Does anyone know if this marimba or website is legit?

[Eggs_The_Adman]

Hello-

I am a high school student interested in perusing music in college and I am looking for a five octave marimba for as cheap a price as I can find to practice on. I found this website here:

http://www.jimlaabsmusic.com/drums-perc ... .html#ship

that offers a five octave rosewood marimba for about $4,000. Now this seems suspicious to me for a few reasons. First off, $4,000 for a rosewood instrument is very cheap so I can only assume there might be something wrong with it in one way or another. Second, I have never heard of Trixon Drums, so I have no idea if they make quality instruments or not. Lastly, I have never heard of the store that is selling the marimba so I can't tell if it is a reliable place.

I was wondering if any of you have heard of the company or the store or know anything about the marimba itself. This is the best deal I have ever found, and I want to make sure that it's a legitimate instrument before I buy it.

Thank you so much!

[billc36]

Trixon drums are on eBay all the time and they are VERY cheap and poorly made. Looking further at that website, they are the same company.

The rails look like a cheap pine and the brightness of the bars themselves don't look like rosewood, but more like padouk. Watch the video they have posted, there are tuning issues on the board. They keys don't have the rosewood warmth.

I have no first hand experience with these keyboards, but you get what you pay for most times.

[Eggs_The_Adman]

Thanks for that information, that will be good to know.

I did some more research and according to this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydtWI7M_I0s

The bars are made not from Honduras rosewood, but Burmese rosewood, which is just another name for padouk, so you were correct in that it isn't actual rosewood.

Overall, despite its obvious flaws, would you recommend this to someone like me who isn't looking for a perfect instrument but more for something affordable that will do the job? I probably won't use it to perform in public, I just need something to practice on. All things considered, it's still a 5 octave instrument at a price I have never seen before.

[doylejd]

If you legitimately want it just for practice, Coe Percussion has a marimba for an even cheaper price than that. It's actually a pretty decent little instrument and it feels great, but it doesn't have resonators. I think they were at the $3000 mark when I saw them at PASIC a few years back. You should give it a look.

[austantinople]

I second Coe Percussion, though I've never personally tried them out. I don't know if it's worth spending that kind of money unless you invest in quality equipment though.

[NGPercussion]

Here is a cheap option, and I believe I have heard good things about them as well: http://www.planetmarimba.com/144practice.asp

But just to second what Bill said, you do get what you pay for typically. I would do a ton of research on anything before you buy it.

[Spirit Snare 80]

IMO you'd come out better buying a good used marimba as opposed to a "practice" marimba.
Also, a lot of groups sell after a year or two and you can pick up a decent instrument at a good price.

Sort of like buying a car. Slightly used is better than new. Take it from someone who has a history
of buying a new car every year. That was a long time ago when I was young AND foolish.