Reviewer: Evan J. Dixon
e-mail: Idrumbothways@yahoo.com
Date submitted: December 15, 2004
Purchase Price: $8,500
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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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I am very happy with this instrument. The tone is Dark and very resonant through out the range of the instrument. The low end opens up with great projectin and volume. With every mallet I have tried it is possible to get a great sound. i love my Coe.
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| The design is wonderful. The frame is strudy. The resignators break into thrids making it much easier to move. Their are no rattles in the instrument, just in my practice room from the glorous sound out of the lower end. The casters are very high quality. The chord has not frayed over about 6 months of daily use. The bars are Houndarus Roosewood. I have had the instrument for about six months and I play about 5 hours a day, and I just love the sound, feel, and tone.
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| The mariba is very asthetically pleasing. The frame is a deep cherry color, and the resignators are shinny brass. It looks great.
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| Matt Coe, the owner of the company, worked personally with me and was very nice. His customer service skills were second to none. I am very tall, and he built the frame to fit me. Also, while building he took pictures and put them on the website so I could track the progress. The warrenty lasts for a full year with bar replacement. Retunning lasts for 2 years for free.
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| I would recommend this instrument to a professional. It is easy to move to different venues and has a wonderful sound. Student should check out the Etude series from Coe...I would buy from Coe over anywhere else.
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Reviewer: David Kuehn
e-mail: dqn@everestkc.net
Date submitted: February 29, 2004
Purchase Price: $8,500
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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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A very projecting instrument. The bars are not as wide as those found on a Malletech, so they are slightly thicker. I would think a Coe marimba would sound very well as a solo instrument, and could certainly project in front of an orchestra or wind band. Also, one of these would blend nicely as the solo instrument in a marimba ensemble or percussion ensemble. The bars have a very even (neutral?) sound from register to register. Ring times are not "bloomy" in the low octave, but there is plenty of sustain for legato playing for notes to connect with each other. Tunable resonator caps throughout the entire range of the instrument.
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| I bought Coe's demonstrator (hence the reduced price), and I know that current production marimbas have had slight reworks on rails that make it a snap for one person to set up and break down the instrument. There are also some weight savings that have been made, and slight resonator adjustments. Bulletproof frame design, very solid, and very pleasing to the eye as well. This instrument has a single crank height adjustment, though I believe current marimba's have a crank at each end. I would highly recommend the single crank set up if available as an option, but only for instruments that would not be torn down often, due to the hydraulics involved. I would definetly say that Coe is very particular about his bar selection, with close attention paid to the grain structure of each bar. No bark, knots, swirls or grain directions that run counter to good bar construction techniques will be found.
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| Beautiful instruments. In a perfect world, I would prefer bar widths slightly wider, but not as wide as Malletech (for easier large intervals). These bars do not require absolute pin-point accuracy, but there is little margin for a misplaced stroke. Also (in a perfect world), I would prefer a touch more of a rounded edge to the accidentals, but as they are, they're still easy on the mallets.
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| Beyond bulletproof. Matt Coe still offered the same factory warranty with this demo model as if I bought a brand new instrument. All questions have always been answered promptly, and he retuned the keyboard more in keeping with conditions in my home (as to temp and humidity) with about a ten day turnaround.
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| After the retune, a very good marimba now sounds great (suggestion: monitor the temp and humidity in your studio/school/home for about a year, and then talk with Matt about tweaking the keyboard, if necessary. Having the bars tuned with a lower humidity for my situation makes it sound like a new instrument). By day, I'm a mild mannered air traffic controller, but by night I pretend I'm an amateur marimbist. I play for the hobby(!) value only. This would be a fine instrument in any setting, especially where a projecting solo instrument is needed. If there was a 9.5 rating, that's where I would give the overall mark.
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Reviewer: Sam Koppelman
e-mail: koppelman_s@yahoo.com
Date submitted: February 14, 2003
Purchase Price: not given
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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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This instrument is very responsive. The lower register is beautiful - very full and resonant bass sounds with a minimum of effort. The rest of the instrument is also terrific. I have used various types of mallets on it, and I have been pleased with the results from all of them. This instrument really projects. It is very resonant. I am happy with the tuning.
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| This is a large, concert instrument. It is about eight feet long, and it is solid. Although it is relatively easy to assemble and disassemble, due to the size, it is not practical to do so with any frequency. There are absolutely no extraneous frame noises when playing. The castors are excellent, and it rolls easily.
The bars are rosewood, graduated in width, making it very comfortable to play.
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| Although the sound of the instrument was the deciding factor for me, everyone who sees it can't beleive their eyes. It is just beautiful. The wooden frame is finished in a polyurathane-like gloss. The bars are natural rosewood. The resonators are all brass, which makes for a dazzling appearance.
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| It was a pleasure to deal with Matt Coe. He is very accomodating, very responsive, and really cares about his work. He is an amazing craftsman. When you are purchasing an instrument a grand instrument like this, you don't want to deal with the local music store. You want to deal with the builder. Matt is just a phone call (or an e-mail away).
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| I am very happy with this instrument. I never dreamed that I would own an instrument like this.
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Reviewer: Jonathan Towson
e-mail: towsonj@teaminfocus.com
Date submitted: June 15, 2002
Purchase Price: not given
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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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This instrument is well suited for highly exposed performances and recording. The sound is consistent and resonant in all ranges.
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Design & Construction
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| The frame is very solid, light and durable. The height adjustment is smooth and even with a very easy turn from ONE handle. The casters are of high quality with an excellent lock mechanism. The design has evolved a great deal over the years, and now I don't believe any other brands are as easy to assemble/disassemble as Coe Percussion models are now.
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Appearance
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Rating:
| 9
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Comments:
| Beautiful. A work of Art.
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Customer Support
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| Any customer of Coe Percussion has the opportunity to speak with Matt Coe himself. He builds the instruments and is intimately aware of every sale. The instruments are highly upgradeable. He stands behind his work and won't be satisfied unles the customer feels that Coe Percussion makes the best keyboard percussion on the market.
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Overall Rating
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Rating:
| 10
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Comments:
| Coe Percussion has an array of models and price ranges to the fit the professional performer all the way to a band director looking to buy a quality instrument at a modest price.
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