A few months ago I purchased an Adams soloist marimba with padouk bars. Overall I'm very happy with the purchase however I have two bars that seem dead but only some of the time. It started when we turned the air conditioner on. It seems like if the room is cooler(72F) the bars are dead and when it's a little warmer(78F) they resonate much more. Could this really be happening? I thought that once the bars stop resonating they would not start again but it really seems that the cooler the room the deader the bars.

Thanks for your comments.

Yes, Padouk wood is MUCH more prone to behavior problems associated with both temperature and humidity. Padouk does not have anywhere near the density of Rosewood and therefore changes in temperature and humidity have a greater effect on it. Depending on what temperature and humidity the bars were tuned in at the Adams factory, that is the temperature and humidity they will sound the best at. Is there any adjustments that can be done to the resonator position? (I can't remember if the Adams has height slots for the resonators or not) You might try that...it may or may not help.
Just fyi, Padouk does not have the lifespan of a rosewood instrument, and this is also due partly to the difference in density, but also the strength of the fibers in the wood itself. However, it does sound pretty good, and I would take it any day over any of the synthetics currently on the market with the possible exception of Acoustalon.(yamaha)

Hope that helps!

Matt