Troubleshooting

Symptom first diagnosis: what a dead note, a buzz, a wobble or a lost sustain usually means, and when to call the maker.

18 questions answered

Most handpan problems are not handpan problems. Damping from a lap or a case, a ring on a striking finger, a room with too much carpet, a cold instrument taken straight out of its bag, a phone microphone held too close: these account for the large majority of reports that something has gone wrong. Work through the mundane explanations first, because they are both more likely and free to fix.

The genuine faults are a short list, and they share a signature. They are local rather than global, they persist across rooms and playing positions, and they represent a change from how the instrument used to be rather than a difference from how you expected it to sound. If you have a reference recording of your instrument from when it was new, this section gets much easier. If you do not, make one today.

— Ibi

Questions and answers

Common problems

A rapid diagnostic set: what the symptom usually means, what to check first, and when it is a maker's job.

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