Maintenance

I have just taken delivery of a 3.2 octave Vanderplas GigVibe - and a beautiful thing it is too. I am trying to work out the best way of protecting it when I move it out of my studio to gigs etc. I originally ordered a 3 octave one but have ended up with this larger instrument so I have to dismantle it to get it through doorways. Moving it in one piece is not an option. It also has pickups on each bar which plug in externally to the frame. I have toyed with the idea of moving the keybed with bars attached but this makes it VERY heavy.

I'm having my Musser bars sent to Bill Youhas to have them retuned to 440. I need to insure the bars when I ship them, but I have no idea what a set of bars is worth. Any ideas?

Hi Everyone,
I have a 1970 M-55 and replaced the original motor some years ago with a newer smaller Musser model. It has been flawless until lately the motor pauses at slower speeds. At first I thought the paddles needed oil, but traced it to the actual motor having little pauses (almost a little stop start motion) at slower speeds. Does this mean the motor is on its way out or just needs adjustment? Any advice or insight on this?
Thanks
Rusty

I will soon be purchasing a 6-year old, barely used, mint condition Musser M75, from a local student. Yes I know it's probably not the best for gigging with, and traveling with, but it was pretty inexpensive, and the seller is really only about 15 or so miles from where I live (South Texas). I think the price is what got me to buy it. I wanted a Deagan or Yamaha either used or new, but I would be putting out several more thousand dollars. Oh, I am starting up playing again after not playing for over 20 years. Yes, old dogs can relearn old tricks.

What do you guys suggest as a decent replacement for the rubber tubing spacers on the M55? Anything "off the shelf" at the hardware, auto-supply store? Anyone use silicone tube? What about size? This work is overdue, many of these are splitting or have become hard and brittle. And while I'm at it, I should probably replace the cord... suggestions?

I have just acquired a very old set of vibes and they are made by Jenco, the range is C4 to F6. The motor still works but I will need to get some new cables. I also plan on installing a new power cable because the one that is currently installed looks old and I wouldn't want it to blow a fuse. Besides these small flaws, it just needs to be polished up a bit and I believe it will be in quite good condition, and sounding quite good as well. I also believe that the current parts are original.

Hey everyone.

I wanted to report that I just had some Yamaha bars retuned by Bill Youhass at Fall Creek Marimba, and I am very pleased! i think Bob Leatherbarrow had posted about this, so thanks for the tip Bob.

I sent my 442 bars, and had them retuned to 440 (so I no longer own 442 bars - yes, finally... they make no sense in the US). Comparing Bob's 440 tuning with my other factory-tuned 440 Yamaha bars, they are much smoother. Much more in tune with themselves, with less peculiar artifacts.

I highly recommend Bill's tuning skills!

I just picked up an old Deagan model 30; the budget vibes that they made in the late-1930s/early-'40s. It has 2-1/2 octaves, cardboard resonator tubes and a single-speed motor. It needs a bit of work, but I'm not too intimidated by it. However, I could use some advice! Here's what I know needs to be done:

1. Unstring the bars and polish them; they're pretty tarnished. I have a motorized buffing wheel with a variety of mops and rouges, but I could use advice about what specifically might work best.

Hey folks,

I'm currently experiencing a pretty significant issue with frame noise on my M55. Even though the instrument was used before I bought it there were only cosmetic issues and nothing that I saw regarding the integrity of the frame.

Hi All-

This is a new one for me; in an iso booth recording, and it seems as though my highest G natural is somehow dead. I thought it was the resonator, but it seems to have less than 1/3rd of the sustain of the bars around it, whether the resonator flaps are open, closed, or in motion.

I've been playing these bars for 15+ years and this is the first I've noticed it. Seems like a new problem, but nothing looks different about the bar, at least on the playing side. Anyone else have this happen? What could I do about it?

Thanks-

JAmes