What Encore Mallets does

Encore Mallets, Inc. is a professional percussion mallet manufacturer founded in 1982 by Dan Lidster and headquartered at 437 Southfork Drive, Lewisville, Texas. The company designs and hand-produces mallets for marimba, vibraphone, bass drum, timpani, and gong, serving professional percussionists, orchestral musicians, university programs, and music students worldwide. Its portfolio spans over 150 models organized across core product lines — Yarn Wound, Latex Wrapped Marimba, Unwound, Payson Bass Drum & Timpani, and King Gong — alongside nine Signature Artist Series co-developed with internationally acclaimed percussionists including Nancy Zeltsman, Nanae Mimura, Naoko Takada, Kana Omori, Anthony Di Sanza, Bryan Carrott, Doug Walter, Le Yu, Valerie Naranjo, and retired Chicago Symphony percussionist Al Payson.

The company's core technology is its proprietary latex-wrapped mallet construction developed by Dan Lidster in collaboration with Dr. Vida Chenoweth. Hand-wrapped latex inner cores wrapped in yarn (Peruvian wool, cotton, natural wool) deliver tonal control that the company claims exceeds alternative methods, with each unit hand-checked for uniform head diameter and shaft flexibility. Materials include Peruvian wool, cotton yarn, latex, rattan, and birch handles, with multiple hardness levels per series. Products are sold through a global authorized dealer network spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, with no direct-to-consumer pricing disclosed on the website. Marketing relies on signature artist endorsements, audio sample content on the company website, and organic social media (Instagram and TikTok).

Encore has operated as a subsidiary of Salyers Percussion since 2020, following an acquisition that preserved its dealer-based distribution and brand identity. The company employs between 101 and 250 people, operates standard weekday business hours from its Lewisville facility, and contacts customers via [email protected] and 972-436-6963. Named institutional customers include Dr. Doug Walter (University of Colorado at Boulder), Nancy Zeltsman (Boston Conservatory at Berklee), the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble (four-time GRAMMY nominated), and Yamaha performing artist Naoko Takada.

Name

Encore Mallets

Legal name

Encore Mallets, Inc.

Website

https://encoremallets.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Encore Mallets, Inc. is a Lewisville, Texas-based manufacturer of professional percussion mallets offering 150+ hand-crafted marimba, vibraphone, bass drum, timpani, and gong models, sold globally through authorized specialty music dealers to professional percussionists, students, and music institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Percussion Mallets

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE)

Keywords

• Percussion mallets
• Marimba mallets
• Vibraphone mallets
• Bass drum mallets
• Timpani mallets

Headquarters

HQ city

Lewisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Percussion Mallet Sales: One-time hardware sales of professional percussion mallets including marimba, vibraphone, bass drum, and timpani mallets. Products are sold through dealers and retailers worldwide with various price points based on series and materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Encore Mallets manufactures and sells over 150 models of professional percussion mallets, including marimba, vibraphone, bass drum, timpani, and gong mallets, along with mallet accessories. The products are hand-crafted in Lewisville, TX using proprietary latex-wrapped and yarn-wound construction methods, and are sold worldwide through authorized music retailers and the company website.

Product overview

Encore Mallets is a professional percussion mallet manufacturer established in 1982, based in Lewisville, TX, now part of the Salyers Percussion family. The company offers over 150 different mallet models spanning four core product lines: Marimba Mallets (including Latex Wrapped and Yarn Wound Series), Vibraphone Mallets, Bass Drum & Timpani Mallets (Payson series), and Gong Mallets (King Gong Series). The portfolio also includes 9 Signature Artist Series mallets developed with world-acclaimed percussionists (Nancy Zeltsman, Nanae Mimura, Kana Omori, Anthony Di Sanza, Bryan Carrott, Naoko Takada, Doug Walter, Le Yu, and Valerie Naranjo). Accessories include Stick & Mallet Bags. The products are crafted with hand-wrapped latex cores and various yarn wrappings (Peruvian wool, cotton), available in multiple hardness levels and handle materials (rattan, birch).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nancy Zeltsman Signature Series: Marimba mallets with weighty heads wrapped in soft Peruvian wool, offering eight levels of hardness
• Kana Omori Signature Series
• Naoko Takada Signature Series
• Anthony Di Sanza Signature Two Tone Series
• Bryan Carrott Signature Series
• Doug Walter Signature Series
• Payson Bass Drum & Timpani Mallets
• King Gong Series
• Unwound Series
• Latex Wrapped Marimba Series
• Stick & Mallet Bags

