​I bought one of these bruisers last year to have a portable set of vibes for jam sessions after realizing the real vibes weigh more than I do.

Do the vibes sound good in a jazz setting? Empathically yes.

Do other musicians love it? Yes again.

Have I played a real set of vibes to compare it with? Not much, however, last weekend I had an opportunity to play small band jazz on a real set of vibes. It was a dissimilar experience in a few ways. First, mallet choice became an issue because different mallets change the tone on a vibraphone. The volume and dynamic control took a tune or two to become comfortable. Unlike real vibes, the dynamic range on the Malletkat takes some work to get it to feel natural.  Second, the bars are wider, however my four-mallet technique was able to adapt quickly.

Have I played the other instruments in the Malletkat? Yes. In the Toronto Concert Band, I play the marimbas and vibes. Occasionally I've played the xylophone, bells, and tympani as well. I have a powered speaker with a 12' woofer and horn to get the job done.

Is the Malletkat easy to program? Noooooooooooooooo!

Did I get my money's worth? Yes.

Ratings

• Sounds: 10
• Ease of programing: 6
• Value: 10

​David

2025 Update:
I still love it. I primarily use the vibes, marimba sounds,  and xylophone, which in the context of a jam or YouTube recording is just fine. Played some gigs on the thing too. People were definitely curious. 

An early attempt at playing independent parts. 

Where there is a will there is a way. I knew only a few of the pieces. So in order to learn them pronto I created road maps or cheat sheets for each piece that outlined the form, style, chords, and important melodic or accompaniment parts for the keyboardist. I have found that by doing this, I'm able to memorise them as I write them. Then I practiced, without music, along with the recordings, at first by playing all the way through, then just the 1st chorous in order to retain the information. 

Some of my friends pointed out errors in the charts. Can you spot them?

Life gets in the way. We are still unpacking from our move, and we are organizing my parents' affairs and home for sale now that they are in care. Practice was/is in the ditch. 

But...

Today I got an hour in. 

1. Rick Dior warmup on snare drum.
2. One snare drum etude to 80BPM. This is an improvement. A few months ago, I could get them to 70 BPM in the same brief time. 
3. I worked on my triplets on the bass drum. By keeping relaxed I was able to hear improvement. 
4. Jazz warmup for mallets: 12, 2 octave major scales, 60 broken jazz chords in 1st inversion.
5. Played "Ain't Misbehavin' in a number of keys. 
5. Rootless 4 note voicings in a few minor keys. 
6. Reviewed a few standards. 

We moved house last week. That devoured all my practice time and physical energies. But, the studio is up and running and it is back to practicing. 

This weekends activities:

• Today is big band day, 9 to noon, I'm drumming. 
• I will listen to music on the drive to get in the proper headspace. 
• Tomorrow the mallets go up and the electric drum kit. Stayed tuned. 

David

What an exciting experience. Did all the preparations pay off? You bet. 

Our trio is now a quartet with the addition of a drummer. The final lineup is: malletkat, guitar, bass, drumset. The music: jazz standards. Two hours playing together is worth a week practicing alone playing with YouTube videos. 

I needed one. But I did spend drive time listening to music where I learned there was/is such a thing as jazz marimba. Listening to this album took me back 60 years and shopping with my mother at the supermarket. Click if you dare.