Has anyone done this? I have a few instruments that really need some cosmetic makeovers.

(Hmmm... maybe a possible reality show idea for Bravo or TLC?)

I'm sure Ron Samuels at marimba one would be more than happy to answer your question. He's crazy nuts for anything involving marimba construction and how it relates to sound.

percussion@marimbaone.com

Glad someone else is asking the SAME question.  I was going to do this over the summer.  I was told to use ";textured"; paint.

Another option for LONG life is to Powdercoat.  I got a quote for $250 for a set of Resonators...the ";wrinkle"; powder coat looks really nice and can withstand a lot of abuse.

Good point joe. . . I didn't even think about it from that perspective.

I don't believe that painting resonators would change the sound of mallet instruments. The resonator is a relatively stiff object, and all of the resonant projection comes from the air vibrating inside the resonator column, not from the resonator column itself.

Also, as marimbas increase in quality, their resonators increase in thickness. The resonators on typical high-school-quality instruments can be bent and dinged, as we all know. However, I have a 5-octave Malletech instrument at home, and the resonators are so thick on in that I think the frame would bend before the resonator column would deform. That lends me to believe that thick resonators are not a concern; if anything, I'd say they're more desirable.

My biggest concern here, when painting the resonators, would be if repainting them would change the sound of the instrument? Will the thickness of the paint change how much the instrument resonates enough for one to notice a change?

If you want something that can stand up to abuse and scratches, you might want to try ";[url=http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=1117]Aluma-hyde[/url]"; which is used for guns.  It only comes in hunting-related colors though. 

I've been wondering the same thing lately.  Would love to hear suggestions. 

[quote author=erath link=topic=3015.msg15912#msg15912 date=1237659230]

(Hmmm... maybe a possible reality show idea for Bravo or TLC?)
[/quote]

NNNEEERRRRRRRD!

Although I must admit I admitted defeat and started watching HGTV, mainly because of how often it would be on while I'd be in the office writing:)

What options do you have so far? What different kinds of paint have you found? I wonder if you can colormatch the resonator at Lowe's and see if they can make it a spray can.