At Muzikkon, we love to celebrate instruments that tell stories. While guitars and keyboards dominate most music shops, our team spends countless hours sourcing and crafting instruments that reflect centuries of musical heritage. In this blog, we shine a spotlight on rare and unique instruments—many from ancient or folk traditions—that you are unlikely to find in mainstream catalogues. These treasures belong to a variety of categories across our store, including strings, lutes, drums, wind instruments and percussion. Each instrument demonstrates our commitment to quality craftsmanship and connects you to distinct musical cultures.
Kalimbas – Pocket‑sized African magic
One of the most charming instruments in our percussion category is the kalimba. Originating in sub‑Saharan Africa, the kalimba (also known as the thumb piano) is celebrated for its compact size and enchanting tone. Our blog on rare instruments notes that these instruments are tuned precisely and built from quality woods, making them easy for beginners to play yet satisfying for seasoned musicians. The metal tines are plucked with thumbs, producing soft, bell‑like tones that lend themselves to meditation, folk melodies or accompaniment. At Muzikkon we ensure each kalimba is crafted from robust wood and carefully tuned so that its notes ring clearly. If you’re curious about these tiny marvels, explore our percussion collection to see the designs that range from traditional African styles to modern adaptations.
Lute Ukuleles beyond the ordinary
The lute ukulele beautifully unites the elegance of the Renaissance lute with the bright charm of the ukulele. Its rounded back and graceful body reflect centuries of European craftsmanship, while its familiar tuning keeps it approachable for modern players.
At Muzikkon, each lute ukulele is handcrafted from fine tonewoods such as walnut, rosewood, and locwood to produce a warm, balanced tone. The six-string setup enriches its sound, making it ideal for classical, folk, or fingerstyle music. Compact yet resonant, it brings historical character to contemporary performance.
Our collection celebrates instruments that blend tradition and innovation. Explore the Strings Collection to discover lute ukuleles crafted with care for musicians around the world.
Rebecs – predecessors to violins
If you love the violin’s singing tone, the rebec offers a time‑travel experience. This pear‑shaped bowed instrument predates the violin by centuries and is associated with medieval and Renaissance music. In our rare instruments blog, we explain that rebecs have a nasal, expressive tone, are built using traditional materials and crafted for authenticity. Each rebec we offer is carved from quality tonewood and strung with gut or synthetic strings to replicate their original timbre. Musicians drawn to early music ensembles or historical re‑enactments will find the rebec an essential companion. We invite you to explore it within our strings category, where we curate instruments for both performance and study.
Renaissance lutes – courtly elegance revived
The lute is perhaps the emblem of European Renaissance music. Our lute category includes several varieties, but the Renaissance lute is a highlight. It features a rounded back made of strips of wood, a spruce soundboard, a bent pegbox, and multiple courses of strings. These features give it a warm, mellow sound well suited to polyphonic music and intimate settings. We choose high‑quality wood and adjust frets meticulously to ensure authenticity and playability, just as our lute collection promises. Whether you’re a historical musician seeking a museum‑quality instrument or a modern composer exploring ancient textures, our lute collection offers Renaissance, Descant, Travel and Theorbo lutes. Each model retains historical elegance while integrating subtle improvements to ease tuning and performance.
Psalteries – crystalline voices from antiquity
Another rarely seen gem is the psaltery, a triangular or trapezoidal string instrument whose history stretches to ancient times. Psalteries produce bright, crystalline notes that were prized in sacred music. According to our rare instruments guide, these instruments come in varying shapes with beautiful wood grain and precise tuning. At Muzikkon we handcraft psalteries from select tonewoods and fit them with fine strings, ensuring a shimmering, harp‑like resonance. They’re ideal for contemplative melodies or accompaniment to vocals. We present these instruments as part of our strings collection, preserving their delicate look while guaranteeing structural integrity.
Medieval fiddles – earthy and raw
The medieval fiddle is an ancestor to the modern violin but with a distinct voice. Our rare instrument article notes that medieval fiddles are built with historical accuracy to deliver a raw, earthy tone, and they are popular among re‑enactors and educators. We craft these instruments using traditional shapes and materials, producing a sound that evokes minstrels and court dances. The body is often flatter than a violin, with C‑shaped sound holes and a shorter fingerboard. Such fiddles enrich medieval and Renaissance consorts and provide a unique timbre for experimental music. If you’re searching for an instrument that stands out on stage or in the classroom, consider visiting our strings category to explore medieval fiddles alongside other historical bowed instruments.
