My honest review on Suzuki plastic shinobues

My honest review on the inexpensive plastic shinobue, Suzuki Douji.

Many of my students start out learning shinobues with Suzuki plastic shinobues, and I sell many of them on my website. Here is my honest opinion on this shinobue.

Pros:

Sound Quality

They truly resemble a bamboo flute. If I conducted a blind test with someone playing a bamboo flute and Suzuki plastic shinobues, I wouldn't be surprised if I got it wrong.

Ease of playing

I find the Suzuki shinobue in both 6 hon choshi and 7 hon choshi keys to be very easy to play. Their kan on sound very nice. I've heard from others that they purchased the Suzuki 6 hon choshi for traveling because it's so durable, and they claim it plays better than their bamboo flute! (I’ll share more about the 8 hon choshi later.)

Price

When you first try shinobue, you might not be sure if you like it. Start with an affordable option so you can see if it's right for you. Don’t spend too much on your first shinobue. Suzuki Douji is a great choice for beginners!

Durability

Bamboo flutes are prone to cracking. Plastic shinobues are not. You can even keep it in your car. Great for traveling.

Great for travel

A lot of experienced players love taking Suzuki shinobues on their travels because they're super durable! Plus, if anything were to happen to them, you don't have to worry much since they’re not too pricey. You can now practice shinobue during your vacation and share it around the campfire with your friends!

Quality consistency

Bamboo flutes are handcrafted, making each one unique, which is quite fascinating. However, this uniqueness can be a downside when purchasing one, as you cannot be sure of the quality until you try it in person. On the other hand, plastic shinobues, like those made by Suzuki, are created using specific molds. For instance, my Suzuki 6 hon choshi is exactly the same as the one you would buy. This consistency allows me to speak definitively about Suzuki shinobues.

Cons:

Looks

I’m not a big fan of Suzuki's appearance; it looks rather plastic to me. I wish it came in black! (However, I am practical, so appearance isn’t as important to me as factors like sound quality and pricing.)

8 hon choshi - ryo on 1

Suzuki 8 hon choshi sells the most but I'm not a big fan of its ryo on 1. With any 8 hon choshi, the lower part of the range is not very resonant because of its small size, but I feel like Suzuki 8 hon choshi's ryo on 1 is especially hard.

My opinion on each hon choshi

Among all the Suzuki hon choshis, my favorite is the 6 hon choshi. It is the largest and most resonant, producing a sound reminiscent of a beautiful bamboo flute. However, it is more expensive than the other hon choshis. If you want to invest less, I recommend the 7 hon choshi. The 7 hon choshi is still very easy to play and has a lovely bright sound, and its price is comparable to that of the 8 hon choshi.

If you're looking for a shinobue to play solo, I would not recommend the 8 hon choshi, as it is the least resonant option. However, if you plan to play with a taiko group and focus primarily on kan on, the Suzuki 8 hon choshi could be a good choice because its kan on sound is easy to produce and carries well.

If you intend to play with a pianist, the 8 hon choshi might be suitable since 8 hon choshi is easy to play in the keys of C, F, and G major, which are good keys for pianists.

Hope you liked my honest review on Suzuki shinobues! If you are interested in purchasing them, here is the link!