Some of the best mallets out there for starting out. They feature a great area of ranges that they're applicable to as well as having amazing build quality. I've been using these for 3-4 years now and they still sound beautiful. For any marimba player especially starting out these are my recommendations for starting out and finding your sound.
Great mallets! They are pretty front heavy so be aware if you're using them for 4 mallet pieces, they produce a great balanced sound and the range is great from the mid-low to high in my opinion.
I've been teaching for a few years now, and as long as I have this is the first mallet I recommend. A good mallet throughout the entire range of the instrument (once the yarn has been broken in).
Pretty good overall. Too soft for general playing in the upper octave but good throughout the rest of the range. The shafts are a little too long for my preference.
I use these for class and in my ensemble. Perfect for four mallet not being too light or heavy helping with control. Mallets also have a nice full sound.
This entire mallet series are great mallets for general solos and some ensemble applications. They don't wear out very fast and make some great mallets for very versatile situations. Always my go to, medium softs are my favorites!
The Van Sice mallets, are lightweight, balanced mallets. They're good for projection and articulation. The yarn the head is made of, is very similar to mallets 'non-fray' material. The handles are nice and different. I personally use "Stick rapp" on all of my mallets anyway though. Great mallets for the price!
I love these mallets. My only complaint is that my hands get very sweaty when playing and the glossy finish on the handles make it worse. Wish they had a birch shaft instead.
Great mallets for a starter
The Van Sice series are an acquired taste. I very much like the diversity of sound that can be achieved by the degree of 'tilt' that the player can chose to enforce. These are LONG mallets, and take a bit of getting used to, but once the grip is properly accustomed to the different style these mallets speak very well in all ranges of the instrument. This particular set is fantastic for any Japanese marimba piece. I use them for Abe's 'Michi' and 'Dream of the Cherry Blossoms.' They would also be a good set of 4 for Rhythm Song or the Smadbeck Etudes.
These were the first mallets i began using when I learned the stevens grip. These are much harder than the simple "Medium" in the description. It sounds clanky in the lower registers and awkward in the high registers. I bought the softer 111's which are pretty good as well. I think I'm soon going to make the switch to the Nancy Zeltsmans, they sounds really great and feel much better. If possible, try your mallets out before purchasing them. It's an expensive mistake if you don't like the mallets.
The Robert Van Sice series offers me the tonal capabilities and reliable durability I need. I am very pleased with this versatile mallet.
