$8,000 vs $16,000 5.0 Octave Marimba BLIND TEST!

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Thank you to Buffalo Percussion for giving me the opportunity to try a padauk keyboard and rosewood keyboard on the same 5.0 octave instrument! Let me know down below how you went with the blind test - did you guess all 3 sound tests correctly? P.S. Thank you so much for 18K subscribers! You guys are the best! #TheStudioFamily

[@nzane1216]

You can tell almost immediately from how resonant the low end is, other than that, pretty interesting how close both boards are

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Yes I think that might be the only way to tell haha, and I swear they sounded even closer in person...

[@Flar3on12Gaming]

I was actually surprised at the resonance of the Padauk. In my experience it has been much sharper. I got all three right but, what I heard was where much more harsh tones like the mallets where harder than they should have been on rosewood.

[@collinallen5356]

Exactly what I thought! I like the low’s of the rosewood and highs of the padauk. But the rosewood is better quality and has more resonance according to research so I choose rosewood.

[@sivadepilif]

The perfect marimba: Lower half, rosewood Upper half, padauk

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Hahaha or a hybrid material, rosedauk 😅

[@someone-yc1pc]

@@AdamTanPercussion what is this was an actual thing.

[@alskyfajardo7361]

Padauk has a brighter color than rosewood, but it's not a bad thing at all, just a preference. I own a padauk 4.3 from Majestic and it sounds beautiful with good sustain.

[@AdamTanPercussion]

I totally agree! So many other factors which are important :)

[@averillstevenson2168]

Al Sky Fajardo Agreed. Brighter. I guessed all 3 correctly.

[@FollowJesus777-KING]

How long did it take to ship? I was gonna get a Majestic as well

[@christopherpinckard176]

I think it’s sad that even though I’ve been playing marimba for 3 years I have yet to play on a full wood marimba. All the ones I’ve ever played are field frame synthetic. Also Adam you have literally the BEST percussion channel I’ve seen in a while keep it up please

[@wilk3rdrummer895]

Marimba_Kid334 Same I wish I could play a rosewood marimba but I think my school is saving up for one

[@christopherpinckard176]

WILK3R DRUMMER see I moved from a big school with big band and like 5 marimbas then I moved to tiny band with 1 marimba but it’s still a marimba so no complaints here

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Don't worry man, playing a marimba at all is already really good! I'm sure you will find heaps of different marimbas as you keep playing :)

[@noahgirdler]

I got 1/3. That's crazy how close they are. I love the low-end of that padauk. It made the resonance blend a lot better with the pieces than ringing forever.

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Yes!! I think the quality of the wood and frame is more important than just what wood it is

[@Happiness-ut7nn]

I guessed correctly! The rosewood has more of an attack, more of a "woody" sound if you will. I think the padauk had a longer resonance and a warmer attack but that's a preference thing when it comes to purchase. Thanks for making this video! It was super interesting!

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Thanks for watching! Crazy how they're so close haha

[@Nikayoiam]

I love how he uses Nintendo switch sounds

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Most versatile sounds ever haha

[@arnhuber5115]

Ive always wanted to have a nice 5.0 octave but I don't really make enough to save up to get one but I think this padauk one is perfect for me I love the way it sounds and I think this is a good option for me I'm going to start saving immediately Thanks for introducing me to this marimba I truly appreciate it keep up the great work

[@AdamTanPercussion]

That's awesome man! Thanks so much for watching and hope you can get that 5.0 soon :)

[@nurhanna4705]

I always wanted to hear the direct difference between rosewood and padauk, thanks!

[@Bluejay617]

Wow I’m actually impressed I got them all right! I could tell from the lower octaves, in the rosewood it’s more of a warmer tone then on the padauk it’s a little barkier. Both sound beautiful though.

[@TheMan-ok1zo]

I don’t know if I’m judging wrong but to me it sounded like the Rosewood was softer while the Paduk was more hard hitting

[@AdamTanPercussion]

That's a pretty accurate observation :)

[@andyzou7890]

You're exactly correct.

[@juhorasimus00]

Both sounded great here. The difference between the two keyboards was very small but still notable, also padouk had a lot of resonance (maybe) because of the pro-level resonators. Currently rocking 4.3 Adams concert marimba with padouk bars myself and could not be happier. Price/sound value is just about perfect for my practice needs.

