Vater Front Ensemble V-FEV31M Vibraphone Mallets — Medium, Mushroom Head
The V-FEV31M is a pair of medium vibraphone mallets with a mushroom-shaped head wrapped in multi-ply cord, on a rattan handle. Vater associates this shape with a rich, smooth, warm fundamental sound: outdoors, where the high overtones are the first to go, the fundamental is what carries.
What sets it apart
- Mushroom head, the roundest shape in the family
- Medium hardness, multi-ply cord over a hard rubber core
- 0.343 in rattan handle
- 15 3/4 in, the vibraphone family length
- Dark grey, the colour of the outdoor vibraphone family
Outdoors, the fundamental is what travels
Air absorbs high frequencies faster than low ones. A sound that is bright at three metres arrives dull at forty. Putting the energy into the fundamental is not giving up on brightness: it is betting on what will survive the trip.
That is what a mushroom head does. Its wide contact surface limits the attack overtones and feeds the note itself. Heard from a distance, the result is a vibraphone with more presence, not a duller one.
Chords, where it shines
Modern front ensemble writing often calls for chord blocks of four or five notes played at once. Each extra attack adds noise in the upper range; at five notes, the chord can turn muddy.
The mushroom solves that problem through geometry rather than technique. The notes stack cleanly, and the harmony comes across as a colour rather than a series of knocks.
Specifications
| Head geometry | Mushroom |
|---|---|
| What the manufacturer says | Rich, smooth, warm fundamental sound |
| Hardness | Medium |
| Handle | Rattan, 0.343 in (0.87 cm) |
| Length | 15 3/4 in (40.01 cm) |
| Wrap | Multi-ply cord |
What it is for
- Dense vibraphone chord blocks
- Modern front ensemble harmonic writing
- Performances where the audience sits far from the playing surface
- Doubling a brass section in the middle register
Compare with other manufacturers
Mushroom heads available elsewhere for outdoor playing:
| Manufacturer | Comparable series | How it differs from this model |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Balter | Cord vibraphone mallets | Shape and hardness combined freely when ordering |
| Innovative Percussion | Front ensemble vibraphone mallets | Named by use, with less emphasis on head shape |
| Vic Firth | Outdoor vibraphone mallets | Shorter line, fewer distinct shapes |
Frequently asked questions
- How is it different from the medium rounded oval model?
- Only in shape. The mushroom widens the contact surface, which reduces the attack overtones and brings out the fundamental.
- Do you lose clarity on fast lines?
- A little, yes. For fast runs, an oval head or a harder mallet remains the better choice.
- Is a mushroom head more fragile?
- No. It is a head shape, not a material: the tight multi-ply cord is the same as on the other models in the family.
Avis clients
Do your chord blocks turn muddy on the field?
Aucun avis pour le moment. Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience après votre achat.