a solid wood flute with a very nice finish and carrying case. It's got a bit of a learning curve if you've never played flute before and it's worth it to find a few basic instructional videos online. Otherwise I'm very happy with the sound quality and playability of this instrument.

Don't judge the flute by my playing — I'm a pretty novice woodwind player and out of practice on that. I think the POTENTIAL sound is alright especially for its price range. It's not just decorative but seems to be an earnest instrument. That said, as you might expect (given that it's currently listed at less than $20) it's not a premium build by any means. Don't get me wrong; it's not finished particularly poorly or anything — just somewhat mass produced on a tight budget. I guess you could call it "souvenir" quality perhaps. Definitely playable and tuned alright (root note seems to be a Bb) though. The included mouthpiece wasn't great, it did kinda work but I couldn't get the lower octave at all really and it's probably better to just pucker up and learn to play it for real. Maybe not the best starter instrument since it was harder to get a note out than some of my other flutes/fifes but it's possible that's normal/expected for this particular type.

This is a decent lower end flute and it doesn't sound too bad. When researching this I learned that the more bindings the higher price due to labor. I think the manufacturer here took a short cut and used some sort of shrink tubing as opposed to individually winding the binding. Also, I wiped the flute down with a rag and also with the provided alcohol wipe, but my lips feel weird, almost chapped. I have concerns with the lacquer used and may not use it again.

Thin wooden flute arrived with 10 inch break through all the fingerholes down. Unsure if it is a manufacturing problem, shipping issue, or both, but it was completely useless either way.