Anyone ever used Malletech's practice marimba...any opinions? Or is it just not worth bothering with? I need SOMETHING to PRACTICE on - but my funds are severely limited.
julia,
the cat that i take lessons from has a malletech practice marimba we usually use. only when going for 'performance quality' do we move over the the concert grand.
one bad thing about the practice marimba is it sounds thin to me. i know it has to do with lack of resonators and possible quality of wood. i find myself really beating the tar out of the practice marimba to get volume and when i do that to the grand, the volume is too much.
the other draw back is he cracked a couple of bars. nothing major. we can still play on them, but you can tell there is a crack in them.
overall opinion? i like the practice marimba. in fact, i'm looking to buy one myself when i get some $$$. keep us posted on where you get yours and the cost.
ian
Hello Julia, and others who share the same problem,
I hope that I may be able to assist. I have been researching the subject of marimba construction and tuning for several years now, and spent a great deal of time perfecting my techniques of producing well tuned keys - in other words accurately double tuned keys. As part of my endeavours to attain accreditation for the instruments I can build, I have made a one-octave set of keys which sit in the lower half of a five-octave Deagan marimba which is owned by one of the percussionists in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra here in Australia, and he has spoken very well of them. To enable other musicians to evaluate my keys, I have made a set which will fit onto a Musser four-and-a-third octave marimba, because this is a popular model instrument with many musicians.
I plan to travel to Canada in September to attend a wedding in Saskatoon, and plan to bring a set of keys with me. While I am there I would welcome the opportunity to show these keys to anyone who wishes to see them and try them out. I plan that my itinerary shall also include Vancouver and Seattle.
When I first seriously considered the possibility of making instruments for sale, one music store proprietor who did not wish to discourage me too much said, "Unless you can make them just as good, but for half the price, then forget it". He was referring to the reluctance people may have,to purchase a previously unknown brand of instrument. I have taken these thoughts to heart, and believe that people who have the opportunity to evaluate my instruments will be pleasantly surprised. Please feel free to email me at wilfqb@optusnet.com.au for any further information.