Banjos – African roots with modern flair
Although banjos have become a staple in folk and bluegrass, their origins trace back to African instruments. Our rare instruments blog explains that the banjo offers a crisp rhythm and a cultural legacy, making it perfect for folk and experimental genres. We build our banjos with high‑quality materials, adjustable heads and comfortable necks to ensure clarity and durability. We also offer hybrid models such as six‑string banjo guitars and tenor banjos, appealing to guitarists and Irish traditional players alike. Explore our string assortment to find banjos with vintage looks, modern hardware and authentic tone.
Bodhrán – the heartbeat of Irish music
Our focus on rare instruments wouldn’t be complete without discussing the bodhrán, a drum that has been the heartbeat of Irish music for centuries. In our dedicated bodhrán blog, we describe its raw, earthy tone and rhythmic drive and note that it carries centuries of cultural transformation. Historically the bodhrán may have developed from agricultural tools; it was used in rural festivities and is often played with bare hands. During the Irish folk revival, innovations such as the tipper (drumstick) and new tuning systems allowed performers to adjust tension and produce deep bass, slaps and clicks. Today, musicians can modulate pitch and create complex rhythms, making the bodhrán a versatile percussion instrument. Our drum collection includes both traditional and modern bodhráns crafted from premium woods and goatskin heads. We ensure comfortable rims and tuning mechanisms so players can achieve the rich spectrum of tonal effects described in our blogs.
Tabor drums and frame drums – ancestral rhythms
Beyond the bodhrán, our drums page highlights other rare percussion such as frame drums, medieval drums, renaissance drums and tabor drums. We emphasise that each drum in our collection showcases unmatchable quality, combining durability, convenience and beauty. Tabor drums, for example, were used in medieval Europe to accompany pipe melodies; they feature a rope‑tensioned head and can be played with one hand while piping with the other. Frame drums and shaman drums draw from ancient ritualistic music, creating resonant, open tones that inspire trance‑like rhythms. For those seeking high‑quality beginner drums, we offer models designed for comfortable grip and easy skill development. To explore these unique drums, visit our drum section and discover instruments that connect you to ancestral grooves.
Harps – Celtic beauty and beyond
Harps have long symbolised elegance, and we take pride in our harp selection. Our collection includes Celtic, Irish and lever harps crafted by expert artisans. The harps are made from premium woods with durable strings, delivering beautiful sound, durability and visual elegance. We ensure beginner harps provide comfortable playing while advanced models offer rich tones and precision. Categories such as Ard Rí, Boru, Claddagh, Gothic, Trinity and Cross‑strung harps provide choices for different musical traditions. Because of their delicate build and ethereal sound, harps rarely appear in ordinary music shops. By visiting our strings instruments page or our dedicated harp collection you can find the model that speaks to your spirit.
Wind instruments with character
Our wind instruments offer melodies that are both soothing and vibrant. The wind collection includes tin whistles, Native American flutes, Irish flutes and bombard chanters. Each instrument is well‑crafted by artisans with careful attention to detail, using high‑quality materials and aesthetic decoration. Their tunes are known for their soothing quality, attracting listeners and players alike. We ensure each instrument is elegantly constructed with features that boost performance. If you’re intrigued by Celtic or indigenous melodies, our wind section offers instruments that are seldom available in mainstream stores, giving you access to authentic timbres and playing techniques.
Percussion artistry – Bell trees and beyond
In addition to kalimbas, our percussion category features bell trees, shakers, and hybrid percussion instruments. Our site emphasises that we never compromise on quality, using superior materials and paying attention to detail to produce instruments that leave everyone in awe. The bell tree, for instance, contains a vertical row of small bells that cascade downward when stroked. We focus on sophistication and delicacy, ensuring each note is on point. Our bell trees are ideal for theatre, orchestral sound effects or meditative soundscapes. Explore our percussion collection to find these and other expressive instruments.
Why choose our rare instruments?
What unites these rare instruments is our dedication to craftsmanship and cultural authenticity. Our strings instruments page promises that we craft all instruments in our showroom, from harps and mandolins to rebecs and oud, allowing customers to find traditional, classical, historical, ethnic, folk and Celtic instruments that suit their taste. We take pride in using high‑quality materials and carving them into distinctive shapes with eye‑catching patterns. When you invest in a rare instrument from us, you receive a piece that honours tradition while meeting modern performance standards.
Discover your next musical adventure
At Muzikkon, we believe that learning and performing on unique instruments enriches the musical landscape. Whether you’re intrigued by the delicate sound of the psaltery, the rhythmic drive of the bodhrán, the courtly elegance of the lute or the soul‑soothing tones of the Native American flute, our collections offer a gateway to new sonic worlds. We invite you to browse our strings, harps, lutes, drums, wind instruments, and percussion pages to find an instrument that speaks to you. We’re here to help you discover rare and unique instruments that will enrich your musical journey and connect you to cultures around the world.
