Ed Stephan Signature Series

$90.00 - $1,440.00

Keeping up has been challenging especially as the demand has increased. Rarely is anything in stock. Each pair has to be sanded, assembled, shaped, and then wrapped. Every single core put on a pair of sticks is custom made and/or sanded. If you need sticks quickly, please do not place an order. I’m always working to get orders finished and there are physical limitations to production each day. I want to continue to make the most consistent and well-made mallets possible, but quality does take time. Thank you for your interest and patience!

Ed Stephan - Principal Timpanist of the San Francisco Symphony. Former principal timpanist of the Fort Worth Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and Pittsburgh Symphony.

Ed and I began collaborating while he was with the Fort Worth Symphony in 2009. He immediately struck me as a thoughtful, decisive, and creative musician. I'm very fortunate to still be making mallets bearing his name and our collective design.

The line features four different shaft designs:
ES1 - 15", 13.5mm diameter, no taper
ES2, ES10 - 14.5", 13mm-12mm tapered shafts
ES3, ES4, ES5, ES6, ES8 - 14.5", 14mm-11mm tapered shafts
ES7, ES9, ES11, ES12 - 14", 13.5mm-10mm tapered shafts.

ES1 - "This is a round, full sounding mallet, rich and deep in tone. Ideal in the low range, and beautiful for full sounding repeated notes, as with the opening of the Brahms First Symphony."
-Wood core
-Double wrapped with German felt

ES2 - "This is a roller by nature, but is versatile in unexpected ways. Soft to the touch, but effective throughout the entire dynamic range. Perfect for much of Sibelius." -Cork core
-Double wrapped with German felt
Seamless wrap for orders placed 2/27/19 or later

ES3 - "This mallet is all about power and fullness of tone. It is round in sound and design, can be useful for rolling if necessary, and naturally produces beautiful single notes. But this mallet’s forte is….forte! Shostakovich First Symphony?..this is your guy."
-Cork core
-Ball wrapped. German felt.

ES4 - "This is the soft spoken counterpart to the ES2. This mallet naturally produces smooth translucent rolling and beautiful single notes in the upper range. Perfect for the opening solo of New England Triptych."
-Cork core
-Cartwheel wrap with German felt.
Seamless wrap for orders placed 2/27/19 or later

ES5 - "This is a middle of the road ball type mallet, versatile by design, but with natural fullness of sound. Excellent for situations where strong fundamental is desired, but with clarity and immediacy of sound."
-Wood core
-Ball wrap with German felt

ES6 - "This is the most “badass” of mallets. Hugely versatile, quick off the head, easy to control. This mallet is perhaps the most sensitive to player input. Whether you want weight, lightness, articulation, or smooth rolling, tell this guy what to do, and the right hands will make it happen. Ideal mallet for Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony."
-Cork core
-Cartwheel wrap with German felt
Seamless wrap for orders placed 2/27/19 or later

ES7 - "Want a more articulate version of the ES6, or a fuller sounding ES10?..this is your guy. This mallet can cover a huge dynamic range and a variety of repertoire. Perfect for Rite of Spring and Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, to name a few." (*)
-Cork core
-Cartwheel wrap with American felt soft side out. These are still very articulate.

ES8 - "This mallet will cover many bases. It has a place in much of the classical repertoire, as well as much of the romantic repertoire. Articulte in nature, but beautiful in tone. Perfect for Brahms Fourth Symphony (mvt 3), Beethoven Ninth, and perhaps the opening of Mozart 39, depending on the tastes of the performer."
-Wood core
-Cartwheel wrap with German felt.
Seamless wrap for orders placed 2/27/19 or later

ES9 - "This mallet is difficult to describe. It is handy and unique. It is a very articulate stick, but the ball wrap makes it low maintenance, and the German felt produces a pleasant sound at the point of contact. Great for classics and light solo passages. This mallet will sound light and pretty at softer dynamics, but will have some natural edge at louder dynamics." (*)
-Felt core
-Ball wrap with German felt.

ES10 - "This is an articulate mallet, capable of a huge dynamic range. It is super fast off the head and responds very well to player input. Perfect for the last movement of Beethoven 7, the extended solo passage in New England Triptych, and the scherzo from Beethoven 9."
(*)
-Wood core
-Cartwheel wrapped with hard American felt.

ES11 - "This is an amazingly useful mallet. Very articulate in nature, wrapped very tightly with a clear point of contact. The pitch remains very present, however, and helps to make rapid passages very clear yet toneful. Perfect for Martin Concerto for Seven Winds and Beethoven First Symphony." (*)
-Felt core
-Cartwheel wrapped with hard American felt.

ES12 - "This is a percussive mallet, less abrasive than wood, but clearer than a chamois covering. Use this mallet anytime maximum articulation with good pitch clarity is desired."
-Wood core
-Cartwheel wrapped with Microfiber suede.

*"All covered timpani mallets lose their effectiveness at a certain point of wear, but these mallets in particular should be kept as close to their originally wrapped condition as possible in order to achieve what they are designed for. While the design of any mallet is important it is the wrapping that helps separate Luft Mallets from other makers."