Marimba Lumina mallets are admittedly the most delicate part of the system. They are robust enough to withstand normal wear and tear, and do not lose sensitivity with time, but there are things that can happen to break coils inside the mallet:
What's in the mallet:
There are 3 resonant coils per mallet matching a specific frequency . Coils are hand wound here with a specific number of windings. Even then we sometimes add or subtract a winding based on our test circuit. This is a passive circuit; there is no battery involved.
How do I know if my mallet has problem?
If your Lumina seems to have an intermittent response with one particular mallet, it is probably not the Lumina-- it's the mallet. When one coil breaks the Lumina will no longer respond to the mallet orientation that that particular coil was covering, while it will respond if turned any another way. Players typically respond by playing harder, which doesn't help.
TEST YOUR MALLETS: Testing your mallet can be done yourself. Click on the following link: See how to test mallets... Or if when you send mallets for re-covering , they will be assessed here at Absolute Deviation.
Should I re-cover my mallets anyway?
If your mallets get regular use, you'll need to re-cover them every few years. If the foam covering is worn out, the mallet will be vulnerable to breakage. If you have not been performing much, the foam may still need replacement every 5-6 years. The Absolute Deviation color for mallets is green. Neon Green is also available. The Original Orange is available when requested.
Current prices for mallets and mallet repair:
New single mallets are $95 each. Recovering and testing existing mallets is $26 per mallet if all the coil are intact. Complete Refurbish of older mallet is $72 including fixing any broken coils. (Single mallets will be re-covered with their original color unless specified.)
Shipping is cost of shipping service plus $10 handling.
Having sets of mallets reconditioned is recommended.
This includes re-covering of each mallet. Testing of the coils will be done to make sure no repairs are needed and customer will be informed prior to any repair. Prices are as above.
Repair may be quicker than replacement depending on materials stock.
Mallets are fully guaranteed for 30 days.
50% discount for repairs to mallets during the first 6 months.
Note:
I am always looking for improvements to the mallet head size, reliability, and ease of assembly. The current design offers the best compromises and have proven to last longer than the original Buchla/Nearfield made mallets.