Does anyone have any suggestions on mallet choice for narrow keyed musser marimbas? For solo 2 mallet use primarily. I'm open to all brands. thanks!

Sounds like you are actually playing on a xylorimba. It was popular in the 80's as a hybrid instrument to have both marimba and xylo qualities. I would look at some of the encore mallets, especially ones with smaller heads. The heavier/bigger mallets on that instrument tend to cause wicked overtones that get in the way of your sound. There is a definite bad sound in the lower register of that keyboard. The kelon just doesn't sound warm. It is a very bright instrument.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Musser still makes them. I was told all 4 octave marimbas had narrow bars. I'll check out the encore mallets. I'm looking for something with smaller heads to avoid hitting wrong notes when playing runs. Full size marimba or vibe mallets just make it harder.

I personally like the Encore Yarn Wrapped series. They have a very nice tone and a nice feel in your hand, which is important for me. I've used the rattan models and they really feel nice. Too bad they're not exactly the cheapest brand available, but you get what you pay for, right?

Not all 4 octave marimbas have narrow bars. The school I teach has two marimbas, both of which are kinda undersized. The smaller of the two is a 60+ year old 3½ octave Deagan, whose bars are a fairly consistent narrow width. It doesn't seem to go low enough to need much graduation. (It's definitely a marimba, though.) The other is a 4 octave rosewood Musser from the 1970s, whose bars get noticeably wider as you go down the keyboard.

Of the mallets I've tried, I get the best sound from the Deagan by using Pro-Mark Evelyn Glennie cord-wound mallets. (HERE is the medium version on Steve Weiss' web site.)