About Tapadum

Who we are

Tapadum is a music store and instrument workshop with roots in both Italy and Turkey. We bring together musicians, luthiers, and craftspeople dedicated to traditional ethnic instruments — designing, building, and curating instruments for players who want more than appearance. What matters to us is how an instrument responds, sustains, and matures in the hands of the player.

We operate on principles of direct communication, transparency, and informed guidance. Our recommendations are based on each customer’s specific needs and use case, supported by the technical expertise of our team.

Our story

Tapadum was founded by Ozgur Yalcin — composer, musician, arranger, and founder of the Turkish music group Kara Gunes. Years of concert tours had brought him to Italy long before he made it home; in 2015, he moved here permanently. He kept performing across the country with Kara Gunes Quintet — the band’s Italian chapter — and with other musicians along the way.

The pandemic years of 2019–2020 became a turning point. With concert halls quiet, Ozgur turned to something he had been quietly curious about for years: the makers behind the instruments. He traveled through Turkey and Iran, spending time in small workshops, talking with luthiers, learning where each instrument came from and what made one bench’s work different from another’s. What he saw made the gap clear: outside their home countries, well-made ethnic instruments were almost impossible to find. Too many shops were selling decorative pieces dressed up as instruments — pretty, but unplayable. From those journeys, the idea for Tapadum took shape: a place where a serious player, a student, or someone just starting out could find an instrument that actually plays well.

While the research deepened, work began in Izmir on a warehouse and logistics center and on two instrument-making workshops — one for percussion, one for string instruments. In 2022, Tapadum Ethnic Music Store opened its doors in Faenza, Italy. We’ve since moved to a quieter spot nearby: our shop and showrooms now sit in Villa Vezzano, a small village just outside Brisighella, open to musicians who want to visit, try instruments, and talk in person.

Since 2022, Tapadum has also organized concerts and workshops dedicated to ethnic instruments and the music made on them. Today the team includes a different musician or luthier looking after each instrument category — you can meet them further down this page.

What we offer

Our collection

The store covers traditional instruments from Turkey, Iran, the Arab world, Greece, the Balkans, and the wider Mediterranean — ouds, baglamas, tanburs, santurs, kanuns, setars, tars, neys, darbukas, daf, bendir, riq, tombak, handpans, and more. Browse the full catalogue by family or origin.

Tapadum Customs

If you want something specific — a particular wood, a custom scale, your own design idea — our Izmir workshops take on one-off and small-batch builds. We walk you through every step, from material choice to detailing. Learn more on our Custom Instruments page or contact us directly with your project.

Tapadum Academy

Owning the right instrument is the beginning, not the end. Our Music Academy connects you with experienced instructors who teach the techniques and traditions behind these instruments — from first lessons to advanced repertoire, online and in workshop format.

Tapadum Booking

For concert organizers, festivals, and event producers, Tapadum Booking connects you with musicians from our network — from a single oud player for an intimate evening to a full ensemble for a stage production.

Quality control

Every instrument is inspected and set up before it ships, whether it came from our own workshop or from a partner luthier. We check the build, fittings, strings or skins, finish, and overall playability. We tune them too — but tuning naturally shifts in transit, and most musicians prefer to settle the instrument into their own ear and style once it arrives anyway. If we wouldn’t play it ourselves, we don’t sell it.

Shipping & returns

We ship worldwide from Italy. Free shipping inside the EU, careful packaging tested for long routes, and a 15-day return window. If something arrives damaged in transit, we’ll replace it or refund it. Full details on our Shipping Policy and Return & Refunds Policy pages.

Pricing

Our pricing reflects principles of fairness and transparency. Many products in our store are listed at discounted prices that correspond to their assessed market value. Tapadum does not engage in artificial price inflation for promotional purposes.

Feel music with all colors. — Tapadum