The sound is beautiful! Tho took a bit longer but it was totally worth it! My third purchase from Taiko, this is hands down the best flute I’ve ever received, thank you!

Lovely shinobue. Really happy, and well worth the wait for it to be made. Fast international shipping too. Many thanks.

Great instrument, super in tune and very easy to play a full sound.

I bought 2 instruments, one in Bb and one in D. (The Bb is the larger of the two pictured.) I needed these for a new Musical that is premiering this summer. I payed a bit extra for rush shipping to get them here before rehearsals started, and once they were made they shipped lightning fast to the USA -- weeks ahead of their shipping estimate (Thank you!) I was very pleased with the packaging for shipping, they were well protected and arrived in pristine condition. They are visually beautiful, and sound fantastic. As expected, the larger Bb instrument has a more mellow tone in the lower register. This is my first time playing Shinobue, and I will say it is an adjustment coming from flutes with a lip plate, not only in producing a good tone, but also in "finding" the proper horizontal position to center my emboucher. This is also a challenge because it's slightly different even on the 2 shinobue in different keys - but this challenge will diminish with practice. I also find that because my hands are used to holding a concert flute which is larger in diameter, I find my left hand thumb tends to cramp a little. In the end, I'm very happy to have these Shinobue in my collection, and that I chose to get high quality Rippei Fukiurushi Tenchimaki -- money well spent. I'm very excited to hear their beautiful tone fill up a large theater space!

Incredibly fast delivery from Japan to the UK! This is the second shinobue I have purchased from the Taiko Centre and for such online shopping this is now my store of choice. This shinobue by Rippei-san is beautifully simplistic. It feels like a quality crafted item and the lacquer finish really accents the natural bamboo. The sound is strong and is a pleasure to play.

I splurged on this as my first shinobue. Since I am serious about learning it; a fue I really adore will help encourage me during the long practices. The Fukiurush finish is silky soft and really show off the nature bamboo patterns. The sound it produces is clean and buttery. Can't be happier with the flute. On top of that, the customer service at the Taiko Shop was spectacularly friendly and kind.

When I started looking for a shinobue, The website was very informative and I learned a lot about the keys, the types of bamboo, lacquer, and bindings. It helped me to choose my shinobue. When I ordered it I was shocked at how quickly I received it. It was wrapped with care to ensure a safe delivery. I am enjoying playing my shinobue. The sound is absolutely beautiful!! Thank you so much for the care quality and education on this piece. I would not hesitate to order from you again. Thank you, Laura from Alaska