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Yes the oval tube resonators really help! I'm glad you're enjoying the Adams padauk marimba!

[@iplaybadgames317]

personally i hear the difference right away the rosewood sounds more ummm smooth in a way it does. it more of a hhhhhh while the other one was like HHHhhh if that makes sense

[@AdamTanPercussion]

HAHA I LOVE THE "HHHhhh"

[@zyllofmitain]

I came up with "drier" sound to describe the rosewood. The padouk was more resonant. I got the first one wrong but once I knew which sound was which I correctly guessed the rest. The padouk also had a couple bars in the mid range that weren't voiced completely evenly with the rest, and gave it a unique signature. EDIT: the A above middle C, I think.

[@zyllofmitain]

The rosewood sounds more like... raindrops? Bloop, bloop, bloop... The padouk was like doong, doong, doong. More attack, slightly longer sustain.

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Interesting character isn't it! Probably comes down to personal preference after a while :)

[@jacobputnam5508]

Nice to know I can tell the difference between rosewood and padauk

[@jwagy]

This was very helpful ! I chose correctly each time, and each time I surprisingly chose the Padauk sound each time over the rosewood ! Amazing video

[@loganpbarney]

3/3 - I work with both types nearly everyday, I should hope I can tell! I like that someone sat down and did a proper comparison. Synthetic keys definitely have more of a resonant sound than that characteristic attack that rosewood has. I think the appeal of rosewood is a more natural sound, its timbre is noticeable in a solo recording. Because the sounds of synthetic keys are so similar, the notes are more likely to "blend" than rosewood. The sound difference you normally hear when you swap keyboards depends much more on the resonators than you think at first. Really interesting video, Adam! Enjoyed the quiz.

[@jjmarigold2120]

Padauk sounds more mellow with less high harmonics to me which I actually like! Good concept and well executed w/o any bias

[@cpatlynch]

I would love to hear equal priced marimbas made out of different wood (i.e. select padauk vs rosewood, both at $12k or something like that). cool video though thanks! Also, as a side note, one of the biggest differences between Padauk and rosewood is that rosewood is significantly harder so Padauk is much easier to dent (They are both similarly strong though). As far as sound goes, Padauk is supposed to ring for a shorter amount of time (i.e. decays faster) in the higher range, and in my experience that seems to be the case.

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Yes unfortunately padauk will always be cheaper than rosewood, even the most expensive padauk keyboard won't be close to entry level rosewood :) and your observations are correct!

[@duelmaster33]

with what sounds I personally like to have in a piece, i would go with padauk for its bass sound. it me it feels more of what I would compose. nice vid for comparison

[@AdamTanPercussion]

That's not something you hear often! Thanks for watching 😁

[@electrikm38]

The Perduke sounded brighter than the rosewood marimba.

[@phantis7064]

I got the second 2 out of 3 The Padauk sounds somewhat brighter to me most of the time and I suprisingly preffer the Rosewood.

[@PostLagone]

Rosewood sounds better but I couldn't justify spending double the price for the minimal difference

[@ryanpritchard6956]

Padauk can definitely sound great. I find the biggest downside is padauk can be temperamental when moving from room to room, environment to environment. It’s doesn’t seem to do nearly as well as rosewood with temperature and humidity changes.

[@pawnstarsofficial9083]

I used to own a buffalo marimba and I felt the paddock wood was very warm

[@AdamTanPercussion]

That's awesome man!! Never thought I'd hear padauk and warm in the same sentence haha

[@BudderBoyz]

Where is the click sound from that you play at 0:34?

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Oh it's a Nintendo Switch menu sound :)

[@BudderBoyz]

ohhhhhh

[@jaquanxanthan7284]

What's the background track at 1:45?

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Like This by spring gang ft. moon (from Epidemic Sound)

[@notpieceoftoast4269]

I got all three, the padauk peaks sometimes I’m audio, mean while rosewood doesn’t not, but overall the both had very nice clarity in sound and sounded very nice

[@steventeixeira9176]

I was literally talking to my mom about this earlier in the week

[@skatardrummer1]

Padauk sounds way different to me. Always has. It is quite plunky and has more cutoff. I don't care for Paduak for all repertoire. It has its applications.

