M134Medium hard urethane. Dark and bold for xylophone and bells.Head = 1 1/4, L = 14 3/8Listen sample on XylophoneListen sample on BellA popular choice for many percussion programs, the Ensemble Series is now offered with rattan shafts for greatly improved feel and sound! Crafted with a 1¼” rubber core and a latex covering, the combination of components generates a full-bodied sound and a rich fundamental. Each model has its own latex recipe for a true graduation of timbre and tone production.Developed with Thom Hannum – DCI Hall of Fame member and Associate Director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band – this new series is designed for marimba ensemble playing. “When we first discussed the idea for this new series,” Thom explains, “the priority was to achieve a consistency of timbre and tone quality across the full range of the instrument, regardless of which model you chose from the series. And now with the change to rattan shafts, the rebound is enhanced and the mallets play and feel better. They also provide a very focused sound for the marimba choir, and there is a real strength and uniformity of this specific sound.”Thom continues, “Many percussion ensembles today, including our marimba ensemble at UMASS, perform ‘rag time’ collections and literature that focus on the keyboard ensemble. These mallets generate more clarity of attack while maintaining a more mellow quality than others I am accustomed to using for this musical situation.”