Mallets are essential items to play keyboard percussion instruments such as the xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and marimba. Have you ever wondered what kind of mallets you should choose because of the wide variety? This time, I would like to introduce to you in this ranking my top five favorite mallets that I have personally played and carefully selected from the top brand "Malletech". To learn more about Malletech, check out the link below!
1st TM16
The TM16 rattan mallets for vibraphone are placed in 1st place. These mallets are amazing to play and really versatile!! The hardness of the head is close to medium hard and the head size is standard, but the biggest feature is the thickness of the handle. The slightly thick handle gives great stability! These mallets bounce well and produce a sound quality that goes well with any music genre. The handle is wrapped with gold tape, and the head has a mixture of rainbow colored yarns. These cute colorful mallets will make it even more fun to play the instruments. They look great on stage, so I recommend them for brass band ensembles as well as for marimba players!
2nd LS Series (Leigh Howard Stevens Series)
This is the Malletech founder Leigh Howard Stevens’ signature model, the LS Series.
My impression is that the outline of the sound is clearer than the standard ES Series. The handle is long and the head is large and heavy, but I felt the LS Series is the easiest to handle among the mallets with birch handles. They fit well even in small hands. The LS Series is also available with rattan handles.I recommend the LS Series for traditional grip and Burton grip!
3rd ES Series (Eric Sammut Series)
The ES Series is the standard choice for Malletech! The signature model of the famous player Eric Sammut, who is also a famous composer. The ES Series mallets are bouncy.
Sammut plays in a relaxing way, which is characteristic. With the ES Series mallets, the tone plates produce a powerful resonance even if you play without much force. Of course, if you strike it hard, the sound has a clear attack! However, it means it is difficult to handle. I recommend the ES Series for advanced players. Both birch and rattan handles are available in this series.
4th OR39R
The OR39R are popular xylophone mallets with a standard rattan handle. The large wooden head produces a clear sound.It is really comfortable to play with a natural bounce! The tone that stands out in an orchestra and a brass band is also great for various music genres.
5th LN Series (LATE NITE Series)
The 5th are low volume practice mallets, the LN Series. Those who use them for the first time may think that they feel strange when striking it compared to standard mallets. However, the muted volume is perfect! Even if you strike it hard, the volume is suppressed to some extent.There are two types of hardness, and both rattan and birch handles are available. The LN Series is great for those who want to play quietly in an apartment!
What do you think? They may look similar, but I hope you could learn that the usability is different depending on the mallets. Malletech mallets have a bigger lineup. Professional players, amateur players, students from junior/senior high schools to music college, why not give Malletech mallets a try?
(2021-06-01 release 2023-03-29 update)