The Handpan – A must-have instrument for the Burning Man set

But I don't get the argument for banning mass-production. If that makes the quality less then so be it. All instruments are of varying quality anyway. Stradivarius? All violins can't be Stradivariuses.

Obviously people who’ve never actually -been- poor are quite insistent that you can always afford something if it’s really important to you

Making a better resonance, and removing the need for a stand, is a fairly significant improvement. They do deserve recognition and reward for that imo. But there's no way they didn't see this coming.

So? What if the artist wants to produce music where they are "the sole artistic variable in instrument’s sonic output"?

Seems perfectly legitimate to me. Sure, many artists may be known for their use of some particular instrument, but I bet a vanishingly small percentage (or rather, promilleage, or PPM-age) goes to a concert to listen to "the combination of Famooze Artizte and his Particular Instrument" -- almost everyone is there for mr Artizte, period. Hardly anyone gives a fuck about the manufacturers of van Goghs paints and brushes either; the claim is as ridiculous as those demanding artistic recognition for his works.

And I betcha absolutely nobody drags friends and family to a school recital to listen to "the combination of my child and whatever particular instrument they're playing". Sometimes -- i.e, in the absolutely overwhelming majority of cases -- it really is all about the artist.

[EDIT:] And then I read the rest of your comment, which seems to mostly agree with what I'm saying. :-) But I'll let the above stand, because I still think even the little credit you gave them in my quote is misplaced. (And judging from the article, these people seem to be at most half "artisans", but mostly pretentious wankers.) [/EDIT]

Novel - for a minute - and then rather artless.