Customer Reviews

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I was very impressed with the sound of this bell tree, especially for the price; each note is pitched and I checked to make sure the pitch was accurate. The bells also resonate very well. The only problem is, sometimes the bell slips through the knots on the string, So you may need to re-string it.

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Fine craftsmanship and sound!

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Bought a set of the high octave for use in ensemble work. Traditional crotales were significantly more expensive and the timbre of bells works better for the group. Nice rich tone that works well with both brass or phenolic mallets. Tuning seems fine, although for my use a little "off" is acceptable. Bells themselves look fine, although the mounting holes were sometimes drilled a bit off-center, which was apparent when using the rack (purchased separately). Overall a great value for a tuned metallaphone and I'm considering getting the lower octave as well.

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First off, if you're hoping these will cover you when you need crotales I would measure your expectations. These bells certainly have a denser overtone spectrum than a glockenspiel but not nearly as much as crotales. I personally think that's a benefit, it offers us a new timbre in that range of tuned metals that was primarily limited to two options. They would certainly fool some conductors/musical directors/etc. but I would recommend having a backup plan for those more discerning podium occupants. Mounting: yes, the holes are large enough to fit on a standard crotale mount. However, the playing area that produces the greatest amount of dynamic range, and clearest fundamental pitch is at the bottom of each bell. I've found mounting them like an Aluphone creates the greatest ease of movement, but in order to bow the naturals and accidentals I found the most useful mounting strategy was to attach a tom mount to a 0.5"x4" board and have the naturals and accidentals position on opposite sides with the top of each saucer facing the board. I have the two octaves separate so they can be stacked or aligned.

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The bells are about 2" to 1.5" in diameter from lowest to highest. I tested the tuning (c6-c7), and each bell was very well tuned. They do not produce very much volume, so if you are using them as a substitute for crotales in a musical theater situation, be sure to mic them well. They will not carry or project the same way crotales do. They are much more focused in pitch than crotales, producing a clear fundamental pitch with very little overtones. I played these side by side with crotales, the latter possessing a much more complex overtone series. So they are not a 1:1 substitute, but are an excellent option given the price. They fit onto the Zildjian crotale bar mount as well as the Liberty crotale mounting system. I have not tested them on other brands of crotale mounts.

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I was looking for some bright, tuned sounds in the higher octaves (7th) to augment my tuned gongs, rin bowls, and similar sounds. These are very bright and clear sounding with good pitch. I'm very pleased with them and am building a holder to mount them chromatically like crotales. For the price you can't go wrong!

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Very useful addition to the available equipment list. Good clear fundamental with lots of shimmering overtones and very well in tune. I will be mounting them on a frame in the standard naturals/sharps keyboard sequence for ease of playing melodically. I agree with a previous reviewer - I would love to have the next lower octave. These bells will find their way into a lot of my arrangements and will be very useful substitutes for crotales and sound effects in pit orchestras. Very well done!

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I love the sound of these bells. They're a relieve for the gigging percussionist. I too will be remounting them in horizontally on a homebrew stand. Please please please consider also making a "low octave" version.

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I am on a tight budget. Most musical shows I've been recently playing require crotales and bell tree. This is an alternative for both. Although it is not an exact match, it is very close.

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The range of these bells is actually C7-C8, same as a high octave of crotales. I wrote a blog post about mounting these bells on a homemade stand.

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Overall, I'm very satisfied with these bells, especially for the price. They're in good tune (or at least good enough), are solidly made, and project enough to fit with my setup. My only issues are with the holes through which the bells are strung: They're very rough, and nowhere near uniform in size. I wanted to restring the bells to space them out more, and that turned out to be hard because the cord kept getting caught and sometimes frayed on the rough/sharp edges. Also, one bell was holed off-center, so hangs on the cord like a drunk uncle. All in all, though, they're good bells for the money.

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I use bells in the performance of medieval music. Considering the relatively low cost of these bells, I was surprised to find that the tuning was accurate--not the case with the set I was using before. It would be nice if the range was a bit wider, but they are certainly usable as they are. I remounted them in horizontal "keyboard order," but that was easy enough. Thank you. Samuel Milligan Ars Musicae Hispaniae Brooklyn, New York

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