I was really happy with the delivery, ease of assembly, and overall quality. It sounds beautiful, and is large enough for two people to play. My older son is a Front Ensemble Instructor at our local High School, and his little brother just started percussion, and they both can play together.
I'm a high school freshman at a very small school, so I have never gotten the opportunity to play on anything larger than a 3 octave outside of the honor bands I've attended. It is a great instrument and is definitely something that is helpful for any percussionist to practice on.
It was intended as a Christmas present, but I did not want to store it in my garage so I gave it to my high school sophomore early. He assembled it in no time, with no difficulty. He began playing it immediately and it definitely helps him prepare for his school performances.
Gorgeous in looks and sound.
I could not be happier with my choice to purchase this marimba. The quality of sound, ease of assembly, and sleek look and feel makde this perfect for my home use. Steve Weiss Music offers unmatched customer service and unbeatable prices.
We have been looking for a long time at getting a bigger instrument since our daughter outgrew her 3.0 beginner marimba within her middle school years. Now that she is in high school we needed something she could practice with that would allow her to have the harder pieces of music to continue to grow. The Adams 4.3 soloist is just the right fit. She has a big enough board to be able to practice, and the tone is very beautiful. Definitely glad we purchased this one. Even though the concert one was so close in price, the soloist emulates the instruments she plays at the highschool, so the soloist is a perfect match for us.
Bought this for my high schooler. Very nice to have one at home instead of having to go to school to practice. We don't keep track of practice hours but I'd guess her practice time has tripled.
This marimba is just what my son needed for home practice. It is a nice quality instrument and at a budget friendly price point. Super happy with the purchase.
This is exactly what we wanted/expected.
This is a perfect marimba to use both in the home and professionally at concerts. The bars are not as graduated as more standard sized 4.3 marimbas, however that has not been an issue for me. The frame is solid and easily height adjustable. I have enjoyed touring with this instrument and will continue to use it as my marimba of choice.
It's so hard for mallet players to practice at home, but the affordability of this instrument made it possible for us. It has a great sound, was easy to assemble and has been invaluable for my daughter's development as a player.
This is the second Adams marimba I have purchased. The quality has been consistent - good tuning, easy assembly (good directions), plus Adams has improved the casters. The casters are larger than the predecessor. I had a great experience dealing with Steve Weiss. It was easy to purchase and the equipment arrived on time and in perfect shape.
Our son is making good use of the Adams Marimba, thus far. Sound is great overall. Be prepared to give up appreciable floor space--its every bit as big as our console upright piano and bench. Took about an hour to assemble, but easy to follow directions. Delivered on a pallet with two large boxes--one with resonators, the other with all other parts in small boxes. Well-marked and well-packed without a lot of extraneous packing materials.
This instrument was shipped extremely fast. It took about three business days to get shipped. For the actual instrument the frame is amazing and very easily can be taken apart and put back together. The keys are not the best. I play with a very powerful through the bar stroke and this instrument is not very good for that kind of stroke. If you have the same thing I suggest the synthetic keys and not the Padouk.
My husband and I purchased this instrument for our son because he was joining a jazz band where they did not have a Marimba. He has played this instrument for more than four years along with the piano and drums. When he plays the Marimba you are just mesmerized by his talent. The quality, sound and beauty (the craftsmanship) in this instrument is amazing. We can tell you take great time and patience in making these instruments. I am sure in the future, if we are looking for an instrument, we will definitely go to you. Thank you so much. Milagros and Stephen Cobb
This is a beautiful instrument. It has wonderful sound. It was packaged well and arrived safely. We had a bit of a mix up with UPS because we needed to make an appointment for a home freight delivery and we did not know about this. This delayed the arrival by a few days.
This is a beautiful sounding marimba. I can hardly tell the difference between the padouk bars on this and the rosewood bars on other more expensive marimbas I've played. The frame is solid and excellent quality. I also like the fact that the frame will break down small enough to fit in a standard hardware case, which makes it very portable. Also, the bars are only slightly narrower in width than on professional models, and it really didn't take me long at all to adjust. Overall, I would highly recommend this marimba if you are on a tight budget. It's the best one I've come across for this kind of money.
I have never owned a Marimba before. This is the one to have. My children simply love making "music" by hitting the instrument. It sounds very soothing. The service was quick and good.
As stated before, the smaller bars make it somewhat of an awkward switch when transitioning from this marimba to a regular sized one. The Padouk bars look great and sound decent. Many of the bars have poor resonance, and when playing passages certain keys sound more than others. It produces a warm tone, which I enjoy. Nothing compared to rosewood, but for the cheap price it's a good deal. It is a good beginner's marimba, but I would invest in a different one if this isn't your first purchase. Overall, I was pleased with it and I don't regret it very much.
This is a really good marimba, the tone is awesome. One thing to be aware of, though -- the bars are pretty thin compared to most marimbas. This makes it easier to do large intervals, but could pose problems when performing on other marimbas.
I have owned an Adams Soloist Series 4.3 for almost nine years. I originally purchased it with padauk bars. I was pleasantly surprised with the sound of the bars and I have enjoyed the instruments a great deal. I did perform with it in a small venue and I received very good feed back although for most of the audience it was probably the first time they had seen or heard a live marimba performance. It sounds much better in room with tile floor, lots of windows and curtains than it does in a large room with carpet and curtains. I did have a set of rosewood bars made for it last year. The bars are a good bit smaller than those on the concert series. Personally, I find the smaller bars easier to play but it is awkward when I find myself playing on a "full size" instrument. The smaller bars also make the instrument a little smaller which for me is also an advantage. The frame is solid and the instrument breaks down nicely for transportation. For the price, I think this instrument is a great value.
I love this marimba. My grandmom bought it for me around 2 years ago when I was a senior in highschool. I now have it setup in my dorm room at college. It is very easy to move back and forth to school, and it sounds really great. Padauk is definitely underrated. Rosewood is obviously better, but for 1/2 the price this marimba sounds almost as good. It gets 5+ stars from me.
This marimba provides a great sound at a very affordable price.
