Buying bells: choosing a brand

“English” handbells are a type of bell, like a “French” horn is a type of horn. The two brands of English handbells you’ll probably consider for solo work are both made in the U.S., by Schulmerich (the older of the two) and Malmark (founded by someone who left Schulmerich and implemented new ideas about handbells).

We’ll consider these two options first, and in greater detail than the other available choices. Both companies make bells similar in design and tuning (with the overtone a 12th above the fundamental), and the price of a three octave or solo set is comparable between companies. Both offer a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser of new bells. Malmark offers a slightly larger range (G1-C9, half an octave more than C2 to C9 for Schulmerich). This interests very large bell choirs, or community groups tackling advanced repertoire.

You can review price lists at the manufacturers’ websites. They also offer online diagrams showing bell components (look for the Handbell care and maintenance manuals at Schulmerich.com and Malmark.com – you’ll find them under Service). If you’re not familiar with bells, you may want to print out the diagrams and refer to them as you read the rest of this article.

Quality of sound: Schulmerich bells tend to have a mellower tone, which I prefer for solo work. Other soloists prefer the projecting ability of Malmarks, which are designed to produce fewer overtones. I’ve heard of bell choirs having more issues with hearing loss from Malmarks, but that’s purely anecdotal.

The clapper mechanism on Schulmerichs, which I’ll discuss below, is more apt to stick, especially as bells age. This produces a tendency toward “punching” the bell to engage the clapper, emphasizing the percussiveness of the clapper strike instead of the resonance of the casting. While any bell can be “punched,” it’s less necessary with Malmarks.

Schulmerichs use an index pin to lock in the clapper position at the point of purest tone. You have only two options for where the clapper can strike: the designated strikepoint, or on the opposite side (if you turn the casting around). Malmarks don’t have an index pin, so you can turn the casting to aim the clapper at another point, effectively moving the strikepoint. This is helpful if the bell tuning changes over time. However, it provides an opportunity for someone who may not know what s/he’s doing to change the sound of the bell when you’re not looking.

Schulmerich has a systemic problem with the tinny tone of A#/Bb5 bell. Even after multiple exchanges, I couldn’t obtain one with the richness heard in older bells. Other ringers, and even Schulmerich staff, told me they have the same problem. It may seem like nitpicking, until you want to play a solo in the key of F or Eb major or G minor, which I do – a lot. I found a workaround by substituting a clapper shaft number 14, which causes the clapperhead to strike in a more tuneful place. I don’t know if Malmark has a similar problem with a particular bell or range of bells.

Clapperheads and voicing: Schulmerich has an option (Select-a-Strike) that allows use of any point of the clapperhead, not just soft, medium, and hard clapper settings. As a soloist, I prefer this ability to fine-tune voicing. Malmark clapperheads lock into one of 6 positions (2 of each – SMH), as do Schulmerich Quick-Adjust. When voicing bells across a choir, Quick-Adjust is faster to use, since it doesn’t require tools. I once watched a director revoice three octaves in about 10 minutes by asking the choir to ring a scale, then asking certain ringers to make specific adjustments. This is really slick when properly supervised, and might also help in performance when the director wants to change voicing between pieces. However, an individual ringer may adjust the setting to his/her preference without permission, not realizing that voicing is supposed to be done for the benefit of the audience, not individual ringers. I once attended a conference where our choir shared Malmark bells (owned by our director) with another group. Between our warm-up and performance of our piece, the other group revoiced the entire set to accommodate their piece – without telling us.

Malmark clapperheads are prone to cracking in the upper treble. This isn’t covered under warranty if it’s merely cosmetic. Malmark will replace the clapperhead for free only if the crack affects the sound.

Clapper mechanism: Schulmerich has a more complicated spring mechanism controlling the clapper shaft. It’s both harder to repair and more prone to stick, as the parts wear, especially the nylon liners (nyliners) on the axle. In the high treble, the clapper shaft doesn’t weigh enough to overcome much resistance in the axle, reducing rebound. Malmark clapper shafts rebound between two pieces of rubbery plastic, a very simple mechanism. The spring is either working, and you’re happy, or it isn’t, and you replace it. There’s no slow agony of wondering whether the bell is going to respond, or if you need to go to the trouble of replacing the nyliners, something you wouldn’t attempt at a concert venue.

Handles: Schulmerich treble bells have narrow handles, making multiple bell work much easier. If you ring with handles interlocked, wider Malmark handles may not bother you, but they will for ring-and-knock and traveling four-in-hand. Some say Schulmerichs roll more easily, presumably because less flat handle surface touches the table, but I haven’t experienced this. However, I take pains to ensure my tables and foam are level, with no discernible joints, and have learned correct release technique. Malmark handles are not only wider, they’re slick. When I’ve tried setting down pairs of Malmarks, they tend to slide apart. (It’s been several years since I attempted a solo on Malmark bells, so my technique may have caused the problem.) The new type of Schulmerich handles have a decal that creates desirable friction when pairing bells, but the decal tends to peel at the edges. Schulmerich will replace the handles under warranty, but by the time you pay postage both ways on the exchange, you might as well just pay for the handles. They recently redesigned the handles to eliminate the peeling problem. I haven’t seen the new handles yet.

