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If you have any technical questions about bars and tunings etc. post them hear and our resident vibe geek Nico vanderPlas will answer them!

Forum Topic: Shipping the Vibraphone in the U.S.

Can someone offer any advice on packing a vibraphone for shipping within the U.S.

I am selling a Musser M-75 vibraphone and live in Florida. I have had a couple of inquiries from out-of-state - and out-of-driving distance. I have never attempted to package up a vibraphone for shipping myself. I did buy an Omega vibraphone once and it was shipped to me in a box which was, of course, designed to hold that instrument.

Forum Topic: 440 vs 442

I ordered 442 tuning for my vibes when I bought my OneVibe from MarimbaOne last year. I understood that 442 was the American standard because vibes and marimba are categorized as orchestral instruments. But what about JAZZ tuning with horns and piano? And would the bass player have to decide to go one way or the other if they had both tunings happening in the same ensemble? Yikes!
It seems like people with perfect pitch would grate at the mismatched tunings. Is it a big issue? What tunings do you guys have?

Forum Topic: Mid 70's M55 Frame Update

Hey y'all, so I recently bought a 76' M55. The guy who owned it before me bought it from Musser and it never left his basement. It's in almost perfect condition and I'm hoping to keep it that way. I'll be packing up and moving the instrument 4-5 times a week and I'm wondering what frame updates I should do? I've got a set of Beiner Bags on the way, but should I be doing anything else to make setting up/tearing down less of a headache? Thanks!

Forum Topic: Problems with replacing damper felt

I recently had to move my Musser M75 and decided to replace the damper felt while I had it broken down. Now that the new felt is on, I'm having problems getting the damper set properly. With the spring fully engaged there are notes in the top octave that still ring. I'm tempted to just use moleskin to fine tune those notes, but I fear that could cause other problems. The bar is straight when I put a level on it. Is there anything I'm missing?

Forum Topic: Damper felt adjustment

I play the marimba, and am new to the vibraphone. I noticed that, over time, a depression develops on the vibraphone damper where the underside of the bars make contact with the felt. Is this a bad thing, and is it necessary to readjust the damper tension when not using the vibes, to relieve the pressure on the felt?

Is there a section here that addresses how to properly set up and adjust a vibraphone?

Thank you-
Glenn

Forum Topic: College sophomore looking to buy his first vibraphone

Hey everyone, My name is Dawson. I'm studying Jazz Performance at Missouri State University and I need some guidance in buying a set of vibes, as I've never done this before. I'd really like to start gigging around town once I get a set. The problem is that I drive a '98 Toyota Corolla -- not the biggest car -- so portability is really important to me. Also, as a college student I'm not a huge fan of spending money, so I'd really like to avoid breaking the bank/taking out a loan to buy this instrument.