Xue TanRed-brown grain, wooden shells and internal components
With Xue Tan, look beyond the red-brown grain to the shell, plates and track inside.
Beat combines a Xue Tan shell with a PEEK track. A different MUSI slider offers two metal middle plates, while Price Tag uses the wood for removable plates.
The material names here follow the makers’ descriptions, with each component and configuration identified separately.
The front of the Xue Tan Beat. MUSI lists this version with a PEEK stepped track.
Look inside the wooden shell
Xue Tan is in the centre, with the material MUSI calls “white jade stone” on the left and Indonesian rosewood on the right.
In its 10 September 2025 update, MUSI EDC lists Beat with a Xue Tan wooden shell and a PEEK stepped track. The red-brown wood surrounds the internal structure, with the shell and track serving different roles.
In the side-by-side photograph, a fine seam runs between the shell halves of the Xue Tan version in the centre. The neighbouring versions are described as “white jade stone” and Indonesian rosewood. The front view shows the fine dark grain, rounded corners and engraved lettering.
The same wood name, a different middle plate
For a different, longer MUSI slider, the maker describes the Xue Tan stock as coming from Zambia and offers a choice of brass or stainless-steel middle plates. This configuration is discussed in the text; no photograph of that slider is included here.
MUSI also notes the natural pores and grain in wood. Looking at their distribution across the wooden surface is separate from choosing the brass or stainless-steel middle plate. These options belong to a different product from Beat’s PEEK stepped track.
Xue Tan as a plate option
RUMU’s announcement for its collaborative solid-wood Price Tag plates lists “Zambian Xue Tan” as a plain version. The wood is used for the plates, while the Price Tag body is a separate component. This option is described here without a photograph of that specific version.
“Plain” is the version description in this announcement, which also lists the laser-engraved Canghai in desert ironwood. A plate may display the wood’s grain alone or carry additional engraving; the particular wood and version determine the combination.
A trade name and a botanical reference
A collection record at the National Museum of Natural Science lists Xue Tan alongside the Chinese names Ranliao Zitan and Bianse Zitan, with the scientific name Pterocarpus tinctorius Welw. This provides a botanical reference for the Chinese name.
The products here remain identified by their makers’ descriptions of “Xue Tan” or “Zambian Xue Tan”; no independent species identification of these finished pieces is available. Xue Tan is retained in English rather than assigning a species from its red appearance or the word “bloodwood”.
For a player, identifying whether the wood forms a shell or a plate, then checking the middle plate and track, is more useful than deriving the whole object’s weight, hardness or feel from a wood name.
IN THESE FAMILIES
Beat’s matched product photographs show how the wooden shell and track fit into the same design.
PIECES IN XUE TAN
This example identifies the specific Xue Tan configuration; the other materials in the group photograph provide a visual comparison.
ALL MATERIALS
Keep exploring the TRB material guides.
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National Museum of Natural Science: Xue Tan collection record · The collection links Chinese names including Xue Tan to Pterocarpus tinctorius. It does not authenticate the finished products shown here.
