How have the Hugh Tracey kalimbas changed over the years?
I have a Treble that was probably made around 1960. It has bicycle spoke bolts on the back holding the “z-bracket” down. Kalimbas made in the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s have a much thinner top. A perenial problem with them is that one or two notes would go dead and the tops would crack. (If you have a dead note, read about how to fix the dead note with a bit of wood. Recently, AMI has sought to address these issues by making kalimbas with a thicker piece of wood on the top. The thicker wood does seem to prevent the notes from going dead, but cracking is still a problem. Frank Gacon, a wood-working friend of mine, suggests treating the kalimba wood with oil periodically to prevent cracking. In addition to the thicker wood, the tines tend to point up more now than the older design. I have taken a new kalimba apart and sanded down the wooden part of the bridge. Upon reassembly, the kalimba tines were more flat, not pointing up. It gave a mellower sound, less bright. The new design’s brigh
