12 Hole Zelda Wooden Tenor Ocarina (Pre Order)

I've long been a fan of LoZ and STL Ocarina. Due to an unfortunate accident with my clay triple chamber, I've stuck to their plastic ocarinas, which are definitely the best available, but I was longing for something with a more natural feel and higher quality tone. This wood ocarina is the perfect compromise for me! It has a very smooth professional polish, and a very nice warm woodsy tone that hearkens back to my childhood spent running in the woods and playing Ocarina of Time. I highly recommend, but there are some things you'll need to know if you're a casual player like me:

1) You'll notice more condensation with this ocarina than with the plastics or ceramics. To help clear out the airway in between songs, cut thin strips of paper to poke through the mouthpiece after blowing it clear, be sure the paper strips are small enough they won't get stuck

2) The shape is different than the plastic ocarinas I was used to, so getting accustomed to holding it properly and covering all the holes can take a little time, but don't get discouraged, the sound it makes is definitely rewarding.

3) Wood instruments require a little maintenance. I'm sure this ocarina has been oiled before it was shipped, but it may require it again sometime in the future. Definitely research how others have maintained their wood ocarinas with food-grade oils to determine which one would work best for you.

4) Ensure your ocarina doesn't go through extreme humidity or temperature changes, especially in the environment you plan to store it. Do not store it anywhere below freezing temperatures, or anywhere above 100F

This is an amazing ocarina. I have a decent collection of ceramic and wood ocarinas and this is my favorite to play so far. Wood has a better sound than ceramic in my opinion. I have two Charlie Hind wood ocarinas and while I can say they do sound better than this one, it’s not by a huge margin and the Hind ocarinas are slightly more difficult to play and cost significantly more. For the price and quality this ocarina is well worth the purchase, especially for a beginner.

I am in love with this ocarina. The wood is beautiful adding unique character to the ocarina with the grain patterns and little knot sections. It plays perfectly in tune and the reverb in the wood versus a plastic or ceramic chamber gives it a more mellow, sweet sound.

Included with the ocarina was also a crush velvet drawstring bag to keep it in which was a nice touch. I’d love to see more things like this from STL’s ocarinas rather than just the packing styrofoam sleeve. It does not included a neck strap, but does have a hole near the neck of the ocarina so you can easily add one if you prefer to use one or would like to wear it while at a festival. With the wood aesthetic this would be the perfect instrument to take to a renaissance festival.

In all this is a great instrument for both new and old ocarina players. I really hope STL continues to branch out into more unique ocarinas like this one and the ranger B flat tuning ocarina.