Reviewer erick
e-mail: not publicly available
Date submitted: April 29, 2008
Purchase Price: $2150 US
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Sound & Tone
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Rating:
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3
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Comments:
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I was somewhat disappointed when receiving this instrument. As time went on, I became more and more frustrated with the tone and projection of the instrument. It's the padauk that is the problem. Please don't make the same mistake I made in purchasing this instrument just because you wanted a cheap marimba. It sounds much worse than you'd expect.
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| Solid frame. very, very good for transportation. i use it for my school's percussion ensemble, although the sound is terrible
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 8
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Comments:
| it looks pretty nice actually. the red keys look nice and the frame is pretty nice looking
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| -
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Comments:
| haven't communicated with them
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 5
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Comments:
| It is not the best practice tool because of the smaller keys. they are graduated, but they don't get that big at the bottom.
Tone and projection throws this thing in the garbage
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Reviewer: Bill Mccoland
e-mail: not publicly available
Date submitted: January 29, 2007
Purchase Price: $2150 US
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Sound & Tone
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Rating:
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8
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Comments:
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Overall, very good sound for the price. The lower notes never have fully resonated extremely well, especially the A and B flat, however thats a given for a Padouk marimba which must be tuned differently than a Rosewood. Middle and high ranges are beautiful! Projects fine in the small room i play it in. Tuning is fine. Obviously, the resonating lacks, but thats the price u pay when u go for padouk.
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| Frame- VERY solid, easy to assemble, no rattles, height-adjustable, no current cord fray(2 months w/ lots of playing, Yes graduated- I wish the bars were graduated more in the middle and especially low octaves, not graduated nearly as much as my schools yamaha 5-octave(making it hard to switch between them) very very very sturdy
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| not very pretty frame compared to others
-- but bars are a BEAUTIFUL red tone! i love the color!
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| _
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Comments:
| yes, warrant(idk it) can't give a rating
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| i would definately recomend buying this for personal practice use, does not have the best sound needed for nice gigs ect. GREAT PRICE! If your looking at a Padouk marimba for personal use(not school) this is def. a great one to buy!
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Reviewer: Luke Hubley
e-mail: not publicly available
Date submitted: Oct. 7, 2003
Purchase Price: n/a ("Am 'Renting to own' and don't remember total price off-hand.")
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Sound & Tone
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Rating:
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10
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Comments:
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First off, I have played this instrument in only two rooms, one being a small study in a thin-walled apartment with berber carpeting on the floor with the instrument pushed next to a wall. The other room is in my new house, a standard size bedroom, nice wall thickness, thick plush carpet, and the room isn't full of tons of crap. The instrument sounds great overall in both rooms, but better in the second of course. The low b-flat has never sounded as good as the other keys. It sounds kind of dead. The rest of the keys speak quite nicely. In my humble opinion, it sounds like a rosewood marimba, minus the richness that fine rosewood enjoys. The bars sustain nicely, but not obnoxiously(as many synthetic marimbas do). The instrument is consistent in tone. As for the projection, I don't believe that this instrument has any problems. Again, I have not played it in a concert hall, but the instrument produces a very nice, full sound at all volume levels. I'm giving it a 10 in this category, but keep in mind this is a 10 for a non-rosewood marimba, at student-level cost.
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| Construction and Design were both VERY highly tended to during this marimba's construction. The bars are graduated and spaced nicely. However, I prefer the lower octave to be wider than what is used here. The string is of high, non-fraying quality. It's the frame and the resonators I want to rave about.
Frame: The frame is VERY durable. The finish is powder-coat black paint, which means it does not easily chip or scratch. It is light weight, which means easy to transport. It is VERY easy to assemble/disassemble, which means, you can do it yourself. The frame also has some great features. The ends that hold the rails in place, can go on either side of the actual frame, which means you can't set it up backwards!(you've all done it right?). The different thumbscrews and bolts around the frame that require adjustment to set up or tear down stay in the frame when loose, and therfore don't get lost. The height adjustment is very easy to set, and it stays locked. The frame has not rattled, squeeked, or shaked in anyway during play from my experience. This frame does what a frame "should" do!!
Resonators: These are not tunable resonators, by the way. The finish is a gold powder coat, which offers exceptional durability and protection. They are VERY easy to transport. Both registers of resonators fold in half and lock, making it easy for one person to carry, plus they are light enough to do so(yes, I also think brass resonators sound better, but have you lifted those????).
