Schulmerich: Greig Ashurst mallets???

[Charles Peery]

You know me, Mr. Mallet-Ignorant. I'm still looking for the sound I want in all registers. Was just curious if anyone had any experience with these.

schulmerichbells.com/handbells/the-greig-ashurst-artist-series/

Chuck in St. Louis

[Nick Hanson]

I just bought a couple pairs and so far have enjoyed them, though only in a solo ringing capacity.  The two distinct differences between these and the other handbell mallets on the market are the length and the wrapping around the head. The mallets are longer in size, which I really like, and the head-wrapping is much more durable than the material on Tru-Timbre or Malmark mallets.

We will try them tonight at our full ensemble rehearsal to see how the sound is within the full group.

So far though, I really like them!

Nick H.

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[Ruben Mendoza]

Nick, are the handles a hard plastic or are they more bendable?

I prefer percussion mallets with wooden handles.  The hard plastic handbell mallets sometimes hurt my hands.

Ruben

[Nicholas Barnard]

How do they click? Mallets clicks can be fun at times because the audience doesn’t realize you’ve got another instrument between your hands that you’re going to use.

Nick

Seattle, WA

[Nick Hanson]

I will answer these questions (and more?) when I get my hands on them tonight!

Seriously, feel free to send questions along and I'll let you know what I experience, hear, feel, etc.

Nick H.

[Michele Sharik]

I love love LOVE them!! They sound GREAT over a wide range of bells - even get a nice sound with a yarn wrapped mallet on a D7!!

I have plans to buy many more!!!!

-Michèle

Sent from my iPhone

[Jennifer Vangolen]

I'd love to hear additional feedback on these mallets, too. Bells of the Sound is looking for mallets that might last a wee bit longer than what we currently have. We understand that equipment will wear out, but it would be nice if there were better options for groups that put a lot of rehearsal and performance hours on equipment in a season! We just saw the Overtones ad and will be test driving a few pair in the next few months as well.

Jennifer Vangolen
Washington State Chair - Area 10
Bells of the Sound
Seattle, WA

[Joyce Miller]

And I am interested in the new mallets as well. Keep us posted Nick.

Joyce

[Daniel M. Reck]

Hello everyone,

Has anyone tried the Greig Ashurst bass mallets in the C3-C4 range?  How would you compare them to the Tru-Timbre, Malmark, or "regular" Schulmerich mallets?

I'm most familiar with the giant Malmark yellow and blue mallets, so comparisons in reference to these would be most helpful.

Thanks!

Daniel

--

  Daniel M. Reck

  Director, Shadows of Bronze

  http://shadowsofbronze.org

[Nicholas Barnard]

On Feb 1, 2014, at 11:16, Daniel M. Reck <dan...@danielreck.com> wrote:
> Has anyone tried the Greig Ashurst bass mallets in the C3-C4 range? How would you compare them to the Tru-Timbre, Malmark, or "regular" Schulmerich mallets?
>
> I'm most familiar with the giant Malmark yellow and blue mallets, so comparisons in reference to these would be most helpful.

Hi Daniel,

These are awesome mallets. I tested them and performed with them at the Area 12 conference in San Luis Obispo this weekend. We promptly bought a set for our quartet.

I got to use them on a Malmark C4 and D4 yesterday, and they are quite good. They are very well weighted, although its going to take time for me to get used to longer shafts, which are much stiffer than the Malmark yellow ones. (The ones I got to use in the beginning of rehearsal were old old Malmark mallets with very flexible shafts.) The mallet heads are definitely wider than the Malmark yellow ones. I’m guessing they’re around the same size as the blue Schulmerich ones. I know I’ll have more control, I’m expecting I’ll really like them, especially once I get to know them. I’ve only gotten to use them in demos and with a few massed pieces.

On Jan 28, 2014, at 9:02, Nicholas Barnard <ni...@inmff.net> wrote:

> How do they click? Mallets clicks can be fun at times because the audience doesn’t realize you’ve got another instrument between your hands that you’re going to use.

To answer my own question. The bass mallets have a much damper click, as they’ve got a bit of a rubberized handle. (Its subtle) The further up you go they click much much better.

