Collection Dunhuang Yun Erhu Chinese 2-string Violin Fiddle Musical Instrument

This is a well-crafted, well-made instrument. At this price you expect to see a difference from less expensive models, and we did. The most notable was the beautiful python skin which was not only vibrant in its black and gold pattern, but was slightly translucent--exactly as they should be. It is difficult to know what the wood is--it says old redwood here, mahogany is (I believe) the translation on the Dunhuang page (or elsewhere). I have also seen it called rosewood.Since this is considerably lighter than ebony erhus--and also claimed to be fire and rot resistant--I believe "redwood" is probably correct. In any case, it has an attractive brown finish (much nicer than the red or black erhus in my opinion) and the Dunhuang quality control seems very good. The tags should be on it when you receive it. It will come in a padded beige case with brown leather handles--very nice. There is no poem written along the side as with some other models, but there is subtle etching on the sound box that identifies it as a Dunhuang 09A.It's true that erhus sound different based on their materials and construction. You can hear that here. This has a more traditional sound of Chinese music. The upper notes are quite sweet. The lower ones have that kind of pitch that gives a distinctive sound to traditional Chinese erhu music. Frankly, I might choose an ebony erhu if you want to play Western music and have a more violin-like sound. If you are aiming for the "sound of Asia" (or to play Western music with that slight twist), this erhu would be an excellent choice. The California-based seller was a pleasure to deal with.