Steel Pan Instrument Stands—Professional & Economy
All steel pans require specialized instrument stands that allow them to hang freely so they will resonate properly when played. Our Tripod stand is a very durable height-adjustable stand, with a collapsible base allowing for quick set up. We offer two tripod steel pan stand models: Economy Tripod with single piece top and Professional Tripod with three piece top. The professional model has uprights that snap out of the horizontal bar for fast set up and break down. The entire stand can fit into a small diameter bag for the kind of easy and compact transport desired by working steel pan musicians.
The Economy Tripod has a one piece top (shaped like an American football goal post) and is a good solid steel pan stand. Since the top does not break down, it is not as handy for a professional steel pan player to transport. However, for steel bands that have a number of steel pans, it is very convenient, since a quantity of these stands would be transported with the top still fastened into the tripod base. This makes setup of a larger steel band exceptionally fast, since there is only one motion required (to extend the legs on the base) for the setup of each stand.
The tops on our stands are study aluminum that keeps the overall weight of the stands to only about 5.5 pounds. This is perfect for professionals who need to carry their steel pan setup for a distance onto beaches or up to balconies, etc. It’s also handy for large steel bands, since 8 and more stands can easily be carried at once by one person.
Steel Pan Mallets—Woodcraft, Metalcraft & Artist
The choice between wood and metal mallets (sticks) is largely one of individual preference. However, for a person just starting to play steel pan, we recommend our Woodcraft model sticks. This is because it is common to strike some notes too hard when you first learn to play. Larger notes require much less force than the smaller higher pitched notes on a steel pan. When you are first starting to play steel pan, you will sometimes hit these larger notes much too hard and this problem is exaggerated with metal mallets because they are lighter in weight and offer less control than wood mallets. With metal mallets, a new player will often put a steel pan out of tune much quicker than normal. This is why we feel all new steel pan players should start with wood mallets.
Some players prefer the lighter feel of our aluminum Metalcraft mallets, while others prefer the more definite feel of our Woodcraft steel pan mallets. We also have Artist Series mallets. They feature special layers on the tip that reduce the “rubber meets metal” thunking sound. These offer a more pure steel pan sound but produce only about 80% of the volume of regular mallets. Professionals who play as soloists or in small ensembles will enjoy these, but the effect is too subtle to be heard in larger steel pan groups.
Some steel pan players use and carry different mallets, so they have a choice of sticks depending on the type of song they are playing. All mallets require replacement, as they eventually lose some of their sound as the striking materials deteriorate.
Steel Pan Cases—Professional Hybrid Case
All steel drums, if they are going to be transported regularly, require a case. Dropping a steel pan can be a serious matter. It can put the instrument out of tune or even irreparably damage one or more notes. Bumping the instrument can also be damaging. For all steel pans, we recommend the Professional Hybrid Case, constructed of dense foam padding, durable fabric and a hard high-density insert on both sides to protect the notes. The high density insert allows you to punch the pan (when inside the case) with your first and the blow will not reach the note surface.
The Professional Hybrid case has a zippered pocket to hold your steel pan mallets and is reasonably priced. It is specially designed to fit your steel pan snugly, and because it is compact and reasonable in weight, it makes carrying your steel pan(s) easy. For heavy duty and air travel, we recommend that you keep the double thick containers that we ship your steel pans in. Place the Professional Hybrid case inside the double thick container for an extra safe, secure way to transport your steel pan when traveling by air.
