The Path to The Top Shelf

Ten years ago, Handpan.org was a thriving online forum. It was the central hub for all things handpan. I joined when it opened in August of 2009 and was an ongoing contributor for years. I forged many friendships through the forum, both digital and in real life. It spurred me to go to my first gathering, HangOutUK in 2010 and many following.

As the young handpan world grew, there were slowly new makers. The admin team of Handpan.org created two sections for makers on the forum - Meet The Family and The Top Shelf. Meet The Family was for up-and-coming makers and established makers. The Top Shelf was reserved for the makers/companies that were unanimously viewed as the best of the best.

In 2013, The Top Shelf section had the following: The PANArt Hang, Halo House, BElls Home, and SPb House. Not long after, the Echo Sound Sculpture House was moved to The Top Shelf. When I picked up the hammer in January of 2013, I had one goal in mind: The Top Shelf. At that time I had played and owned instruments by all the makers in The Top Shelf category so I knew what I was up against. The bar was VERY high, it was a Mount Everest-type goal.

So I went to work. For the first year, 2013, I kept to myself, set my own goals, and didn't tell much of anyone what I was up to. I didn't make any hand-played instruments but instead focused on hybrid steelpans. They were a great testing ground and didn't require specific tools--just a few hammers.

In my second year, 2014, I started working on my own hand-played instruments. Not that many in the first half of the year but the ones that I did show, left an impression. My second instrument was played by Kyle Cox of Pantheon Steel at Handpangea in the Spring of 2014. He was one of The Top Shelf makers at the time and thankfully his reaction was caught on camera.

I knew that I was on the right track but there still was a great deal of work to do. Specifically, I was working out my nitriding recipe - the very complicated outsourced heat treatment process that at the time, all of The Top Shelf instruments featured. By the Fall of 2014, I had that process dialed in and I secretly went into production.

Across the Fall of 2014, my goal was to create a collection - a cohesive and consistent set of instruments that would lead to an undeniable conclusion - this guy is Top Shelf. I had my eyes on Pantasia 2015; the West Coast gathering in the United States. I knew that if I showed up with not one, not two, but a dozen complete instruments, it could make the impact that I had been working toward for two years.

In the collection (list below) there were three major instruments and four in the relative minor, meaning that all seven, or any combination, could be played together. The other five were one-offs that showed my range and diversity. Most were takes on the classics showing I could nail the popular models but put my own twist on them too.

Much to my financial discomfort, I sat on those dozen instruments until March of 2015. They had all found homes with those who would attend the event. I made the agreement with the to-be owners that I would own the instruments until the last day of the festival in that I wanted them to be played and enjoyed by all. I agreed that I would give them a once-over before the end of the event insuring they had a clean bill of health. The new owners knew to expect delivery of their instrument at the event but they were not aware of the other eleven owners who were also expecting a delivery.

On the first day of the event, I arrived a little early with all twelve instruments and a rolling rack in my truck. I didn't really have a plan but I had hoped by arriving early I could sneak everything into the event space. Much to my surprise, my wife, who was seven months pregnant, and I were able to quietly unload unnoticed. Even better was that there were a few cubicle walls that I moved to completely hide the whole lot. The stage was set.

At this point, I had done what I had set out to do. I knew the impact was going to happen and I was confident that after that event, there would be a new Top Shelf maker. I remember thinking that there would be a moment when a Handpan.org user would sign on to the forum and there would suddenly be a Top Shelf maker they had never heard of!

That evening I took the floor, announced what I had been up to, and had the great reveal of moving a wall and making a dozen Top Shelf instruments appear out of nowhere. It was a handpan feeding frenzy! I remember sitting back and being content with the two years of hard work it took to arrive at that moment.

By the last day of the event, I was listed in The Top Shelf of Handpan.org. I had arrived.

Moments before the big reveal, I was all smiles.

Josh Rivera and Sylvain Paslier playing a CFoulke C# Celtic9 and C# Polaris.

Moments before the feeding frenzy! It took 15 weeks to fill that rack and 15 seconds for them to empty it!!!