This has been a fun ride, and the end result is one I'm very happy with.
At the end of 2021 I was toying with the idea of creating a suspended cymbal mallet, but the options of how to go about it were many and varied. There are already many types of excellent mallets on the market for an orchestral use, so creating one of my own would be useless if I wasn't able to match the quality and functionality of those made by Ron Vaughan and Dragonfly mallets. That idea has been filed away in the "later on" basket.
But once Derringers began stocking my Scholar Series Timpani mallets, Jack Thomson told me that drummers are often looking for a stick to use on drum kit cymbals. After playing around with some carbon fibre and birch sticks to begin with, the equation became clear. Drummers want weight in the stick, so the change from normal drumsticks to mallets isn't so dramatic.
Jack also gave me the brilliant idea of sourcing recycled timber. Because American Hickory is expensive beyond belief, and there is an almost endless supply of recycled materials to use from Adelaide Recycled Timbers in Uraidla, this idea is what got the development off the ground.
The end result is two pairs of mallets - both with hard felt cores, but one wrapped in chamois and one in German Felt. This gives kit players the option of a harder stick that gives a punch on the toms but can also be used on cymbals, as well as a soft stick for rumbling toms and wooshing cymbals.
Last week the sticks were dropped off at Derringers Music in Forrestville to be stocked in store, and they're also available for purchase in this website's online store. Many thanks to Jack and Derringers for supporting this endeavour.
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