Designed for solo xylophone use, both of Bob’s original blue and burgundy plastic models remain best sellers. They are light, similarly weighted and easy to maneuver quickly around the instrument. The rattan handle diameters are 7.5 to 8 mm on the BB32 and 7.1 to 7.5 mm on the BB34. These mallets will not damage rosewood bars in any way. Bob’s two new rubber models are extra heavy rubber, producing powerful, pure xylophone tone without the contact noise usually associated with rubber mallets. These four models, all clustered between 26 and 34, give the serious xylophonist an unprecedented range of tonal shadings. A “two-toned” xylophone mallet that sounds as bright as a hard rubber mallet at low volume, but without the percussive attack. As volume increases, the hard, but light core will speak through the high-tension band and reveal a brilliant tone.