Evolution of Steelpan Sticks/Mallets

[The Steelpan Store]

Hi everybody,

I know lead sticks started out as just sticks without rubber and then people started wrapping bike tire tubing around the sticks. One of the things I don't know though, is how did sponge balls for bass pans come to be. Were those mallets ever wrapped rubber too? I have done some experimenting with wrapped rubber so I am curious as to how the sponge balls became the norm.

Thanks!

Matt

[Pan Woman]

I know you know no 1st world country is going to stop what ever they are doing because Trinidad objects to anything pan related. So stop the crying crap. Mr. Ash what is your plan? 

[Bugs]

No disrespect but Marcus you do realize that many of the pan elders and inventors were doing miraculous things in pan when they were teenagers and early 20's. If they had access to what you have at UWI they might have been building space stations. I don't know how old you are, but I haven't any ground breaking developments in pan from any young person in Trinidad. I haven't seen or heard of any student from UWI who has done anything to further or match what Anthony Williams did as a very young man. And that's musically too.

bugs

[The Steelpan Store]

Thank you for the added posts by Corey, Noah and Marcus.

Marcus - I will let you know what, if anything, comes of my experiments.

[brian henderson]

Bertel, yuh spinning top in mud, trying to educatate that youth, de boy learn ALL about Pan in ONE SEMESTER!!!! Education, without SOUL, and COMMONSENSE, is a WASTE! De Boy will NEVER understand where we coming from, re the Pan Sticks issue! I think his hero Matt should educate him about that!
And de udder one, who thinks that Pan shouldn't go Global????? Wha Planet he livin on? Pan GLOBAL long time!!!........Pan is EVERYWHERE, and doing WELL, except, in the MECCA? Maybe, because of them who FEEL dey learn everything, in one semester!!!! FFS!!

[Bertel Gittens]

Thanks Brian for the advice! Yuh know, yuh REALLY cant teach Patriotism and Loyalty! If so they would have learned it in that ONE SEMESTER!!!