Does anyone know anything about Kori marimbas and xylophones. Bar quality, frame quality, etc... any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks a million.

Ive played on a 4100 (low F) and found it a great instrument. It has a very nice warm dark sound. So far, Kori has my personal favorite marimba sound, even over Marimba One. Id reccomend Kori anyday..its a great instrument.

Scott

The only Kori instruments I've played were those I dealt with in grad' school, around ten or fifteen years ago - and they were a couple of years old at that point, so take these comments with however many grains of salt you wish. I don't know if there have been any significant changes to Kori instruments in the years since then.

I found the bars to be excellent - while they didn't feel the same as Musser instruments, their quality was comparable, IMHO. I also thought that the overall sound of the instruments was quite good as well.

One or two Kori owners I know have told me that there were one or two spots in the frame and resonators which were especially susceptible to developing rattles, but FWIW I was in charge of instrument maintenance my first year in grad' school, and I was able to keep the instruments quite quiet - especially considering that as the best instruments in the studio, they got the most use (and abuse).

Bottom line? I wouldn't mind owning one. They've always struck me as one of the better "big name" marimbas. As always, YMMV.