Vater Concert Ensemble V-CEV40MH Vibraphone Mallets — Medium Hard, Oval Head
The V-CEV40MH is a pair of medium hard vibraphone mallets with an oval head wrapped in multi-ply cord, on a rattan shaft. On a vibraphone with the sustain pedal down, everything you play keeps ringing: without a clearly defined attack, a fast melody turns into a haze.
What sets it apart
- Medium hard grade — the 4 at the start of the model number
- Oval head — the shape the manufacturer associates with articulation
- Tightly wound multi-ply cord over a hard rubber core
- 11/32 in rattan shaft, 15 3/4 in overall
- Black identification of the concert vibraphone family
Pedal down: the problem nobody mentions
The vibraphone has a pedal that frees every bar. With the pedal down, an eight-note phrase leaves eight overlapping resonances. That is beautiful on a chord and unreadable on a melody.
There are two solutions: dampen note by note, which takes a considerable amount of work, or choose an attack defined enough that each new note stands out over what is still hanging in the air. This pair is the second solution.
Hard enough, but not too hard
The next step up, a truly hard grade, brings out a metallic clang that many styles of music will not accept. Medium hard stops just short of it: the attack is there, and the metal still sings.
That is what makes it the working pair of many jazz vibraphonists, who move between fast choruses and chordal comping without changing mallets in between.
Specifications
| Hardness | Medium hard |
|---|---|
| Head | Oval, multi-ply cord |
| Length | 15 3/4 in (40.01 cm) |
| Shaft | Rattan, 0.343 in (0.87 cm) |
| Intended use | Vibraphone, fast lines and articulate playing |
| Colour | Black |
What it is for
- Choruses and fast melodic lines on vibraphone
- Playing with the pedal down when notes must stay distinct
- Small-group jazz repertoire
- Doubling a piano or guitar line
Compare with other manufacturers
Articulate vibraphone mallets from elsewhere on the market:
| Manufacturer | Comparable series | How it differs from this model |
|---|---|---|
| Malletech | Jazz vibraphone mallets | Artist signature lines, so the choice is guided by a name |
| Mike Balter | Medium hard vibraphone mallets | Shaft and length configurable at purchase |
| Vic Firth | M series vibraphone mallets | No hardness scale in the model number |
Frequently asked questions
- Do I still need to dampen with mallets this hard?
- Dampening remains a musical technique in its own right. A more defined attack simply makes it less essential on fast passages.
- Are they too hard for ballads?
- Often, yes. Many players keep a second, softer pair for slow pieces and sustained chords.
- Can I use them on a xylophone?
- No. The xylophone calls for a hard rubber head or a ball; a wrapped head gets almost nothing out of it.
Avis clients
Are your vibraphone choruses turning into a haze?
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