Let’s start with the simple part, and one that was intact: The bars. Jenco being out of business doesn’t help either. Jenco made instruments aimed at education and hobbyists, a noble pursuit for sure, but their instruments are not nearly as common today, and maybe haven’t aged as well. From elementary schools to football fields, to jazz clubs and professional stages, they’re everywhere, and have been a kind of “standard” for decades. Probably the most common vibraphone, at least in the US, is the Musser M55. But if he wanted resonators, they would either need to be sourced or be built from scratch. You can play a vibraphone without resonators, but it’s a bit like playing an electric guitar with no amplifier. Resonators make the instrument sound louder and more full. The damper pedal allows the player to control how long the bars ring after being struck, and without it, the instrument is unusable. It included a frame, bars, and a damper bar, but was missing a damper pedal and resonators. The owner wished to get the instrument to be playable but maintain its condition as it was gifted to him. They were manufactured by Jenco, a now defunct company based in Decatur, IL, about 35 miles southwest of Champaign. He affectionately called this special instrument "The Red Vibes". To honor the friend, who unfortunately had died recently, the owner wanted to restore the instrument to working order. I refurbished this vibraphone for a local musician, who received it as a gift from a friend.
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