SAITO

Products

Mallets

Saito Mallets are trusted by musicians worldwide for their quality. We prioritize strict quality control to meet the needs of professionals.

Made in Japan

About Saito Mallets

Rubber Heads: This product line is versatile and renowned for its high-quality ball-shaped heads, suitable for various applications. (Except for No.107)

Yarn Heads and Cord Heads: These two product lines consist of ball-shaped heads wound with yarn or cord on disc-shaped cores.

Mushroom Shaped Heads: Engineered for clear tones, these heads feature tightly woven cords that produce articulate sound.

Handle Material: Using natural rattan imported directly from Indonesia. Each pair of shafts matches within a 0.5mm tolerance, ensuring a well-balanced feel and precise fulcrum placement for the player. (B-10 is ABS)

Lineup

Signature Series

Signature Series are designed with Professional players.

UTARI Model

The long-awaited release of UTARI Signature Mallets is here -- the culmination of a passionate technical and musical collaboration between Saito's master mallet technician and the Utari Duo. Carefully attuned to the exacting needs of modern music-making, these six graduated Mallets unearth a versatile range of pure and direct tones -- from soft and luxurious to sharp and crystal clear. Designed and produced to the highest standards of Japanese craftsmanship, UTARI Signature Mallets bring a contemporary clarity to a wide range of musical contexts, flexible enough to support performers of contemporary solo marimba works, chamber music, and orchestral marimba or vibraphone parts alike. They are recommended for percussionists of all levels.

UTARI is a percussion duo project by sisters Haruka Fujii - a percussionist of the Grammy Award winning Silkroad Ensemble, based in San Francisco Bay Area - and Rika Fujii - multi percussionist in Tokyo known for her performances in solo, chamber music, orchestra and the female Taiko group Hono Daiko. Utari's passion for Japanese modern percussion music has led them to tour internationally for the past ten years. Following the path of their mother Mutsuko Fujii, noted marimbist of Japan, they have been introducing Japanese percussion works at major venues throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Recent appearances include a New York recital at Lincoln Center, a concert at Koerner Hall in Toronto, and showcase performances at the PASIC percussion convention.
Utari's mission is to introduce audiences to master works which are not known outside of Japan, many of which are written for and dedicated to Mutsuko Fujii by luminary composers Maki Ishii, Akira Miyoshi, Isao Matsushita and Akira Nishimura. In addition to music from Japan's “golden age” of modern music, Utari actively works with and performs music by young composers who are defining the sound of the current generation.

Haruka Fujii Profile

Haruka Fujii has won international acclaim as a solo percussionist for her interpretations of contemporary music, having performed premieres of works from composers including Tan Dun, Nico Muhly, Joji Yuasa, and Maki Ishii. She has appeared in major venues across the world as a soloist, as well as chamber musician with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, NY based quartet Line C3 Percussion Group, and The Fujii Trio. She also enjoys teaching as a frequent guest instructor at Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar and several international percussion festivals.
https://www.harukafujii.com/

Rika Fujii Profile

Rika Fujii is an active percussionist based in Tokyo, Japan. She performs frequently in orchestral and chamber music settings as well as in traditional Japanese taiko drumming concerts with the first female taiko group Hono-O-daiko. She has performed internationally, including appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York, New Zealand International Arts Festival, and the Japanese Consulate in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Fujii is a faculty member of the Toho Gakuen School of Music and the Saitama High School of Music.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Mar	Vib	Perc
UTARI 01	Yarn	EH	40	○	○	Cym
UTARI 02		H		○	○	Cym
UTARI 03		MH		○	○
UTARI 04		M		○
UTARI 05		MS		○
UTARI 06		S		○

Eiso Shigemitsu Model

Handmade mallets for vibraphone crafted with percussionist Shigemitsu Nagaso. The V-1 model is capable of producing a hard and bright tone suitable for contemporary music. Building upon the V-1, the V-2 model features a processed core that allows for the performance of softer harmonies, making it an all-around versatile option. The X-82 is specifically designed for suspended cymbals, with a slightly weighted head and a perfectly balanced 31.5cm handle to significantly enhance playability. Widely favored from students to professional orchestra players, this is a staple model from Saito.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Xyl	Vib	Perc
V-1	Cord	H	37		○
V-2		M			○
V-3		S			○
X-82	Thin Yarn	MH	31.5	○		Cym

Hitoshi Hamada Model

Signature mallets designed with jazz vibraphonist Hitoshi Hamada. They feature a mushroom-shaped core that enables clear articulation. Its moderate weight balances well with the yarn. The ensemble model is also used by marimba players.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Mar	Xyl	Vib	Glo	Perc
Solo	Yarn	H	39	○		○
Ensemble	Yarn	M	39	○		○

Takashi Ohi Model

Handmade mallets designed with jazz vibraphonist Takashi Ohi. Crafted with the intention of playing with two mallets, they feature shortened handles and weighted heads, allowing for full resonance of the tone bars and producing a vibrant and bright tone reminiscent of bebop jazz.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Mar	Xyl	Vib	Glo	Perc
Regular	Yarn	HH	31			○
Soft	Yarn	HS	31			○

Xylophones and Glockenspiels Mallets Super Hard

B-1 is designed for SG-100 / 120. B-4 is designed for Xylophones.
Handle of B-10 is 30cm ABS.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Mar	Xyl	Vib	Glo	Perc
B-1	Acetal	HH	37	×		×	○
B-2	Acetal	H		×		×	○
B-3	Elastomer	M		×		×	○	WB
B-4	ABS	LH		×	○	×	○
B-5		L		×	○	×	○
B-10		L	30	×		×	○
No.510	Brass	−	37	×	×	×	○
R-1	Rosewood	H	37	×	○	×	○

Rubber Heads 100 Series (Rattan handles 37cm)

Designed for use of many applications and superior quality ball shape rubber is used for heads.(except No.107)
It features a clear expression while suppressing the volume. Used for multi percussion as well.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Mar	Xyl	Glo	Perc
No.101	Rubber	100°	37	×	○	○
No.102		95°		×	○	○
No.103		90°		○	○	○
No.104		80°		○			WB
No.105		70°		○
No.106		60°		○
No.107		60°		○

Yarn Heads 110 Series (Rattan handles 37cm)

Most standard Mallets. The heads are the nearly ball shape and are most suitable for the student xylophones. Heads are wrapped in a natural ball shape on the disc-shaped cores by our unique process. Recommended for Marimba. No. 111 is popular model and used for Wood Blocks, Cymbals and other percussions.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Mar	Xyl	Vib	Glo	Perc
Regular	Yarn	HH	31			○
Soft	Yarn	HS	31			○

Cord Heads 210 Series (Rattan handles 37cm)

Mainly used for Vibraphones and Metallophones. Providing more articulate expression compare to Yarn heads. Heads are wrapped in natural ball shape on the disc-shaped cores by our unique process.

Model	head	Hardness	length(cm)	Mar	Xyl	Vib	Perc
No.211	Cord	LH	37	○	○	○	WB
No.212		MH		○		○
No.213		MH		○		○
No.214		M		○		○
No.215		MS		○		○
No.216		HS		○		○

Mushroom Head M Series (Rattan handles 39cm)

Designed to make hitting part of mallets smaller to realize clear articulation and dynamic sound. Suitable for professional Marimba with rosewood soundbars and VS Series Vibraphone.