Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

zenguy432 wrote:

I have never had the opportunity of hearing a cast bore shakuhachi played. Could you guys tell me if they sound radically different from more traditional shakuhachi. What are the pros and cons with this type of bore? Thank you for your help.

I haven't heard what the best cast bore shakuhachi sound like but I started playing on a student model 1.8 which is the cheapest one that is still made with a cast bore. Odds are that there are differences between those and the most expensive models but I would assume that the characteristics don't change that much.

From my experiences, the sound is much like you would expect from a jiari flute. Very solid and easy to play in the way you want without too many surprises in store. I find mine to be easier to play than most flutes I've tried since it tends to do more or less exactly what I'm trying to get it to do. Although I have only tried one I have a feeling that there is less variance between these flutes than there are between two jinashi from a same maker.

They are really good instruments if you are looking for something that plays really well, especially if precise tuning is a factor for you. I do feel that they lack some of the surprise-factor that comes with jinashi but this is to be expected and is most likely an added bonus to many players. I suppose it comes down to your playing habits. I would go for those flutes if I would play a lot with other instruments and/or play music where absolute pitch is a requirement.