[@TOOMUCHDOG-lv7ly]

what i noticed was that the padauk seemed slightly louder and seemed to have that fat base sound while rosewood sounded slightly warmer

[@davidnjudi]

Thanks for this comparison. I’ve often wondered how much of a difference there would be, all other things being equal. For me, there was a noticeable difference and I still prefer rosewood, but for half the price the padouk held up much better than expected.

[@miguelangellorenteferrer7056]

Hi Adam, I love your videos, I have a question for you: Did you specify if the rosewood marimba is rosewood from Honduras? I think I am almost sure to see the pictures in the minute 2:36 that it is about African rosewood, without a doubt it is another tree different from the family of Dalbergias, it is about the Swartzia Fistuloides Harms, a wood of hardness similar to the rosewood of Honduras. but a little drier even than the African padouk. Or maybe I'm wrong ... A greeting!!

[@bradalpert6995]

Malletech now has a 5.0 octave padouk marimba with resonators for $6000 at Steve Weiss. I have an Adams 4.3 padouk concert series and love it (Rosewood bars are also available). I am hopeful that they will soon have a 5.0 octave version. They have conversion kits to go from 4.3 to 5.0 octave for some of their rosewood marimbas. I hope they make one for mine. Don't forget, rosewood is an ENDANGERED SPECIES. Other than price, that's another good reason to use padauk. What do think Adam?

[@wilk3rdrummer895]

You inspired me to play mallets, thank you so much

[@AdamTanPercussion]

That's awesome man, hope you keep on playing!!

[@andyzou7890]

To my opinion, padauk and rosewood sound almost exactly the same on stage (though I haven't really brought on stage a rosewood marimba lol), but when you put them in a small, tight room, you'll notice the difference. Padauk would almost always produce aggressive notes, creating a sense of "explosion" or distortion. Rosewood would still be as nice, rich, and mellow as it would be on stage. That's how I differentiate the two.

[@mellymeluwu8043]

got them all right lol, there's more of a slapping noise for the padauk marimba so it stands out differently for me.

[@JasonDeCristofaro]

I actually preferred the paduok - also, great playing!

[@dtopham100]

Adam, What would we sacrifice if we play a marimba without resonators? i.e. Just volume? Or also tone quality? Any difference in rosewood and padauk in that case?

[@AdamTanPercussion]

You'd lose the resonance of your tone, so it will not project and will sound more 'thin', but yes still a difference between rose and padauk even without resonators, the padauk won't ring nearly as long or warm as the rose.

[@davidpulanco2715]

The bass notes of the rosewood were more resonant. I also feel there was a bit more attack in the rosewood, but I don't play marimba :)

[@saleplains]

ill take any marimba lol i want one so bad it hurts, why'd i have to fall in love with the most expensive and logistically challenging instrument possible :( saving up for a malletech 5 oct. one of these days

[@pipebandrudiments]

got the first and third ones correct. the second/Bach piece I couldn't tell, got it wrong b/c I was just guessing. the difference for me was all in the low end regarding resonance. there seemed to be better resonance and less attack on the rosewood in the low end.

[@anotherdrummer2]

Do you think the test would have had different results had you used the M1 resonators? Specifically in regards to your preference, could it be that particular combination of padauk and resonators which formed your opinion?

[@jordant717]

I actually prefer the padauk sound a teeny bit more in this video...wondering how much the floor makes the difference as well.

[@jamesmichael20910]

I read somewhere recently that rosewood was the preferred wood for high-quality marimbas. Is it just ANY rosewood, or rosewood from a specific area (e.g., Honduras or Guatemala)?

[@ralphdixon6207]

YES I would like to say

[@Pabloperez-rd5wg]

Mayas invented the marimbas which we play the most is a music traditional and we play the most in Guatemala 🇬🇹

[@anonymousone3998]

Rosewood has a "depth" to its sound that padouk lacks. Having played and recorded myself on a padouk, however, I actually don't think padouk is THAT bad and some brands sound pretty good. If someone has enough money for a padouk instrument I wouldn't discourage it if waiting would be over a reasonable period of time for a rosewood.

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Yes I think high quality padauk instruments are still concert worthy!

[@TheAndroidvsapple]

Adams marimbas are so good!

[@revs759]

Hey Adam, I’m playing your piece “Moon” for a performance but due to time restrictions i won’t be able to play the whole piece. Do you have any suggestions on a good place to stop?

