On January 15, 2008, Pro-Mark announced a partnership with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps that would provide the Corps with a series of new and exciting products known as Promark System Blue. As of July 30th, those products are now available and ready for consumers to purchase. This series has started with the meat-n-potatoes products that will provide a good foundation to what hopefully will be an expanding lineup of products as time goes on.
Starting with a good overall feeling Marching Snare Drum Stick…albeit a beefy thick stick but with pretty good overall weight balance…and the signature Sean Vega TS8 Tenor Sticks, Pro-Mark has a solid start to equipping the marching percussion battery. The bulk of the offerings at this time are in the keyboard mallet lineup with the Diversity Series, eight different models featuring four Marimba mallet pairs on birch handles and four Vibraphone mallet pairs on rattan handles. This line is designed for outdoor as well as indoor playing and has a very nice feel and balance throughout the full lineup. The second keyboard mallet lineup is the Jim Wunderlich Signature Series that features five Marimba models on birch handles and four Vibraphone models on rattan handles. This series is also geared for the outdoor ensemble but can have a nice crossover use when played indoors for a drum line or concert venue. With a total of seventeen models of keyboard mallets, the Pro-Mark System Blue series now has a wider product offering than any other company for this style of mallet.
With the Blue Devils being at the top of this year’s DCI results so far, this is certainly a good time for this series to finally make its debut.