MB Mallets, Inc.

Welcome to MB Mallets

MB Mallets Inc. is owned and operated by Michael Baker in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
We work diligently to offer the best possible hand-made timpani sticks at affordable prices.
MB Mallets also does custom bamboo fitting including diameter, weight and length. Most Custom fitting is usually at the same price as seen on the products page.

History

Michael hails from a family of professional musicians, opera singers and artists.
His international career has encompassed virtually every style of playing. Studio drummer that include Nashville hits with Cheryl Keela, Canadian country music icon Gary Fjellgaard, orchestral percussionist with Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles freelancer and the Pan American Percussion Ensemble directed by Jorge Sarmientos.
Michael at the invitation of then Dallas Symphony Music Director Eduardo Mata recorded the Carlos Chavez Partita for Solo Timpani at RCA New York. This was part of a Chavez recording project with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Percussion and Winds. He subsequently performed the world premier in Mexico City in 1982.
He also has performed in most of the major concert venues around the world as the founding Principal Timpanist of the Mexico City Philharmonic.

It was no surprise to anyone in the family that at about age three he took out the pots and pans from under the stove. His mom's wooden spoons were the ideal sticks at the time. As a teenager Michael purchased a pair of then rarely available commercially made timpani sticks. This quickly led to wood turning lessons from his father on an antique lathe. He was then able to hand cut his first sticks in walnut. These became the go-to sticks for many years until his studies with Cloyd Duff at the Cleveland Institute of Music. It seems a quirk of fate that these very first sticks in walnut are now years later, the MB Series I student model sticks.

Over the years MB Mallets Inc. has developed and produced many original designs that include the Peter Kogan models and the George Brown models and, the original North American Black Magic ®.

The Peter Kogan models currently produced were from an original custom order from Peter. We were able to adapt his core and underlay concepts with the various MB coverings to produce a large/light stick that works well on both calf and synthetic heads.

The George Brown models came about as Michael suggested Custom designed mallets for George's world premier of the Dan Welcher Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra. George, also a student of Cloyd Duff, helped analyse our many prototypes and new design ideas. Most of these prototypes eventually became the MB-GB line.

The Black Magic® stick is an original design that resulted from numerous conversations with Concertgebouw Orchestra Timpanist Nick Woud. This stick is designed for synthetic heads. MB can also make a softer version for calf heads.

MB Mallets uses high quality German felts in various densities and red felt unique to our Company. We also use a material we refer to as hybridfelt ® that is custom made for us and unique to MB Mallets Inc.

The MB Mallets Directors and Advisors have a combined 175 years of timpani mallet experience.