Why gongs are so expensive

Gongs have held spiritual significance in Southeast Asia for centuries.
Souvenir gongs can be bought for just a few dollars.
Large gongs made from the best materials fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
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Narrator: The unmistakable sound of the gong has held spiritual significance in Southeast Asia for centuries. Hand beaten from sheet materials, the labor-intensive shaping and delicate paintwork result in beautiful percussive instruments. Souvenir gongs can be bought for just a few dollars, but large, finely tuned gongs made from the best materials can fetch tens of thousands of dollars.

So, what are gongs actually used for? And why are they so expensive?

This is Thailand's "gong highway," a 21-mile stretch of road that is home to more than 50 family-owned gong companies, who collectively produce roughly 7,000 gongs each year. [gong sounds] In the heart of the gong highway is Bunrak Seechana's workshop. As a third-generation gong maker, Bunrak has been studying and practicing gong making for almost 50 years.

Bunrak Seechana: "I love making gongs. I've been watching my dad and my grandparents since I was only 6 years old. I like making gongs because I love crafting with my hands. You could say it's hard, but it's also a piece of cake if you know how to do it."

Narrator: The process begins by cutting the sheet material into a circle. No materials go to waste here. Even the offcuts are used to make the largest shape possible. It's at this early stage where the eventual cost of each gong is determined.

Bunrak Seechana: "Cheap and expensive is based on the size and the materials of the gongs. If the gong is made out of iron, it would be cheap. Stainless steel will be just a little more expensive. If you want the highest quality and value, it would be made out of brass.

Narrator: Once the edges have been smoothed, a welder attaches the sides. This flat dish is then ready to be hammered into shape. The gongs made here in Thailand are of the bossed variety, where a center knob is surrounded by smaller nipples. This design is stenciled on the back of the gong with a homemade compass, and bangers begin to hammer out the shape. The bangers use templates engraved into tree stumps that allow the knob and nipples to be hammered out fully and evenly.

Then comes the hardest part, the tuning. [gong sounds] Tuners observe and train for years to master their skill. He strikes the gong in different places and listens for acoustic imperfections. [gong sounds] Using a mallet to make slight alterations, he continues this process, hoping to reduce dissonance in the sound frequencies emitted from the gong.

Bunrak Seechana: "The most difficult skill would be to know how to make a gong loud, to know which spot makes the sound sweet, which spot makes the resonating sound. We must know these spots so we know where to adjust. We have to check each sound, one by one."

Narrator: Once satisfied with the sound, the gong is coated in enamel, ready for intricate artworks to be hand painted.

Bunrak's workshop produces gongs of all different shapes and designs, including specially made gongs, which can sell for up to 1 million baht, or around $33,000.

Bunrak Seechana: "The term "specially made" means large gongs ordered by customers for a specific use, such as a commemoration, or some temples use them for tourism purposes. So they need large gongs with beautiful patterns."

Narrator: The cultural significance of gongs is clear to see in Ubon Ratchathani, a major city at one end of the gong highway, where the world's largest gong towers stand proudly next to the Wat Tham Khuha Sawan temple. The use of gongs is deeply ingrained in Buddhism, and according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the gong highway is responsible for supplying most of the country's 30,000 Buddhist temples with their gongs.

So, what about the rest of the world?

In the West, gongs have become commonplace not only in popular culture, but also in meditation studios and symphony orchestras. The largest non-Asian gong manufacturer is Paiste, based in Germany. It's been producing gongs since 1906, and its largest gong, an 80-inch symphonic model, retails for around $27,000. [gong sounds] This type of flat-face gong, sometimes referred to as a tam-tam, gives more of a "crash" sound, which is different from the tuned tones of a bossed gong. [gong sounds] Paiste's methods for producing gongs are more scientific than those on the gong highway, with acoustic testing equipment used to evaluate the gong's frequency. But the quality and traditional craftsmanship at Bunrak's workshop is clear to see, and the historical importance of the gong is felt throughout Southeast Asia.

Bunrak Seechana: "It can be birthdays, weddings, ordination or any traditional event in Thai culture. Any temple-related events or for someone who wants to make merit or to get rid of bad luck - they buy gongs and donate them to the temple.

If a gong resonates and is long lasting, if it resonates entirely in your heart, you can appreciate the sound. The gong sound is a sound of merit. It's a signal. If elders hear the sound, all of them will put their hands together and make a wish. Wherever the sound is, there will always be merit there."

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