Custom production offers a large number of combinations. For better orientation in terms and production options, please go through these 5 steps or choose from the recommended combinations in the description below.
Most heads can also be made as a variant for plastic or wooden thread with nut.
Types of headers are sorted into groups according to the materials used and the method of construction.
Plastic threaded ends can be combined with all types of handles, wooden screw with leather nuts can only be on tonkin and carbon.
Recommended handles for each type of heads can be found in the description below.
Ash, maple and beech can be stained and varnished with hardwood or shellac.
Tonkin is most often treated with a matt natural hardwax oil It can also be in high gloss shellac finish, but without staining.
The shafts D, E and H have a roughly ground handle with a hardwax layer as standard. Rubber sleeves are already included, leather ones are for extra fee.
B1 – light wood head, chamber character. F2M – thick flannel, flat cut, most universal head. FNL – naturall flannel of oval cut, good step between flannel and felt heads. PS – pressed textile core, head made of 6 layers, warm sound, still concrete in ff. W8 – round wood core for darker colour and smooth rolls. TL – bigger but light flat core from reinforced balsa wood and several layers of thin and soft felt. Concrete and slappy sound in forte with clear tone pitch.
The heads are made of one type of material. The discs are not glued so you can change their number and adjust the tension and hardness of the heads by tightening the nut. They can be combined with all types of handles and discs can be also glued firmly without mounting mechanism.
Discs dimensions:
S – 26mm, M – 28mm, L – 30mm, XL – 32mm for ROUND a FLAT cut and
S – 28mm, M – 30mm, L – 32mm, XL – 34mm for OVAL cut.
Heads marking:
F1 – Classic fine flannel
F2 – Thick bio-flannel with a high grammage, woven from thicker fibers.
FN – Natural, unbleached bio-flannel is more durable, coarser and acoustically closer to the character of Staccato felt mallets.
F3 – Discs made of 2mm thick chamois. It is heavier than flannel, with a clear attack and a progressive color of sound.
F4 – The discs made of fine 1mm thick leather have a balanced spectrum across the dynamics. Articulation prevails over the color of sound, but they still have a nice timbre.
F5 – The discs made of 2 mm thick leather are already very hard, they are ground for a softer color of sound in low dynamics.
The heads are composed of different types of materials. The combination offers many sound variations according to the individual needs of each player. Some models are made so that the color of the tone changes with increasing dynamics (H13L), while others change color and character only by changing the angle of impact (H234L).
dimensions of the discs:
S – 26mm, M – 28mm, L – 30mm, XL – 32mm.
Example: H13L heads are a combination of 30mm fine flannel (1) and chamois (3) discs.
Discs materials:
1 – fine flannel, 2 – thick flannel, N – natural flannel, 3 – chamois, 4 – 1 mm thin leather, 5 – 2 mm thick leather
The elliptical wooden core with a diameter of 27 mm ensures a minimum contact area and the color of the sound is very clean and clear. The mallets are suitable not only for chamber ensembles or for accompanying purposes, but they can be used wherever a clean timbre without an excess of bass frequencies is desired. The heads are firmly glued to the turned ash handles. Recommended handles: F,G
B1 – light wooden cores, carefully paired with a surface treatment with hardwax.B2 – wooden core with one layer of chamois
B3 – wooden core with one layer of thin felt
B4 – wooden core with one layer of thick felt
B5 – wooden core, thin felt and one layer of german felt
Two types of cores: hard wood and leather core. Wenge is a hard and heavy tree, it has a darker, concentrated sound. The leather cores are glued and pressed from thick leather, they have a natural and warm color of sound with dominant mid frequencies.
R1 – Wenge 24mm, carefully paired, polished
R2 – Wenge core with one layer of chamois
R3 – Wenge core with one layer of sewn felt
R4 – Wenge core with one layer of fine german felt (seamless cartwheel)
R5 – Leather core 29 x 13mm
R6 – Leather core 30mm x 11mm
R7 – Thin head for a decent sound, the equivalent of a baroque B1. Leather core 31mm x 9mm
R8 – Leather core with chamois (cartwheel)
R9 – Thin leather core with fine felt (cartwheel)
R10 – Leather core with fine felt (cartwheel)
R11 – Leather core with medium thick german felt (seamless cartwheel)
R12 – Leather core with thin felt and one layer of german felt
The heads from the Core series are based on the traditional Central European concept of multilayer mallet construction. The marking is based on the core material: W wood, K cork or P textile. The outer layers are made of thin and fine felt and medium-tight German felt. They are available in four sizes:
S – 35mm, M – 38mm, L – 43mm, XL – 48mm.
