This Ross vibraphone model 229 has come in to my workshop for sale. As can be seen from the images, it is in excellent condition with only very minor scuffs on a couple of resonators and some wear on the ends of the note bed. This instrument was purchased when Ross produced instruments in the US and has only been gigged a few times which is probably why it is still in such good condition. From what I gather, Ross parted company with Musser and set up by himself and essentially copied the Musser vibraphone, just like pretty much every other manufacturer, and stuck a different badge on it. From my perspective, that of an instrument maker, I can say that the similarities also include methods of manufacture and it even has components clearly supplied by Musser, or bought from their suppliers. The frame is different, it has the height adjustment system copied from the Yamaha vibraphones as well as their larger central pedal. The main marketing feature was that in terms of sound, the instruments were modelled on the Musser vibe from the 1960’s, but I don’t have the data or an instrument available to comment on this. What I can say is that it is a nice sounding vibraphone.
As discussed in the video, the main job, like every vibraphone that comes through my workshop, was to re-work the power connection. In short, the strain relief that manufacturers put on vibraphones are generally not fit for purpose. I always give the power cords on instruments a good, firm tug to recreate the strain exerted as if someone was tripping over the cable. Most of the time the result is that I have a lead with bare wires exposed which, if it were plugged in, would be live. It doesn’t take much imagination to join the dots and also understand why I test them. It is now standard practice for me to fit a socket on the instrument and supply a long kettle lead, so if the scenario is repeated, it just unplugs the instrument. I guess that this may be annoying if it happens, but better to be annoyed with me than electrocuted! Another benefit of the detachable cable is that I have also removed the temptation to wrap the cable around the note bed, so the chances of damaging the cable internally are also removed, assuming that you coil cables correctly and don’t use the elbow technique.
I do a PAT test all vibraphones before I do any work on them, literally before I touch them, because of all the horror stories I have seen and in order to protect myself. I test and certify them when work is completed and make a record of the results. It is worth saying that a lot of vibraphones that fail PAT tests and then come to me for repair, fail due to the wrong test being applied or the wrong settings being used on the test machine. Those that have valid PAT tests, shouldn’t, most commonly for the reasons discussed above or other cable wear and plug issues. My advice for anyone getting a PAT test on their vibraphone would be to go to a tool hire shop which is where I originally learned these skills. As a plant fitter, they will, like I did, test a massive variety of electrical items and consequently understand the testing procedure at a deeper level because the test equipment is also used as a diagnosis tool. If the wrong test is applied to an item, it can destroy electronic control systems, because a plant fitter will know electrical items at the component level, they simply will not make this very common and expensive mistake.
Time was spent correcting the set up of the vibraphone to make it play correctly. Contrary to what I am told, most vibraphones that come to me don’t play very well. Primarily on vibraphones, what I mean by this, is that they don’t resonate or dampen consistently. Invariably the damper systems and have been adjusted and adjusted to make them work, but this introduces more problems down the line, most of which are very time consuming and therefore expensive to repair.
The damper pedal made a bit of noise, so the design concept was re-worked because I was not especially happy with how it was done. Hopefully this work has prevented future issues, but everything I do is specifically designed to facilitate future repairs, so if something does go wrong, the hardest part of the work has already been done.
Unwanted noise reduction is a large part of my job. On vibraphones this can be an uphill struggle, largely due to terrible design concepts being badly implemented. This vibe, being a direct copy of a Musser, means that the forthcoming alternative parts I have designed to reduce fan shaft noise on those instruments, will be just as easy to fit on these vibraphones. The preparatory work has been done to make the existing system much quieter, but it does also possess the Musser noise at fast speeds.
The rest of my time was spent giving the instrument a thorough clean and a general service.
Also mentioned in the video is the method of assembly which isn’t particularly user friendly or suitably robust for the gigging musician. This aspect of instrument design is generally poor on most percussion instruments, irrespective of manufacturer. Overcoming these problems of poor design and the resultant damage to the instruments, has kept me busy for over twenty five years, so it is definitely not an unusual criticism. My advice is that if the instrument is to be moved a lot, changes to the frame should be considered.
If you have any general questions that other people may benefit from or find interesting, please ask in the comments section below. If you are interested in purchasing the instrument please send me an email or give me a ring because I like to keep all business dealings confidential. Thank you for reading.