On Jan 28, 2014, at 9:46, Michele Sharik <mic...@thegoldendance.com> wrote:

> I love love LOVE them!! They sound GREAT over a wide range of bells - even get a nice sound with a yarn wrapped mallet on a D7!!
>
> I have plans to buy many more!!!!
>
> -Michèle

It was fun to watch Michèle walk into the class being taught by Brian Pituley, her husband, and ask for the credit card. Brian’s reaction was priceless. ;-)

Two final thoughts on these mallets:

Labeling them is going to be an interesting conundrum. We’ve labeled our Schulmerich handbells with gold tape and with black text inside of the handle. The old Schulmerich mallets got labeled with a little “RHQ” right above the grey handle. The Malmark chimes are labeled with a little white label over the staff where the note is. The shafts are all black with some white text. I guess I’m going to have to track down a label maker that’ll take tape that is white text on a black or clear background. Sadly my label maker does not take tape that does this. Offers of help to rectify this are greatly appreciated. It’d be interesting if it was possible to personalize the mallet handles with a name, but then I couldn’t buy them at a conference and walk out with them.

The other thought was brought to me by the wonderful Beth Mays. It is that of cost. These mallets are only sold in pairs, which makes them look a little more expensive than other mallets. They either are the same price, or just a little bit more expensive. A price comparison comparison for two mallets recommended for C5:
TruTimbre Mallet, Tan - $29.90
Malmark Mallet, Light Blue (MH20) $34.00
Schulmerich Clickless MasterTone Mallet, Gold $34.00
Schulmerich Greig Ashurst Series Mallets, AS3 Red Polyester $34.00

I’m a bit of a brat, but everyone else producing handbell mallets should to go back to the drawing board. I hope this is the beginning, not the end of a new and better generation of handbell mallets.

Nick
Seattle, WA

[Michele Sharik]

I had to! I had to buy them right at that exact moment or they would be gone!!

Seriously, those mallets were selling like hot cakes. I got the last pairs of red and black ones she had (other than display models, which she couldn't sell). I had previously told her that I wanted a complete set and she snagged me as I was walking by to tell me that she was down to her last few pairs, so I had to act quickly! :-)

-Michèle

Sent from my iPad so please excuse any typos, AutoCorrect weirdness, Or Random CapitaliZation. I am not really illiterate, though Siri makes it look like I am. Sigh.

[Nicholas Barnard]

Ah that makes so much more sense now.. Though, I should be the one to talk. Who do you think had the really pensive last ten minutes of Jason’s rehearsal, since he had to go out and buy the red and black display models before they were gone? Luckily, I only had one other musician to climb over on the way to Beth’s table. She had them nicely displayed at the end of the table for me. I’m quire sure they had a halo over them.

Seriously folks, these are great mallets, even Kevin McChesney was singing their praises from behind the table. (And he wasn’t paid for his endorsement..)

Nick
(Who is still befuddled that Kevin McChesney knows his name.)

[Doug Jones]

I got to play with them some as well. I really did like how they felt in
my hands, and the sound was really good as well. I believe my director
bought a full set of them before she left, which will be delivered to us
later.

Doug

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[gj berg]

Sigh.  Dream mode on.  New mallets, unlimited budget for music.

Reality intervenes.  Think I'll be lucky to add 1-2 pieces for the fall (until new fiscal year starts January 1; with hopefully an increase).

--
gj berg
Elasmobranchology hopeful

[Colin Walker]

> Nick
> (Who is still befuddled that Kevin McChesney knows his name.)

Those conference name badges work wonders, don't they? ;-)

CW

[Nicholas Barnard]

True, but they don’t account for him calling my group over from across the room to "join the rowdy table” at lunch.

Nick

[Kay Hessemer]

True story!

We really did have lunch with Kevin McChesney, and it WAS the rowdy table.

Back to the mallets: I LOVE them so far. I used the blue pair at B4 and C5, the bottom end of the mallets' range, and love the weight, balance (the heads are heavier), and the wider volume range. But I had already made up my mind after a 30-second trial at the Schulmerich booth. They feel like real instruments, not just plastic sticks.

Each mallet is marked with a suggested range of about an octave, and adjacent mallets overlap ranges by about half an octave. They will be wonderful for small ensemble playing, because we can each cover a large range and still get good sound. And the handles are longer, an important consideration for a short person who likes to play big bells.

We will try all of them at our next rehearsal (Thursday) and will report back. I love new toys!

Kay (Nick's quartet partner and occasional minder)