Malmark handles are black and white, like piano keys. This is more intuitive, especially for a bell choir. It makes it easier not only for the ringer, but for the director, to see if the wrong bell is being played, or about to be played. Schulmerich handles are black with a printed gold braid design. The gold braid isn’t as useful as black and white; it’s too subtle. The only time I find gold braid useful is if a bell is upside down on the table, because the handle is partly blank. If you buy Schulmerich bells, I used to suggest getting all black handles, to achieve a uniform look across the set. Schulmerich has eliminated this option, though you may find it on on older bells. If so, bear in mind that replacement all-black handles will be available only until the factory runs out of inventory.

Malmark handles can be ordered with an inscription inside. If you’re a bell choir doing fund-raising, this is a very popular feature with donors. Each bell can be designated as a memorial, or in honor of someone. A soloist might include her name, phone number, and/or an inspirational message.

Castings: The castings of the two brands look very similar, though Malmarks are somewhat larger and heavier for bells of the same pitch. The combination of size, weight, and wider handles affects how low in the range you can comfortably use six-in-hand and four-in-hand.

Malmark castings are smooth inside. You can disassemble the bell and polish both inside and out. Schulmerich bells are grooved inside. If you use cream polish inside, it will remain in the grooves unless you buff it off and then wash the bell. The bell must be dried immediately to prevent water spots from forming, because spots won’t polish out. So cleaning the inside of Schulmerich bells is a much bigger hassle than cleaning Malmarks, but periodically necessary to prevent corrosion from spots created by moisture captured there while ringing.

If you intend to buy sub-bass bells (for a group; soloists would rarely if ever use them), Malmark offers aluminum bells for G1 to F#3. They’re less expensive and weigh less than bronze bells, and extend the range half an octave below what Schulmerich offers.

Fundraising: For a church or community choir, fundraising is usually necessary to purchase bells. At the first church where I helped establish a bell choir, the director chose Malmark primarily because of fundraising assistance and the general helpfulness of our area representative. I believe Schulmerich has since developed a program to help groups with fundraising, and also offers generous financing terms for community bell choirs.

Sales reps: Sales reps can be a valuable resource, not just in your initial bell purchase, but for future training, troubleshooting, parts, service, and advice. Ask around about the responsiveness, helpfulness, and knowledge of the sales rep in your area. The local Schulmerich reps are no longer allowed to provide parts, and have been redirected to deal only with new customers. That means I have to deal with the factory for every single small transaction (including warranty returns), racking up shipping and handling fees for more than the parts cost. I’ve found Malmark reps considerably more helpful and available, even to a Schulmerich owner. One of them once gave me a small part I needed to repair a borrowed Malmark bell. They also tend to be active in the handbell community, host bell choir concerts, offer training, and can point novices to available resources. Some Schulmerich reps are active in the handbell community, but when your local rep isn’t, it’s a problem. I have found the national staff quite helpful.

Pros and cons for bell tree work: Malmark castings are larger, so it’s hard to set strands without castings touching, especially for lower bells. It’s also necessary to use more clips than with Schulmerich, because the handguards slip more easily through the handle loop. Old Schulmerichs have stiffer handles that hold up better for bell tree work than either new Schulmerich handles or Malmarks. However, you need to secure the top bell handle (using the O rings provided with the stand) to prevent swinging. New Schulmerich handles are more pliant, so they don’t swing as easily, but the top handle bends out of shape from the weight of the bells below it.

Some other factors to consider in choosing bells:
• With a change in company ownership, Schulmerich has eliminated some options that used to be available to customers, without providing ongoing support for legacy sets. This may cause difficulty in obtaining parts (e.g. all black handles).
• Schulmerich has also eliminated many maintenance options. Currently, there are a limited number of authorized repair shops. As of this writing, none of the mobile repair services can obtain Schulmerich parts; the bells must be shipped somewhere for service. This is a problem if you use your bells year-round, as I do, or if you live in a geographic area without repair services, or even if you just want to avoid the hassle and expense of shipping bells somewhere. You have considerably more freedom to engage the maintenance service of your choice with Malmark bells.
• You might want to buy the same brand of bells you have access to borrow (e.g. from your church), in case you need duplicates. You might also find it helpful to practice on the same type of bells you ring in a choir.
• Some groups mix Schulmerichs and Malmarks to create a single set because they like the sound. The first time I saw this, I assumed the group had borrowed whatever was available. To the audience, it looks like you can’t afford a matched set of bells. If you decide to do this, it would be worth explaining in the concert program.
• If you want rolling cases, they’re included in the Schulmerich price, but an upgrade from Malmark. Users have reported problems with  Schulmerich rolling cases, so ask around about that before buying. Malmark offers rolling cases suitable for shipping, as well as an option for half octave cases that are easier to carry than full octave cases. If you choose either of these options from Malmark, you can buy them at the same time as your bells, so you don’t end up with extra cases.
• Malmarks are easier to disassemble and reassemble, requiring only a screwdriver.
• Schulmerich used to offer an anti-tarnish finish (called ShineOn) that didn’t require polishing, and couldn’t be polished. It was expensive, and I wonder how effective it was. I no longer see it advertised as an option for new bells. However, you may find it on used bells.
• On both its own website and on Facebook, Malmark actively promotes the work of its customers. I envy that endorsement. They also show a much stronger interest in customer feedback.

