Vibraphones require some sort of mechanism to transfer the drive from the motor to the fan shafts in the resonators.  Over the years there have been lots of clever ideas which require specific types of belt.  Invariably these clever ideas turn out to be unreliable and noisy.  Furthermore it is difficult to obtain these very expensive replacement parts which can take months to arrive and who wants that in their lives?  Thankfully most manufacturers just use the tried and tested solution that has been around for decades – a rubber o ring with a circular cross section.  Whilst it is not quite as straight forward as that, this is the basic concept.

This lack of availability and disproportionate cost of spare parts has always been the biggest problem with percussion repair and is the reason why I have to carry thousands of parts in stock.  Vibraphone drive belts are no exception, there is around 100 different sizes and types of  belt on my shelf.  Premier belts are bought to the industrial standard whereas other manufacturers withhold that information.  In these cases I have matched the size and tested them on instruments that have come through my workshop.

Cost.

The cost of the belts vary dependent on size and now material.  Prices are fairly static around £2 inflation in thirty years.  Currently they cost between £3 and £15 per belt, although most motor systems use belts ranging between £8 and £15 each. They are sold in pairs to make the transaction financially viable and postage is additional.

Ordering.

You need to get the right sized belt, so you need to these three things:

1. Email me with details of your instrument; make and model.  Sometimes I even need to see the motor and pulley system to determine the size you require; email images directly, my website does not allow this for security reasons.
2. Tell me which material you want; standard £8-£10 or synthetic £12-£15 (see below).
3. Include your name and address!  Nowadays this also means your mobile phone number.  It is often a mandatory requirement of the courier to make a booking.

For payment I currently raise a proforma invoice which has the exact amount and payment methods.

Materials.

To address general concerns over the gradual decline in quality and to overcome the problems of unwanted noise in older vibraphones caused by a bit of wobble in the drive system, I experimented with belts of different materials.  Industrial developments sees investment into the new, so the old gets side lined.  With vibraphone belts I just see a gradual decline, I can’t quantify it, they just don’t seem as good as they used to be.  This is normality when you reach a certain age.  So the standard belts still work perfectly well, but the modern synthetic belts are just better.  In fact they are better in every single way you can measure them except for cost and biodegradability – although the latter assumes that the rubber used today does not have chemical additives which they almost certainly do to aid the manufacturing process.

The key differences are that the standard black rubber drive belt degrades primarily in UV light but also ozone and none of us live on the dark side of the moon.  The synthetic belts are much more resistant to environmental decay, but I like them because they are more elastic and forgiving on older instruments.  They are also mechanically stronger which surprised me, so the stretch and they don’t break.  It goes on, better cross sectional profile because the moulds are newer and not worn out (investment) makes them smoother round the pullies and grippier because the micro surface is tighter so there is less belt slippage.  As I have mentioned they are just better, but you have to pay for it.

Be aware!

Just because a manufacturer states that their instrument uses a specificized belt, does not mean that the instrument you own, will work properly using the belt they supplied.  The erroneous assumption is that the instrument was made perfectly to their design or that their design has not changed.  Furthermore, if you bought the instrument second hand, anything could have changed.  Most problems with vibe belt orders that I have to overcome boils down to this assumption that a particular instrument is the standard representation – this is why I ask for photos.

Outside the norm.

For instruments that require more technical belts such as toothed belts, change them.  These belts will never work and I find the decision to use them in a musical instrument alarming.  They both transfer and generate excessive amounts of noise.   Thankfully the pullies will accept circular cross sectional belts and will operate as well as the underlying system allows.  If you have the one vibe or omega or whatever its called, you probably have no choice but to stick with the toothed belt de to the length.  Of course you could always get a replacement fan shaft system!  While you are at it, pre-order my replacement motor.

What if I don’t know the size you need?

I have a very bad habit of forgetting to charge for the drive belt when I repair  vibraphone, so it may be the case that I haven’t got a record of the size you need.   Sorry.  When I need to find the most appropriate drive belt for a vibraphone that I am working on, my goal is to find the largest belt that still reliably drives the fan shafts in the resonators and thereby minimise transferred motor noise.  Whereas I can just go to my stock and try them (which is why I forget to write the size down) you can’t, so I have made up a kits that can be loaned.  It will cost you more in postage backwards and forwards, but it is still probably cheaper than bringing me your instrument.