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In this post I will draw comparisons between PANArt, BELLArt and Pantheonsteel.

Because of the complexity of the subject as well as my limited time when it comes to taking part in this forum, I had to find a way to make my points rather quick, since the subject can be endless. I therefore will draw pictures of the history and evolution of PANArt since the year 2000, compared to BELLArt and Pantheonsteel.

PANArt: I first have to state that PANArt has been going a way no one ever walked before. The Hang makers where not aware from the beginning what it was they hold in their hands. They made very little promotion for the Hang and were busy trying to keep up with the growing demand.
Many hundred instruments have been sold at very modest prices of 200 – 500 euros. As the technical quality and sound improved, PANArt raised their prices accordingly, reaching a current 1200 euros. This price includes the years of improvement and research, the protection case and bag, an overnight stay in Berne and most likely a nice long evening talk with the Hang makers.

Pantheonsteel: entered the "Hangworld" with a simple little question on their website almost two years ago. This little sentence has caused such a stir among Hang-Fans that Kyle Cox decided to go for it. Some "very soon’s" later the Halo is presented.
Bigger, lower, cheaper! Worldwide promotion through internet. "Pledged to bring this art form to all corners of the earth". While constantly leaning on the Hang, Pantheonsteel does not forget to point out that "while respecting the originators by not making a copy of the original, (we are) rather introducing our own unique process, material and sound." (quotes from Pantheonsteel).

BELLArt: has literally come out of nowhere. Nearly no information can be found about the company or the bellmaker Luis.
However, due to their website we have been able to observe the progress of BELLArt.
Right now, instruments are presented on video while it is made clear (by the maker of the videos) that the Bells are so-to-say "still prototypes" and not the "release version". BELLArt is promoting a product with a "not-yet-ready prototype".
The price for this instrument will be 1200 euro, the exact same price of an IH by PANArt.

Conclusion 1:
Both BELLArt and Pantheonsteel are riding on the Hang-Hype. This is reflected in their price policies as well as their use of the internet the way they do. I dare to say that both want to get a good bit of the cake (the business). Because if not, why would such an intense promotion be done by these companies and their spokesmen, resulting in great demand and even longer waiting lists?

Conclusion 2:
Both Bell and Halo are not "no good". Fact is that the Hang by PANArt will be copied. That is, in itself, positive and the way of life.
But it depends very much in the "how and why" such copies are done and brought to the general public.

Finally:
For me as an instrument maker, "the market" is a funny and "dangerous" thing. The market (customer and consumer) has the tendency to “tell me what to do”. It lets me know what is needed (a Hang, in the scale I want), and for what price (cheap! Or even less than that).
It is exactly this devil’s circle which PANArt is trying to break by bringing the Hang into the circle of gifts.

It is my hope that future attempts to create a Hang-like sound object will be carried out in silence, without pre-release promotion aiming to create demand and interest.

The magic of the Hang lies in the eyes of the beholder. The magic of the Hang is the consciousness of the present.

Thanks for reading and responding.

Werner

Um, much food for the hungry in your post Werner !
Wouldn't be surprised if some bite.

I can really relate to the sentiments in :-

"It is exactly this devil’s circle which PANArt is trying to break by bringing the Hang into the circle of gifts."

A big part of the "payment" to the maker for making a instrument is the joy from the hart of the player.

eloquent and concise.

i like this post

I don't think that either myself or Josue would consider our anticipation and enthusiasm to be intense promotion. If that is the case, then that is almost like saying I shouldn't speak of the HALO. I merely share what small amounts of information I am privy to. I believe that the demand is/was already there, despite "other" companies efforts. And yes, to "dare" say that "they" both want a share of the cake is somewhat of an irresponsible statement, that immediately implicates these individuals main concern is financial growth. We've already surmised that the economic gains are essential to ensure the further production of instruments. So you can't really have one, without the other. (And no, I was not paid to make these or any other statements in any way)

It's an interesting situation that develops for those that follow PANArt. They will forever be chastised for creating art merely to line their pockets. Assumptions and whispers never benefit anyone. (Though we can assume at least some will only have $$$ on their minds) Has anyone asked "why?" Pantheon is creating the HALO? I know in past posts I have explained Pantheon's stance at least once, if not more times. Yet from reactions like this, it seems this is only taken as propaganda of sorts.

