This rare 1920's Leedy Solo-Tone Grand "marimba-xylophone" is in terrific condition. It's beautiful combination of brass resonators, nobby gold finish, and White Marine Pearl covering on the rails and end pieces makes it beautiful to look at as well as play. As shown in the 1928 catalog above, these extended range xylophones were called "marimba-xylophones" but given the thickness of the bars, it is a xylophone top to bottom. The Leedy Solo-Tone Grand is 78" long with a sturdy frame that rolls around a stage with ease. Like all Leedy instruments, it is surprisingly compact when packed for travel. The brass plating on the resonators is in exceptional condition and has a buatiful patina. The nobby gold finish on the frame is in very good condition with some minor finish loss here and there. The bars have been retuned and refinished by Salazar so they are in better than new condition. Some of the bar post insulators have been replaced along with a few small patches of WMP covering. The sound quality of this instrument is truly remarkable. The upper range is very bright and lower notes are full and resonant without the "funky" overtones that many extended range instruments from this era exhibit. This is in part due to the Leedy frame design that allows the resonators to be raised and lowered to their optimal position. To fully appreciate this xylophone, it must be seen and played.
General Characteristics | |
Model | Solo-Tone Grand |
Era | 1900-1928 |
Condition | Excellent |
Extra Holes or Modifications | Some patches in WMP |
Date | 1930s |
Hardware Finish | Nobby Gold |
Keyboard Characteristics | |
Octave Range | 4 1/2 Octave |
Note Range | F - C |
Tuning | A = 440 |
Bar Finish | Natural |
Bar Material | Rosewood |
Length | 78 inches |