Products and services

• Marimba Mallets Professional marimba mallets for percussionists, available in multiple series including yarn wound and latex wrapped options with varying hardness levels.
• Vibraphone Mallets Professional vibraphone mallets designed for jazz and orchestral vibraphone performance.
• Unwound Series Unwound mallet series offering alternative construction for specific tonal characteristics.
• Payson Bass Drum & Timpani Mallets Premier concert bass drum mallets and timpani mallets designed in collaboration with retired Chicago Symphony Orchestra percussionist Al Payson. Available in 3 bass drum sizes (sostenuto, rollers, general) and four timpani sizes (staccato, articulate, general, soft).
• King Gong Series Professional gong mallets designed for orchestral and concert gong performance.
• Stick & Mallet Bags Concert mallet bag and stick carrier for protecting mallets and sticks during travel.
• Latex Wrapped Marimba Series Hand-wrapped latex inner cores offering more control of tonal characteristics than other methods. Premium marimba mallet construction.
• Nancy Zeltsman Signature Series Weighty heads wrapped in soft Peruvian wool for consistent warm tones. Offers eight levels of hardness. Designed by marimba virtuoso Nancy Zeltsman.
• Nanae Mimura Signature Series Natural wool yarn mallets producing round, wet, and rich tone quality. Designed by internationally acclaimed marimba performer Nanae Mimura.
• Kana Omori Signature Series Medium weighted mallets wrapped in soft wool yarn colored vibrant red. Let gravity do the work. Available in birch and rattan handles. Designed by Kana Omori.
• Anthony Di Sanza Signature Two Tone Series Graduated marimba mallets with three core variations offering different timbres from soft and breathy to medium hard to very hard. Designed for contemporary demanding marimba compositions.
• Bryan Carrott Signature Series Signature vibraphone mallets designed by internationally renowned vibraphonist and mallet percussionist Bryan Carrott.
• Naoko Takada Signature Series Cotton yarn and weighted cores for maximum projection. Works well with orchestras and in percussion ensemble settings. Designed by Yamaha performing artist Naoko Takada.
• Doug Walter Signature Series Marimba mallets designed by Dr. Doug Walter of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Known for producing the warmest, biggest sound with excellent feel.
• Yarn Wound Series Original yarn wound series made with hard rubber core, wrapped in latex and yarn. Always available as the foundational product line.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 different professional mallet models available
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Salyers PercussioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Salyers Percussion acquired Encore Mallets in 2020, bringing Encore into the Salyers family. All Encore products continue to be available through authorized music retailers. Salyers Percussion, founded by Dan Salyers, is a manufacturer of marching percussion equipment and accessories.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Majestic Percussion: Majestic Percussion is a global concert and marching percussion instrument manufacturer serving schools, ensembles, and professionals. It overlaps with Encore's customer base in percussion education and competes for the same dealer relationships, though its focus is instruments rather than mallets.
• Adams Percussion: Adams Musical Instruments is a European manufacturer of premium timpani, marimbas, vibraphones, and concert percussion. It addresses the same professional percussion market as Encore, supplies schools and orchestras globally, and shares European dealer channels.
• Yamaha Corporation: Yamaha is a global musical instrument and audio conglomerate that manufactures keyboards, percussion, and accessories and maintains performing-artist endorsement programs (e.g., Naoko Takada is a Yamaha artist). It competes broadly across percussion categories and sells through overlapping dealer networks.
• Black Swamp Percussion: Black Swamp Percussion designs and manufactures premium concert percussion instruments and accessories, including sound solutions used alongside mallets. It serves the same professional and educational percussion market and is often co-sold through the same specialty retailers.

Direct peers

• ProMark: ProMark, owned by D'Addario, is a major drumstick and mallet manufacturer with broad professional adoption. It overlaps with Encore in concert percussion mallets and competes for the same dealers, schools, and professional percussionists.
• Regal Tip: Regal Tip is a long-established US manufacturer of drumsticks and percussion implements with a strong vintage and pro-endorsement heritage. It overlaps with Encore in professional percussion sticks and mallets and serves overlapping dealer and musician channels.
• Vic Firth: Vic Firth is the largest and most established manufacturer of drumsticks and percussion mallets globally. It directly competes with Encore across marimba, vibraphone, timpani, and concert percussion mallet categories and serves the same professional and student customer base.
• Innovative Percussion: Innovative Percussion is a leading US-based percussion mallet manufacturer offering concert and keyboard percussion mallets with signature artist series. It competes head-to-head with Encore in marimba and vibraphone mallets for the same professional percussionist segment.
• Mike Balter Mallets: Mike Balter Mallets is a US-based specialty manufacturer of marimba, vibraphone, and timpani mallets serving professional percussionists and educators. It is a direct niche competitor with comparable product breadth and distribution through music retailers.

Others

• Salyers Percussion: Salyers Percussion is Encore's parent company and a manufacturer of marching percussion equipment and accessories. While not a direct mallet competitor, it is the strategic acquirer and operational umbrella for Encore and represents the broader corporate context for any investment or partnership decision.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/encoremallets
• TikTokinstagram.com/p/CL29embATy_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Encore Mallets