This type of multilayer mallets with a flat core is used by generations of players not only in Central Europe, mainly for its tonal purity and the possibility of use in a wide dynamic range.
WS – Small heads with one layer of thin felt and a layers of thin German felt on a wooden core.
WM – Medium mallets with one layer of thin felt and a layers of German felt.
WL – Larger heads with more layers of German felt which are gradually softer from the core to the surface.
WXL – Large, heavier mallets for bigger instruments with multiple layers of German felt, the heads are gradually softer from core to surface.
Cork core (K) – The hardened cork core with a flat shape is a lighter variant, with dominant middle frequencies and clear accents in ff.
Textile core (P) – The wound textile core is weighs between wood and cork. The more constant sound across the dynamic spectrum predestines it to be used on longer rolls, but in ff still with the concrete core sound for accents.
Wide, flat and light core with clear sound and tonal clarity. Header in four sizes: S – 38mm, M – 43mm, L – 48mm, XL – 53mm.
All models have bigger cores made of hardened balsa wood, which are more audible through the outer layers of the head cover. The multitonal character is the result of progressive layering, where the outer layer of German felt is only slightly tightened for good core sound projection.
TS – Small, medium light mallets with one layer of thin felt and one layer of German felt.
TM – Medium core size, brighter color for the entire range, mallets with one layer of fine felt and two thin layers of German felt.
TL – Larger heads, more coloured sound in soft playing, clear core sound at forte and louder dynamics. Mallets with one layer of fine felt and thicker layers of German felt.
TXL – Big multilayer mallets, for larger instruments.
Heavy and narrow hybrid core of wood and cork, with a darker color and full spectrum, especially in the lower registers. The strokes are obscured, almost without attack across the entire dynamic spectrum. Suitable for long rolls and individual loud hits. Available in four sizes: S – 35mm, M – 40mm, L – 44mm, XL – 48mm. The cores are coated with several layers of fine German felt.
Models:
LS – Round wood/cork core with thin felt and German felt.
LM – Round wood/cork core with thin felt and medium thick German felt.
LL – Round wood/cork core with thin felt and several layers of German felt.
LXL – Heavy round wood/cork core with thin felt and several layers of German felt.
Conventional types of mallets from Hard, Staccato, General, Roller to large and fluffy heads made of fine felt. Models of this series are marked according to the type of core: wood W, solid felt P and cork K, as well as a number from the hardest 1 to the softest 12. Recommended header sizes are listed in the table below.
| Type | Core: WOOD | Layers materials | Core: CORK | Layers materials | Core: SOLID FELT | Layers materials |
| EXTRA HARD | W1 | hard wood | ------ | ------ | P1 | hard solid felt |
| HARD | W2 | + leather | K2 | + leather | P2 | + leather |
| SMOOTH HARD | W3 | + chamois strip | K3 | + chamois strip | ------ | ------ |
| MEDIUM HARD | W4 | + thick chamois | K4 | + thick chamois | P4 | + thick chamois |
| ULTRA STACCATO | W5 | + thin felt (cartwheel) | K5 | + thin felt (cartwheel) | P5 | + thin felt (cartwheel) |
| STACCATO | W6 | + thin felt and thin German felt | K6 | + thin felt and thin German felt | P6 | + thin felt and thin German felt |
| MEDIUM STACCATO | W7 | + thin felt, German felt (cartwheel) | K7 | + thin felt, German felt (cartwheel) | P7 | + thin felt, German felt (cartwheel) |
| GENERAL | W8 | + thin felt, medium German felt | K8 | + thin felt, medium German felt | P8 | + thin felt, medium German felt |
| DOUBLE | W9 | + thick felt,German felt - each from one side | K9 | + thick felt,German felt - each from one side | P9 | + thick felt,German felt - each from one side |
| MEDIUM ROLLER | W10 | + thin felt, cotton, German felt in 2 layers of different density | K10 | + thin felt, cotton, German felt in 2 layers of different density | P10 | + thin felt, cotton, German felt in 2 layers of different density |
| SOFT ROLLER | W11 | + medium felt, medium German felt (cartwheel) | K11 | + medium felt, medium German felt (cartwheel) | P11 | + medium felt, medium German felt (cartwheel) |
| BIG SOFT | W12 | + medium felt, German felt in 3 layers of different density | K12 | + medium felt, German felt in 3 layers of different density | P12 | + medium felt, German felt in 3 layers of different density |
A, B: Tonkin is a bamboo variety characterized by stiffness and strength even in a small trunk diameter. The knuckles are naturally far apart in this species and the FS tonkin stems are always a pair with the joints exactly in the middle. The elbows are reground and form only the optical dividing part of the mallet with a balanced fulcrum. The preferred length of whole mallets with tonkin handles is 37.5 cm and 9.5 – 10.5 mm (A), 10.5 – 11.5 mm (B) wide (without sleeves).
