Marimba Maintenance

[Kurt Taylor Gaubatz]

Does anyone have any advice about proper care for an old rosewood marimba (1920's)?
Should the wood be treated with anything, or does that risk affecting tone/tuning?

While we are on the subject, the bottom octave of my marimba could use tuning
(the fundamentals are ok, but the overtones are a little funky) does anyone have
recommendations/experiences with marimba tuners?

Thanks.

--

========================================================================

Kurt Taylor Gaubatz email: gau...@leland.stanford.edu
Assistant Professor office: 415-723-2613
Dept. of Political Science fax: 415-723-1808
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-2044

========================================================================

[Ingrid Grete Gordon]

In article <3trmaj$e...@nntp.Stanford.EDU>, Kurt Taylor Gaubatz
<gau...@leland.stanford.edu> wrote:

> Does anyone have any advice about proper care for an old rosewood
marimba (1920's)?
> Should the wood be treated with anything, or does that risk affecting
tone/tuning?
>
> While we are on the subject, the bottom octave of my marimba could use tuning
> (the fundamentals are ok, but the overtones are a little funky) does
anyone have
> recommendations/experiences with marimba tuners?

The person you should contact is the following:

Gilberto Serna
century mallet service
1770 W. Berteau Ave.
Chicago
Il 60613
312-248-7733
312-774-4627

He was the main tuner when Deagan was still around, and in fact has his
workshop is in the old Deagan building. In fact, I would suggest simply
shipping him your set of bars and let him recondition them. He is an
excellent craftsman, and I would reccommend his services highly.

Ingrid Grete Gordon
Champaign, IL

[Jenne Damian]

Depending on what type of marimba you have, and when it was made, you can
do a number of things to maintain its quality.

Firstly, it is advantageous to keep the marimba in a stable environment,
such as a fairly temperate (i.e. not too dry or damp) and constant
atmosphere/temperature. Drastic temperature and humidity changes will
certainly affect the rosewood bars, causing them to go out of tune or crack.

If the bars are not lacquered, then, using lemon oil (without WAX) to
penetrate the pores of the rosewood will keep the necessary moisture in,
and prevent cracking. Older rosewood has a tendency to crack even more
so than younger rosewood.

Musser bars usually come lacquered, and I know that Leigh Stevens at one
point (on his original M250), used steel wool (the finest grade) to
scratch off the lacquer, and then use lemon or mineral oil to penetrate
the bars. He says that it kept the bars in better condition, and thus,
his Malletech marimbas are mainly oil-rubbed bars (where one would need
to use oil to maintain it). Due to the costliness of oil-rubbing bars,
he may start lacquering the bars (like the Musser bars), FYI.
From my experience with steel-wooling bars in order to refinish
them, I have found that mineral oil penetrates better than lemon oil
(without WAX). It is important to use lemon oil WITHOUT wax, because the
wax tends to build up quickly on these bars, and is not good when they
attach to mallets.

If your bars are really out of tune, or you are weary about
touching them, there are a few places with good reputations that deal
with rosewood marimba bars (amongst other things), such as Fall Creek
Marimbas [Upstate NY] (will refinish/re-condition for $45-50/octave),
Musser, Malletech, or Repaircussions [in Rochester,NY].

Good luck with your bars!

******************************************************************************
Jennifer Damian, percussionist e-mail:
The University of Iowa xylop...@serial.music.uiowa.edu
Iowa City, IA
******************************************************************************

[Bobosan]

Gilberto at Century Mallet in Chicago is widely known throughout the L.A.
area as the best one to send your mallet instruments. All the heavies
around here love him and swear by him

I just got my 1926 Deagan back and it is heaven!!

Gilberto Serna
century mallet service
1770 W. Berteau Ave.
Chicago
Il 60613
312-248-7733
312-774-4627

Have Fun

Billy

[r_dan...@hotmail.com]

Mineral oil... it may effect the tuning but the wood may split someday if it is not fed

On Monday, July 10, 1995 at 1:00:00 AM UTC-6, Kurt Taylor Gaubatz wrote:
> Does anyone have any advice about proper care for an old rosewood marimba (1920's)?
> Should the wood be treated with anything, or does that risk affecting tone/tuning?
>
> While we are on the subject, the bottom octave of my marimba could use tuning
> (the fundamentals are ok, but the overtones are a little funky) does anyone have
> recommendations/experiences with marimba tuners?
>