How it all started
“The xylophone was my first percussion instrument. I remember clearly like yesterday, its sound was simply fascinating, - the crisp tickling of the wooden hammers on the keyboard was such a pleasure to listen to. This sound had such a strong aroma, like a freshly ground hot cup of Colombian coffee, - only for my ears instead of my taste buds.”
Adrian Stefanescu
Years later in 2010 Adrian said:
“I never forgot what those wood hammers sounded like but unfortunately today I could hardly find a wood pair in my mallet bag. Everybody is using plastic mallets nowadays. I thought, why is that?”
And that’s how it all started: Adrian began testing dozens of wood species to find the very best sounds the xylophone can produce, and then started creating completely new wood mallet designs. The shapes and sizes are different, the weight and feel; everything is new.
Today ASP mallets are the only series that offer a complete series of 10 models that can cover every area of the repertoire, all with the original sound of wood.
Professional Performance Wood Mallets
Our mallets break away from the limiting tradition that used wood as a mostly isolated type of sound in one’s mallet bag (for that one excerpt), and plastic for the rest of the tone-color pallet that the xylophone repertoire requires. Adrian Stefanescu Wood-mallet series is the first to offer a complete spectrum of sounds that is able to cover the entire repertoire, all while far surpassing the dynamics and nuance capabilities of plastic. We believe that wood has always been, and still is, the best material for a musical instrument, whether the player is just starting out or is a top professional.
In ear training, it is crucial that one uses an in-tune instrument. Likewise, the shaping of one’s hearing to appreciate what constitutes the best xylophone sound, - the genuine, natural wooden sound, - as well as developing control through the weight and balance of mallets (which greatly differ between wood and plastic) has lifelong benefits for any aspiring or accomplished performer.
Moreso, the sound that composers like Sain-Saens, and R. Strauss had in mind when they first brought the instrument into the symphony orchestra, was the original xylophone sound they first heard, - which was produced by wood mallets.
Xylo is the ancient Greek word for Wood.
The top choice
When it comes to xylophone mallets, wood has many inimitable qualities: ideal tone, natural beauty, individual character, and moderate impact on the bars.
Every part of these mallets is handmade using an old traditional technique that cannot be rushed. The result is a finely tuned, precisely balanced pair of mallets.
It is our hope that you will find these mallets - their designs, feel, and quality, - to be not only a helpful addition to your mallet bag but indeed an element of inspiration in your performance.