[@AdamTanPercussion]

I'd say just before the octave section would be good!

[@rubennys8086]

1/3 right :/ tho i've been playing for 11 years. I had a cheap 4,3 padauk for the majority of the time and only recently acquired a 5 octave rosewood. Pretty impressive with how well the padauk one sounds in your video in comparison to the one I have.

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Yes it's crazy! High grade padauk instruments are usually on par with entry level rosewood :)

[@oxoelfoxo]

For half the price I'd take the cheaper one if I were to ever buy a marimba.

[@oodypulley1515]

I actually didn’t like the rosewood better lol surprised. got them all correct.

[@JoseFlores-rk5ti]

The Paduk had a clunkier sound and the Rosewood sounded smoother and less like a mallet was hitting a sodden block. (Coming from a Woodwind player)

[@JoseFlores-rk5ti]

Wooden*

[@spike6192]

Your thoughts on dave samuels?

[@Mr_things1]

All right

[@JonathanHernandez-zw1zj]

The first one is rosewood

[@percussionpro8607]

I got 1/3. I need to compare padauk and rosewood more.

[@ronbarber6672]

What piece are you playing in the first comparison??

[@AdamTanPercussion]

My own piece, Path by Adam Tan 🙂

[@Haroun-El-Poussah]

Well, I'd say that rosewood is warmer, thus I suppose it's not the Brazilian rosewood which is banned from being cut or sold except for old stocks, and will allow to have some vacuum cup sound effect on some attacks while padauk is clearer and punchier... Hard to say which one is the best, both have their qualities. Rosewood is expensive because its exploitation is regulated, several rosewood species are under CITES protection or even banned

[@thequintessential5503]

OMG i happened to get all guesses right

[@gavinrivas6546]

all right

[@RK-yg7ne]

When will our boi get a sponsor?

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Knowing my luck, probably never hahaha

[@xX_writerinabox_Xx]

I know nothing about these types of things (even though I'm a beginning percussionist, I really need to learn these things) I somehow got all of these right. Nani?

[@BMWHP2]

I build classical guitars. In classical guitars, Padauk (to my ears) sound better than many Rosewoods. 1 problem is, that there is not 1 type of Padauk and not 1 type of Rosewood. It is more about taste than tonal quality.

[@Dylaniated]

❌❌❌ ...well dang

[@andrewmillar131]

i got the first two, but wrong for number 3

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Hahaha I know that feel don't worry... I confuse myself all the time

[@zowen1234]

I got the first one wrong, and the last 2 right

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Mmmm I always get that one wrong too

[@maztx420]

the deep section is so ez to tel

[@pawnstarsofficial9083]

I think it’s safe to say that buffalo aren’t making the highest quality instruments compared to for example marimba one or malletech. I’ve owned a buffalo paduke marimba and it was very dry and dead and compared to my new bergerault 5 octave rosewood

[@莊芳如]

Welcome to Taiwan!!!

[@AdamTanPercussion]

謝謝你！希望可以再來😁

[@jamescharles8764]

Rosewood :)

[@TK-xo2mf]

Paduck sounded "better"! Especially the lower octave. Weird. Wow

[@geraldmurillo5022]

I don’t if it’s just me but when he plays on the padauk marimba it sounds like there’s some articulation loss and the clarity of the high end is lost too

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Mmmm I think that might have just been my mallets haha, only having 5 and 4 means it sounds super unclear at the top 😅

[@RockerBug17]

It's really not that big of a difference, especially when considering the price differential.

[@GabeGM3]

"bagh"

[@lauritswiberg]

I really want to learn a little happiness does anyone have sheet music for it?

[@AdamTanPercussion]

Haha I think there are some piano transcriptions online that are similar :)

[@anonymousone3998]

Btw, 3/3! LOL

[@shuoli2995]

I got them all wrong😭

[@dankswizzle228]

Honestly I miss playing marimba so much, I had to drop out of college where I was continuing to play but I haven’t played sense then

[@denisgrenier6221]

Padauk dont stand tuning as well than rosewood.

[@jasondress56]

Imagine playing the vibraphone that would suck

[@rhknag]

3 right - bass notes less sustain

[@TheCubeboy0628]

I got everything wrong

[@puro2414]

Meme

[@rewsdeycake9789]

Adam I’m first