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tcubed80
Joined:
2007-1-15
From:
Posts:
8
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I have experience on both the Malletech and the Marimba one. I have played marimba one for several years and always been happy with the sound, but my teacher has always played malletech, so when I've played on his I did notice a bigger sound in the low end. However, I've heard both marimbas side by side in a few different rooms, and in some rooms the marimba one sounded better and in others the malletech did. This past summer I was comtemplating purchasing one of these to instruments. Here's what I discovered:
Marimba One:
1. Far better customer service. Ron samuels personally answered all my emails within one day, and sometimes within a couple hours.
2. The thinner bars in the bass are great because its easier to hit large intervals.
3. The instrument does take at least two people to set up. I found this out when I took one on a recital tour last year.
4. It also does not break down into as small of pieces, so you'll need a large vehicle.
Malletech
1. Their customer service is not their strong suit. They don't always reply or return calls quickly, (maybe I'm impatient?).
2. Their low bars are wider, which does make large intervals more difficult, but it only takes a few days to adapt, assuming your technique is developed. They do create a bigger sound in the bass, especially in the recital halls I heard both in.
3. Here's the big selling point with Malletech. I played at a percussion festival in Puerto Rico this summer. Gordon Stout also played there, and I was fortunate enough to get to see him "tune" the resonaters on the Malletech there before his performance. The marimba sound went from being very dull to outstanding in just a matter of minutes. Until this moment, I was planning on buying a Marimba One, but after seeing how much of a difference the tuneable resonaters made, I decided to buy a malletech.
I ordered my instrument in August and have still not recieved it. If time is not a factor, great you'll be getting a great sounding instrument, but if it is, be prepared to wait if going with malletech. I'm hoping my marimba will be worth the wait, if its anything like the ones I've already played on, I'm sure I'll love it. Either choice will give you a fantastic instrument. Hope this helped, I know its a tough choice.
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[5250]Re:5 Octave Marimbas Purchase: suggestions + advice. (601 reads)
[5245]5 Octave Marimbas Purchase: suggestions + advice. <Mont>
