Our balafons or balaphones are hand-made items using carefully chosen gourds to provide the right size resonating chamber beneath the wooden keys.
Pickup currently not available
The balafon is one of Africa's great melodic instruments, and this ten-key Ghanaian example is made in the traditional way: wooden keys lashed in sequence to a wooden frame, with dried calabash gourds hung beneath each key as natural resonating chambers.
It is those gourds that give the balafon its unmistakable sound - warm, woody and buzzing with life, louder and richer than the keys alone could ever be. Ten keys give a full scale to explore, whether you come to it as a percussionist, a curious pianist or a complete beginner.
Each instrument is handmade in Ghana from natural materials, so every balafon has its own voice and character.
Fair Trade and ethically sourced.
Specifications: approx. 68cm x 25cm x 36cm. Made in Ghana.
Our balafons or balaphones are hand-made items using carefully chosen gourds to provide the right size resonating chamber beneath the wooden keys.
Each balafon comes with a pair of rustic wood and rubber mallets which provide the right amount of bounce and rebound on the instrument.
We would like every customer to love their new instrument! If this isn't the case, let us know and we'll do our best to make it right. You can read the full information here.
We will work quickly to ship your order as soon as possible and despatch items Monday to Friday. Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with further information.
Our products are manufactured in Ghana. Much of the carving and drum shaping work is done inland in the countryside whilst the finishing and roping is done in and around Accra.
We charge £3.50 standard carriage and £4.50 for an Express service. All orders over £35.00 are sent free of charge.