So sad that some perspectives will not allow some individuals to see beyond their own ding. And also sad that any "discussion" is apparently taken as marketing or promotion. Was it not the feeling that these new makers and their instruments had to be discussed? Will any positive thoughts on these new instruments be taken merely as advertisement? This seems to limit my activity on this and other forums, if this is the case.

Hi Danny,

a fair discussion about these new instruments is in my eyes very needful. It is interesting to speak about the quality aspects in sound and function of the new creations and also of the PANArt Hang.
I had in the foretime the feeling, that on a lot of questions are no answers. A lot of times the members who are part of these discussion talk about cross purposes.
So if you feel at the moment that the statement from Werner is a critic, because you speak positive about the Halo, I feel often the same critic because I ask critical questions.

A lot of people ask Kyle if it is possible to make another video without a playing technic where the people are impressed because of the "good" playing and not hear any note seperated. It is so easy to make this video. It needs maybe half an hour time. I and a lot of other people ask this question!
Where is the answer?
This is only one example where i feel that Kyle maybe dont want a real discussion.

Greetings
Frank

I wrote a text which I wanted to post before Imagineye and funky replied. Reading these two posts forced me to rephrase a lot of my thoughts. But basically, what I wanted to say is this:



Crap! What was it that I really wanted to say?

From a marketing and business point of view neither Pantheonsteel nor BELLArt are doing “intense promotion” in the sense that they put effort into trying to sell their product.
Because of the “Hang-Hype”, Pantheonsteel and BELLArt do not need to advertise and appetize their instrument to the general public.
Since the PANArt Hang has had (and is having) worldwide success, there seems to be no further wish/need to present/introduce so-called Hang-like instruments in a proper way.

The proper way would be to present the Halo/Bell in all it’s possible expressions, moods and colours played by different people in different environments etc.
The proper way would also include some kind of description of quality aspects, meaning material, sound development, tuning stability, behaviour under load, behaviour under the pressure of every day use, etc.

No information concerning these things has been presented to the general public and potential customers.
Pantheonsteel promotes the Halo with two video-clips which “don’t do the sound-quality of the Halo justice”, they “attempt to remedy the problem”. Since weeks…
The interested reader is not able to find out any more “official” information. Same goes for the Bell by BELLArt.
I do not know why Pantheonsteel and BELLArt have such an information policy. The only logical conclusion I can make is that both are trustfully riding on the “Hang-Hype”.

@Imagineye: This thing is NOT about bashing followers of PANArt. As I stated before and I quote:


As I said before, I am appreciating responses to these posts.

Werner

I agree with you, particularly in the case of the Halo. I think that BellArt is off to a better start by showing prototypes and videos showing progress before taking deposits. But both are clearly riding on "Hang-hype." Unless it is my computer, the audio tracks on the Halo home page do even less justice to the sound quality.

"Proper" seems to imply that there is one correct way to introduce a new instrument. There are a variety of ways, and some people will prefer some over others.
"Riding on the 'Hang-Hype'" also seems to include a fair amount of judgment and speculation. Now that the world has the Hang, and there is great interest in it (at least in our relatively small community), anything similar will be compared. I do not come to the conclusion that any new product is "riding on the 'Hang-Hype.'" Perhaps some are, but the connection is there. Is any connection with the Hang (which obviously have served as a model and inspiration, in many but not all way) an issue? To me it would be disingenuous to not have some connection to the Hang, but then if someone does mention this connection, it seems like they are somehow unfairly using this relationship for their own personal gains.

FWIW, I agree that additional video and sound samples would be useful, and I have asked Kyle to do so. I believe that the main reason that this hasn't happened is more because Kyle is less familiar with video and recording, is a bit of a perfectionist, and is currently immersed in the initial phases of production (rather than an effort to intentionally not share the true qualities of the Halo). No one is compelled to make a deposit at this time.

As for the statement, "The only logical conclusion I can make is that both are trustfully riding on the 'Hang-Hype,'" I believe there may be other logical conclusions. There is at least the possibility that Pantheon is willing to allow some time for their first customers to share their experiences with their instruments, and that they have faith that those people will be positive about the instrument, that they will share those views, and that customer testimonials will be far more powerful than any words directly from the company.

Finally, the "what" is more important than the "how and why" to me. If the new instruments sound good and move people deeply, that will be a positive thing.

for my point of view .............. i'm just exciting by this new instruments !!!!!
i prefer the HALO at this time (more bass sound) but i'm on the 2 list !!!

very impatient !!!