Traditional Thai Khaen Phaet 16 Pipe 12 Hole Bamboo Reed Instrument

This mouth organ has two parallel rows of eight bamboo pipes each, which run through a central wooden mouthpiece or windchest. Small finger holes are located on each side of the inner six pipes. These are to be covered by a finger to create sound. A performer uses all ten fingers to cover the hotels.
 
This khaen is from  northeastern Thailand – probably purchased by our mother in the 1970s – but its traditional use extends well into Laos where it has been awarded UNESCO intangible heritage status as a national musical instrument.
 
The sound it makes is very similar to a harmonica. We are not musicians so we are not comfortable making a video of the sound, so sorry! 
 
Ours has been a decorative item for decades, played with only for fun by visitors, talented and not. Some of the reeds are split and a buyer may want to clean them with a long pipe cleaner to clear out dust collected over the decades. We have cleaned what we could with our short pipe cleaner. Some of the reed ties on the top four reeds are a bit loose, but still intact. Otherwise, it is in good vintage condition.
 
Brand new, khaen this size are asking $ 150-300. Again ours is old and has some defects, but is still playable. We hope it reaches someone with more talent than us!
 
L 35 1/4” x W 6” x D 2 1/2”
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.