Rav Vast History | From Drum To Now (Where - When - Who)

The Rav Vast drum is like nothing you have ever heard unless you’ve heard a handpan, or maybe a tongue drum. Or maybe even if you have heard Caribbean steel drums.

You won’t have seen anything like it, Flying saucers ignored, it is one of the most unique instruments in existence, and even looks very different from tongue drums, tank drums, and others.

The Rav has unique shaped cuts to produce the tongues you won’t find elsewhere, and the sustain of the notes. Oh, that sustain!

Let’s dive into the full history of the Rav. Who invented and produced them, how they have developed, if at all, and what is available to interested customers today

First, let’s introduce Andrey Remyannikov

Andrey Remyannikov was a factory worker, engineering educated who had an interest in handpan instruments, but was not in the position financially to buy one, so set about making one for himself.

He didn’t want to replicate the Hang instrument itself, but produce something similar. Indeed, many people think there is little difference between the two instruments today. The look is not dissimilar, but there are some stark differences in construction, look, and sound.

Andrey has ultimately created an instrument that wholly rivals the handpan as a stand-alone percussive drum, with perfect pitch tonality. The company has since moved to create Rav handpans and the Rav Sax instruments.

About Rav Vast

Andrey chased his dream of creating an instrument. Not as a rival to the Hang, but for something similar with a similar sound. That he could produce himself.

Where is the Rav Made?

The location of the Rav Labs is in Perm in Russia. Close to the Ural mountains in Western Russia, it is located on the banks of the Kama River.

Where do you even start making a tongue drum?

With an understanding of how sounds are created in steel, Andrey went about spending his free time, and money when he had it, trying to recreate the sound of the handpan from steel.

Whilst the handpan from its original Hang origins had been around for some 10 years by now, it took Andrey some 18 months to finally complete the first RAV drum.

Andrey did so, not by using hammers and hammering a tune into the steel, but by cutting it instead, creating tones and notes from the tongues he carved out.

Coincidentally, this first Rav prototype was completed at just about the same time that PANArt had decided to stop producing the Hang.

Where does the name RAV Drum come from?

Even Andrey didn’t come up with the name itself, as it was suggested to him to use the initials of his full name, Remyannikov Andrey Vladimirovich to name his instrument and the RAV was born

What about ‘Vast’, why is it Rav Vast and not Rav Drum today?

Vast replaced the word drum in respect of the incredible sustain the Rav Drum has. Of all tongue drums on the market and available today, let alone in 2013, there is nothing like it.

Creation technique improvements

In the beginning, Andrey spent another year working and improving upon his prototype Rav drum to produce an instrument far closer to the one we know today. Production time has somewhat sped up.

Thankfully, whilst in the beginning, you could wait 1-2 months for a Rav vast to be created and shipped to you, Thanks to a huge team of creators employed in Perm, there are many scales available off the shelf and a wait of maybe only a few weeks for a customer order.

Rav Vast Today

It has been quite a quick growth pattern for Andrey and Rav Vast. Since really only being available in small numbers in 2014, awareness increased and demand grew.

With only a limited number of scales available and demand increasing, so had to team to expand in Perm, where more than 70 people now work creating not only the Rav Vast, but the Rav Vast 2 and Rav Handpan

Rav Vast 2! – What’s that?

The Rav vast 2 is the newest model of Rav vast. Whilst it sounds like a new and improved instrument, it really is not. It is simply made with thicker steel to make available more notes and different scales than is available from the original.

I have created a complete guide to the difference between Rav vast and Rav vast 2 and information on which is which and the best scales to choose from. Feel free to give it visit, where there is also a 5% discount on a new Rav Drum

Rav Handpan

After the Rav Vast success, Andrey went about getting a team together to finally produce the handpan that so inspired him when he was an engineer working day to day in a factory and dreaming of owning one.

I confess to currently not owning a Rav handpan, but I have one on my bucket list.

I can not provide a full review as yet, but will do as and when I have one in my possession.

Rav Saxophone

Here is Andrey explaining the Rav Saxophone and playing a well-known tune on it.

I think this instrument is awesome. I am currently looking into what happened to it, as I have never seen it available for sale.

This video is a couple of years old now, and it looked to be at a pretty advanced stage of development, so I don’t know if the idea was shelved, sold, or just dropped.

I spoke to Rav vast in September 2020, when I was told there had been no mention fo it as a product this year at all

Watch this space and as soon as I know anything, I will let you know.

The Future of Rav

Recent limited edition gold models of the Rav have been made available, so it is interesting to speculate on what they might consider next.

Rav remains a fairly young company although it has expended its operation quite rapidly. With new instruments introduced within the short life and new scales for the Rav Vast on the horizon, it is with eagerness I follow the journey of this superb instrument, its creator, and the instruments.

Andrey has built an excellent team, has a genius mind and vision, and is sure to deliver much more under the Rav banner in the future.

Rav Vast History | From Drum to Now (Where – When – Who)

First, let’s introduce Andrey Remyannikov