Depends on the model – the flagship has 62 strings!

The first banduras are going to trusted beta testers in 2027. I would expect to start making my way through the waitlist by early 2028.

Depends on the model, but generally between $5,000-$10,000

It basically boils down to 3 main reasons:

High quality materials

I always use the best material for the job (within reason). For example, most bandura bodies were made with Poplar to reduce costs. On the other hand, I primarily use Bigleaf Maple, which is more expensive but also a much better acoustic material.

However, I don’t spend money just to spend money. You won’t see rare woods like Brazilian Rosewood or “The Tree” on my instruments (unless you custom order) because it doesn’t really make that much of a difference acoustically compared with much cheaper woods.

Labor-intensive build process

I don’t simplify the design to make it easier to build. I choose the approach that gets the best end-result, even if it’s harder to build.

Banduras have ~2,000 lbs of tension on their frame from the many strings. Most banduras use simple, heavy bracing on the soundboard to support this tension. This bracing significantly dulls the instrument, but it only takes a few hours of work to brace.

My banduras use a one-of-a-kind bracing system I developed which moves most of the tension off of the soundboard, enabling it to be braced considerably lighter. This results in one of the most responsive banduras ever built. This takes multiple days to build, but I think that extra time is worth it for the sound it produces.

Years of research and development

The vast majority of banduras are built following factory plans developed by Ivan Skliar in Ukraine in the 1950s, without examining the many other incredible designs which were developed over the last century. I’ve evaluated the pros-and-cons of dozens of unique, handmade instruments, and combined those learnings with the latest research on other stringed instruments (e.g. guitars, violins, pianos).