C: Carbon The coiled carbon shafts are very light and without back vibrations. Always the perfect pair from one piece. They are available in a straight diameter of 10 mm and can be used with all types of FS heads.
D: Ash, Maple Ergonomically shaped stems with greater weight and fulcrum closer to the front end of the mallet.
E: Classic Ash handles are good for the smaller and medium weighted heads, but they can be combined with almost all FS heads. They are shorter (35.5 cm), very nimble when playing. They are 14 mm in diameter at the point of holding.
F,G: Baroue and Double Ash
Thin ash stems F can be with or without a sleeve or a variant G with an ovoid shape at the end (double handle). The stems are lacuered by hand rubbing with hardwax oil varnish for a natural shine in a dark vintage design. Length 35.5 cm and width 12.5 mm.
H: Conical Ash – lightweight shaft towards the front with a knurled handle for a secure grip.
For more information or any question feel free to ask – info@fskrla.cz
| Heads | Machine turned shaft - Ash wood D - H | Tonkin A,B | Carbon C |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLANNEL and LEATHER | |||
| F1 | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| F2 | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| FN | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| F3 | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| F4 | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| F5 | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| HYBRID FLANNEL | |||
| H13L | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| H41L | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| H234L | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| H x custom combination | 1 pair 74€ | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 78€ |
| BAROQUE | |||
| B1 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| B2 | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 70€ |
| B3 | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 70€ |
| B4 | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 70€ |
| B5 | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 70€ |
| RAW series | Glued head / thread and nut + 12€ pair | Glued head / thread and nut + 12€ pair | Glued head / thread and nut + 12€ pair |
| R1 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R2 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R3 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R4 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R5 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R6 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R7 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R8 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R9 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R10 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R11 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| R12 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| CORE series | |||
| WS , KS, PS | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| WM , KM, PM | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| WL , KL, PL | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| WXL , KXL, PXL | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| MARCATO series | |||
| TS | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| TM | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| TL | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| TXL | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| LEGATO series | |||
| LS | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| LM | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| LL | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| LXL | 1 pair 78€ | 1 pair 82€ | 1 pair 82€ |
| CUSTOM series | Glued head / thread and nut + 4€ pair | Glued head / thread and nut + 4€ pair | Glued head / thread and nut + 4€ pair |
| W1 , P1 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| W2 , K2, P2 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| W3, K3 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| W4, K4, P4 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| W5, K5, P5 | 1 pair 62€ | 1 pair 66€ | 1 pair 66€ |
| W6, K6, P6 | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 73€ | 1 pair 73€ |
| W7, K7, P7 | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 73€ | 1 pair 73€ |
| W8, K8, P8 | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 73€ | 1 pair 73€ |
| W9, K9, P9 | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 73€ | 1 pair 73€ |
| W10, K10, P10 | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 73€ | 1 pair 73€ |
| W11, K11, P11 | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 73€ | 1 pair 73€ |
| W12, K12, P12 | 1 pair 70€ | 1 pair 73€ | 1 pair 73€ |
