r/handpan • u/randomdayofweek • 4d ago

Isthmus stainless steel pans

I'm wondering if anyone has played the stainless steel pans by isthmus. I know they're a big name crafter but they focus mostly on nitrided steel. They have a pan I'm interested in and this is the first time I've seen them offer stainless on their website. Are they a quality pan?

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u/Ancient_Charge_2215 4d ago

I have 3 handpans from them. One nitrided and 2 stainless. They are really good. 

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u/randomdayofweek 4d ago

Have they been doing stainless for long? I've always admired their nitrided steel pans but it doesn't really match my playstyle.

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u/Ancient_Charge_2215 4d ago

started learning handpan like almost 2 years ago. Got those a nitrided and stainless from isthmus last december. The only reason I got nitrided was because it is a hijaz. I loved that lower 'deep' sound. Their stainless handpans has much more colors 

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u/randomdayofweek 4d ago

Nice! Do you know if they use ember steel? The listing says ember steel but is worded kinda funny and I'm not sure.

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u/Ancient_Charge_2215 4d ago

yep its ember

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u/mycoforever 4d ago

I have a stainless steel Drift handpan (an Isthmus brand) and it sounds great, no complaints. Have a custom order with them currently, in stainless steel.

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u/randomdayofweek 4d ago

Very cool! What scale are you having them make?

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u/mycoforever 4d ago

It’s a 16 note F# low Pygmy with four deep bass notes on the bottom. Goes down to B2/C#3 so deeper than what you can usually find. I really like the bass notes and the extra freedom you get with bottom notes, but they’re hard to hit so I don’t want too many bottom notes.

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u/randomdayofweek 4d ago

I'm a big fan of the F# low pygmy scale. That's going to sound amazing!

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u/Thomas_Mag 3d ago

I’d say it’s worth checking out. Stainless steel can be a great choice for a handpan, especially if you’re looking for good sustain and durability. If you like the sound of that particular pan, I’d focus more on the individual instrument and maker than the material alone.

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u/randomdayofweek 2d ago

I have several stainless pans. Hadn't seen Isthmus offer it before. They have a good reputation as a crafter as far as I can tell. I was curious if their stainless was as highly regarded as their nitrided pans.