Non-factor:
• You can use either brand of mallets (and other accessories) with either brand of bell. See Mallets.

To summarize:

Table Malmark vs Schulmerich
Other types of bells: You’re unlikely to use Petit & Fritsen bells for solo or regular bell choir work, because the tuning isn’t intended to play melodies. P&Fs, also called Dutch or Flemish bells, are tuned with overtones a minor tenth above the fundamental, instead of a major twelfth (as for English bells). I think of them as tiny tower bells, best suited for liturgy. P&Fs are no longer being made, so they’re available only secondhand, and seldom come on the market.

You may come across other types of bells, like silver melody bells, which Schulmerich recently began producing after a long gap in availability. Again, these are mostly useful for changing the tone color in select applications, not as a primary instrument.

Recently a Japanese instrument maker (Prima Gakki; I’ve also seen the name Apply) introduced English handbells. The range is currently limited to 3 octaves at approximately U.S.$ 23,000 (without shipping and duty), more than twice the price of U.S. bells. Prima Gakki is working with the artistic director of the acclaimed Japanese ensemble Kiriku, Taiko Otsubo, so it would be worth keeping an eye on this possibility. John Taylor produces handbells in England, and dates to the fourteenth century as a tower bell foundry. I don’t know much more about either company, and found little information online.

The English manufacturer you’re more likely to consider is Whitechapel, which has centuries of experience making handbells. They make both regular handbells (see below for more information) and cup bells (played with mallets). In the U.S., Whitechapel bells are more expensive, fewer people are trained to service them, and it’s harder to get parts. But they have a beautiful sound; for some bell choirs, they’re an ideal instrument. I have limited experience with Whitechapels, so I asked Brian Tricoli (bellsymphony.com) his opinion about using them for solo work. Brian rings on Whitechapels with Jersey Jubilation Handbell Choir but purchased Schulmerichs to pursue solo ringing. With his permission, I’m sharing his views of the pros and cons of Whitechapels for solo ringing:

• Cost
• They are heavier which would make them slower to respond to very fast weaving in some instances especially as you move towards the bass bells.
• The handles are slightly wider and they do not slide as easily when you need the handles to slide for changes.
• If they have the stiffeners in the handles, it makes interlocking pretty much impossible for 4IH & 6IH and bell trees.
• If they do not have the stiffeners in the handles, eventually the leather handles become very soft and flopping, making even ensemble ringing quite difficult, never mind solo ringing.
• They have a mellower tone which by nature does not carry as far as the Schullies.
• My bells have the select-a-strike clappers which allow me to constantly adjust the tone color to my ringing style and my hands.  In addition to that as you know, I can adjust the springs to respond how I need them to depending on what I am doing and the characteristic of the bell.  With the WC bells, there is no adjusting anything.  The color of the bell is what it is and all the springs are what they are.  Everything is adjusted as you ring it.  Therefore, if you have one WC bell with a very fast moving clapper and another that is not as fast, neither can be adjusted to get them to match closer towards each other.
• The clappers on WC bells differ as you get into different sections of bells.  Starting in the C3 bass section, clappers are felt discs.  Then they change to leather clappers covered with felt, which wear out and rip.  Then they change to just leather clappers and then they change into plastic clappers.  This makes for different types of sounds for adjoining bells where clappers change and there is not much to do to make them match.

Some of the things I like about the WC compared to the Shullies:
• The mellower tone is very beautiful for some pieces.
• The clappers work pretty much the same in either direction, so if a bell rolls you can still ring it just the same on either side.
• They are easier to pluck as the clappers do not take as much space inside the bell as in the Schullies.
• The leather handles do not slide easily which decreases the chance of the bell slipping out of your hand.

Many thanks to Brian Tricoli for his input to this article. I also drew from comments posted to Handbell-L by Nancy Hascall, Linda Krantz, Michèle Sharik, Elke White, and Stephanie Wiltse.

Copyright © 2012 Nancy Kirkner, handbells.com