I have retired and moved to the south of France, and so needed to dispose of various orchestral percussion instruments, which I will not need there. However, I am delighted to report that there is a small and committed community of amateur musicians in the area, with several orchestras playing classical and light music with an enthusiasm that makes up substantially for limited technique. And they need percussion players.
This is a pair (25" & 28") of copper collapsible pedal timpani that I have owned for nearly 20 years - they were previously owned by Sue Estermann. They are stamped as made by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd, with serial numbers 25095 & 25096 and have had Ludwig gauges fitted. I understand that they were designed to be used in a theatre pit, and were probably made in the 1920's. They can be taken apart (the bells removed from the bases) for ease of transport. The bases are aluminium, with steel for the levers and tension rods. Currently fitted with Remo semi-transparent heads, which were new two years ago.
I value this pair at about the same level as a new pair of Adams Universal fibreglass timps. The Adams are lighter and easier to transport and set up, but mine produce a much better sound, as long as you regulate them correctly each time. The list price for an Adams pair is about £3300, but they are available at considerable discount at the moment, so I am open to offers.
This is a three-octave (from C) xylophone with frame (length 95 cm), resonators and wooden carrying case (101 cm by: 31.5 cm by 12cm), with stamps identifying it as made by John Grey & Sons, London. I purchased it about 25 years ago, but I know nothing of its provenance. It does not have a floor stand, only a separate wooden table-top one that I made (as shown). It was professionally retuned when I acquired it, and I have checked that the pitch is still OK. Classic orchestral sound, with reasonable resonance in the lower half. I'm open to offers for this.
These are the chimes and mounting rails (length 51 cm) for a two-octave (from C) glockenspiel, stamped as made by Kent. They came from a lyre marching glockenspiel which was purchased at an army surplus auction. The rails need to be fixed to a new frame for playing - a plywood frame would be suitable. Pitch has been checked and the whole instrument is in tune (concert pitch), with a good, bright orchestral sound. I am open to offers for this.
Andrew Westlake - June 2010
Last updated on 06 June 2010