Vater Concert Ensemble V-CEXB20MS Xylophone and Bell Mallets — Medium Soft Plastic
The V-CEXB20MS is a pair of xylophone and bell mallets with a 1 1/8 in glossy white plastic ball, mounted on a rattan shaft. Its ball is the softest in the concert line: it lets you play at soft dynamics without every note shrinking to a click of wood.
What sets it apart
- 1 1/8 in plastic ball, glossy white
- Medium soft grade, the softest ball model in the range
- 11/32 in rattan shaft, flexible and durable
- 14 1/2 in — the short length of xylophone and bell mallets
- Also recommended for front ensemble keyboards, indoors and outdoors
Playing softly on an instrument that only knows loud
The xylophone has short, thick bars that barely resonate. Everything you hear comes from the attack. With a very hard ball, a piano dynamic becomes a small, dry click with no body.
A softer ball changes that. It flattens very slightly on contact, adds a little thickness to the sound and lets you come down in dynamics without losing the note. It is the difference between a discreet xylophone and an inaudible one.
On orchestra bells, a question of tolerance
The steel bars of a set of bells are extremely rich in high overtones. A hard ball excites all of them and gives that shattered-glass sound that cuts across an entire orchestra, sometimes more than you would like.
This intermediate hardness keeps the sparkle while taking the edge off. On an exposed passage where the glockenspiel has to sound crystalline without turning aggressive, it is often the right compromise.
Specifications
| Head | Plastic ball, 1 1/8 in |
|---|---|
| Head colour | Glossy white |
| Hardness | Medium soft |
| Shaft | Rattan, 0.343 in (0.87 cm) |
| Length | 14 1/2 in (36.83 cm) |
| Intended instruments | Xylophone, orchestra bells |
What it is for
- Xylophone at soft and medium dynamics
- Exposed bell parts, when the sparkle has to stay bearable
- Concert band repertoire where the keyboard has to stay inside the texture
- Front ensemble keyboards, indoors and outdoors
Compare with other manufacturers
Soft balls from other mallet manufacturers:
| Manufacturer | Comparable model | Main difference |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Balter | Ball xylophone mallets | Several ball materials for each hardness level |
| Vic Firth | Ball keyboard mallets | Head material listed without a numbered hardness scale |
| Innovative Percussion | Concert xylophone mallets | Wider choice of shafts for the same head |
Frequently asked questions
- Can you play xylophone with marimba mallets?
- No, not usefully. A yarn-wrapped head gets almost nothing out of the short bars of a xylophone, which live on the attack.
- Why a rattan shaft on a ball mallet?
- Rattan is flexible and very durable. On firm, repeated strokes, it absorbs part of the shock that would otherwise travel up into the wrist.
- Can the same pair be used on xylophone and bells?
- Yes, that is the intent of this family: four models cover both instruments, depending on how much brightness you are after.
Avis clients
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