Do any of you who browse this forum own your a marimba? What kind? How big? What marimba would you get if you had a million dollars?
I have a 4 1/3 Marimba One. I really like it, if there were no limit to how much money I had I'd hire somebody to build me a marimba that came down easier for traveling (the marimba one probably is the easiest to take apart, but it's still a pain). If I could have any marimba available on the market I'd get the five octave marimba one, or maybe the 5 octave malletech.
Tyson Titensor
I've got a 5 octave Malletech, which I'd buy again. I've heard good things about the adams but have never played one.
I would get a 5 octave marimba one in a second. A light oak frame with black resonators in particular. My prof has one and I drool over it at every lesson. Otherwise I really like the Kori model 1200 4 1/2..I drool over that one too..probably the best sounding instrument Ive ever heard! Also a neighboring school has a Adams 5.0 which is nice I like its sound in the mid and top range, but the extendended low range is a bit washy, not very focused sound like other marimbas..and of course if you've read several of my posts before I have a special place in my heart for Yamaha Accoustalons
Scott
5.0 Malletech, no question. Their design and sound is far superior to any other. It's the only marimba built and designed for a musician, by a musician. Instead of some corporate company just looking to make the biggest profit. Marimba One makes a good instrument, I even think the top two octaves on a Marimba One sounds better than the top two octaves of a Malletech, but those bottom three of a Malletech take the cake. Thats just my opinion.
Alex wrote:
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What marimba would you get if you had a million dollars?
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My $0.02, since we're dealing in "what ifs"...
I'd start with the "they don't make 'em like that anymore" approach: scout out an old King George marimba, and an Artist's Special xylophone (at least one of each, depending how greedy I'm feeling!), and only then would I start to worry about a five octave marimba. At that point, regardless of manufacturer (I'm partial to DeMorrow instruments, YMMV), I'd spend whatever necessary out of the remainder of the million dollars to buy a number of sets of bars, and then select one set of bars from that, to have the best possible set of bars I could get my hands on. I'd also invest in at least two sets of frame and resonators: one for transporting to and from performances and rehearsals, and one to keep perfectly immaculate for recording situations.
Then I'd do the same for a bass marimba...have I gone over the million dollar mark yet? Do I have anything left for cases? 😉
JW
Ive got a Malletech low E...it's a nice instrument, but I wouldn't buy it again...especially with a million bucks in my bank account. I'd go for a 5 octave yamaha, and that's just a personal choice...i like the sound, durabilty, portability (at least more so than malletech). If Kori made/makes a 5 octave i might go for that as well...I've played one Kori in my life (low A) and it was the warmest, sweetest tone I've ever heard from a marimba.
