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My Frame (V5)

wyndorps 13 October 2019

On August 24, 2019, Leigh from Malletech told me that they do not want to follow any of my concepts.
With that, I'm free again to market my topics myself or with other partners.

I have decided not to look for another vibraphone manufacturer as a partner, but to build a small manufactory in Europe and possibly with a private partner in the USA, if there is sufficient interest in this frame.

Since I no longer had to wait for information on the manufacturing and procurement possibilities of a partner company, I developed a detailed design for an industrial production and built a first version.

In the final design for the next frame, I have incorporated some improvements, including a clamping possibility for the resonance tubes, since the transport "tube in tube" is rather rare and otherwise people would like to fix the tubes.

The weight of the frame shown, including the resonance tubes is 20 kg.

I am able to design the frame for almost all common sound bar geometries.
Tested in the CAD construction are:
• Musser M55 (Ross 715, Malletech Omega)
• Yamaha 2700
• Bergerault (metric bars)
• Deagan
• Premier 751

Comments

Randy_Sutin Mon, 10/14/2019 - 19:09

I am curious about the cost of the frame and shipping cost to the US.

thanks
Randy

wyndorps Tue, 10/15/2019 - 02:36

Hello Randy,

my costs of this frame in Germany were about 2000 € (+ VAT). May be I can get it a little cheaper if I can start a serie of some equal frames. I do not know about comercial shipping and custom costs to the USA.

I am in a first contact with someone to maybe do most manufacturing and assembly in the USA. It might be necessary for me to redesing the frame according to inch dimensions of sheets and tubes. Currently I don't know, how manufacturing costs and material cost in the USA are comparing to Germany. These are my first very early steps regarding to the USA market. I am not sure whether I will go that way as a private person besides my day job at all.

Who ever is on a trip to Germany is invitated to test the frame near Stuttgart. If the tests are succesfull, it can be put into a XXL-suitcase and take away. If a frame is gone, I will start to build the next one for me.

Paul

wyndorps Mon, 10/21/2019 - 02:40

Yes and no!
Basically, there are various ways to integrate a motor and flaps in the frame. The question is which transport option you are willing to forego, or how much effort you will accept.
If the possibility to fold into a suitcase for flight transport should remain, all pipes must be individually removable. An overlying shaft - as usual - would then have to be removed for transport - possible, but complex and damageable.
It could conceivably be a relatively simple solution, similar to Malletech's wing, but it is protected by a patent and would be damageable during transport too.

If only the option to fold the two rows of tubes is to remain, then for each row two separable shafts with appropriate coupling and a separate motor per row would be needed. This is possible, but also relatively expensive. I've built something like this on customer request on an earlier frame version.

Alternatively, one can imagine using an additional rigid tube version (or the existing one from the original instrument) and only integrating the motor. For this you would have to make a small change to the resonance tubes, so that they fit into the framework of the new frame. I've already done that for a customer. But why you should use a foldable frame with rigid resonance tubes rows?

Tylerblanton Fri, 11/01/2019 - 13:08

I think the idea of air travel with a vibraphone is essentially off the table. Even if you do buy flight cases and check it, the oversize baggage fees are cost prohibitive. Also the logistics on smaller flights and connections which are prevalent in European touring. I'm interested in the possibility of an instrument that can to some extent fold up into what amounts to a large suitcase for putting in cabs or taking on the train. Looks like your there or very close already!

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