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| This is a beautiful instrument to look at. The black frame contrasts nicely with gold resonators. The rails, end pieces, etc are wrapped in a black material(vinyl I assume) which looks quite nice. The padouk keys have a dark color that appeals to my eye as well.
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| n/a
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Comments:
| (no opinion given)
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| As you can tell, I am VERY happy with this instrument. For the amount of money it costs, I think it is an exceptional buy. I rated this instrument so highly, because I kept the price in mind, and was very impressed with the features and quality for an instrument at this price range. I have played Malletech Imperial Grands, a number of different synthetic marimbas, and a couple of old Musser rosewood models, and one newer Musser rosewood, so I have a few apples to compare this one with. I highly recommend this instrument to students and universities, and maybe a gigging marimbist would like this(possibly upgrade to rosewood bars instead).
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Reviewer: Justin Lau
e-mail: not publicly available
Date submitted: Dec. 11, 2002
Purchase Price: $2500.00
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Sound & Tone
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Rating:
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9
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Comments:
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First off, I do not claim to have the best ears in town, I'm still working on my intonation and such. That being said: I am very pleased with the overall sound. I sometimes feel that the lower end is a little on the thin side, compared to some of the professional models I've played. But the sound is still good throughout the range. One of the notes in the low end (Bb I think) sounded out of tune to me for a while, but I don't pretend to have a "good ear". I use the Leigh H. Stevens mallets when I play, and I find the work well with the Adams, although I need harder mallets for the top. This is a practice instrument for me so I can't comment on projection and such. I've only played on rosewood marimbas a handful of times, so I can't really compare the two, but I will say that when I play this marimba it sounds like a marimba!
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| I love the frame! It is very sturdy and user-friendly. I was able to set it up by myself very easily. I've never had to disassemble or reassemble it so I can't comment on that. There are no rattles when I play, the frame is perfectly silent. Height adjestment is extremely easy! All it takes is one hand to lower or raise the instrument. That is my favorite feature of the frame. The casters are also very nice. I can move the instrument easily by myself, although I've never moved it more than a few feet. There is also a mallet-holder on the front support rail (facing the player) which I found to be a pleasant suprise. I've had the marimba for over a year now and it shows no sign of wear.
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 8
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Comments:
| The appearance is very nice. Sure, it doesn't look like a top of the line professional model, but it still looks nice. The resonators are sort of a bronze color, which looks good against the black frame. I guess the only thing I don't like about the appearance are the "legs". They are in an "X" shape and it gives the frame an open-ended look. This is really not a big deal, I don't even know why I brought it up. As for the bars, they are Padouk so they are more of a red-ish color instead of brown-ish, like rosewood. Not really a big deal. Lastly, the bars are graduated in width, if that matters to you. The only real gripe I have with it is just the fact that it's not a wood frame, which to me looks way more classy, but I did pay for it so I didn't have a choice.
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| n/a
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Comments:
| I've never dealt with customer service so I have no comments on that. I don't recall any info about warranties and what not, but they do include a free bar retuning within the first year of ownership.
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| Overall I am very pleased with this instrument. I probably won't buy it again since this is only a practice instrument for me, and I will most likely move on to a larger, more professional instrument. However, I would not hesitate to recommend this instrument to any one who needs a good practice or beginner marimba. And if you don't plan on doing any contemporary pieces that require more than 4.3 octaves, or you don't plan on performing in front of audiences, then this would be a fine marimba in that case.
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Reviewer: Ben Takis
e-mail: not publicly available
Date submitted: Dec. 1, 2002
Purchase Price: $2,000
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Sound & Tone
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Rating:
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8
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Comments:
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this is honestly the first marimba of any decent quality that I've played, so I don't know how qualified I am to judge this. The Padouk bars sound nice though. To my ears the tone and projection all come through well. I'm fully satisfied, but I'm certainly not a professional or full time marimbist
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| I absolutely love the construction of this thing. The frame is extremely user friendly. It can be assembled or disassembled within 5 minutes. Very easy to transport. fits mostly in the trunk of a normal size car. The resonators fold up, and I usually have to put those in the backseat. And despite the portability, it still seems sturdy. Height adjustment is very quick and easy as well.
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 7
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Comments:
| Looks cool enough.
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| -
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Comments:
| No Opinion
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Overall Rating
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