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BRAND STORY
Majestic is a brand of thoughtfully designed instruments for the professional, the educator,
and today’s percussion student utilizing carefully constructed ideas born from
both traditional percussion instrument heritage and a culture of innovation.
Founder Willem Klazes van der Glas set a standard of excellence
in 1921 that remains the governing philosophy for Majestic.
Product development, engineering and production are overseen by family members
and every model must adhere to stringent standards of craftsmanship and performance.
Innovative instrument designs including the Prophonic series Timpani and Prophonic Series
Snare drums are examples of the full realization of thoughtful design elements implemented
in to a Majestic instrument with a nod to the rich history of the instruments.
We invite you to explore the entire selection of Majestic percussion instruments
and discover for yourself how intelligent designs intersect with percussion instrument tradition.
We Invite you to Join the Majestic Percussion Movement as you explore your own music making.
Brand history
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The family firm of van der Glas B.V. was founded in 1921 in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. Initially the company sold organs, pianos and wind instruments, but the production of percussion instruments soon followed.
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Van der Glas B.V. began to manufacture Van der Glas marching drums.
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Van der Glas B.V. began to manufacture timpani.
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Majestic was born. With the growing popularity of drum sets at that time, the Majestic brand name was introduced on professional kits which were used by rock bands throughout Europe.
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During 1980s, Van der Glas B.V. manufactured its first shipment of Majestic marching drums. The parallel snare system was also introduced.
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At beginning, the name Majestic was only used on jazz drum sets and high-end marching drums. Later on, Majestic became the sole brand name.
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Majestic reintroduced its most iconic Timpani models which were renowned for their craftsmanship and sound.
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Symphonic Timpani series was introduced.
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Copper or specially formed FRP (fiberglass) or aluminum kettles in a low profile suspension frame produce a clear, pure tone. The combination of tone quality and pedal stability make it the ultimate school instrument.
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K.H.S. bought the Ross Mallet Instruments Inc. Ross Mallet is a musical instrument company specializing in producing vibraphones, and chimes in the USA. In 2008, Ross product lines were updated. In 2009, the Ross Mallet brand was replaced with Majestic brand.
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Harmonic Timpani series was introduced. It has a balanced style pedal system and is easy to operate.
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Additionally, the pedals and legs are fully collapsible for ease of transportation.
As popular with traveling professionals as it is with music educators , the Harmonic series offers performance, precision and stability like no other portable timpani.
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Symphonic Grand Timpani series was introduced.
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The Symphonic Grand Series combines the stability of a block pedal with both traditional hand operated and optional foot operated fine-tuners.
The resulting instrument offers greater accessibility to professional level tuning mechanics.
The Symphonic Grand Stand Series is also available without hand and foot fine-tuner.
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Grand Classic Timpani series was introduced.
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The Grand Classic Series epitomizes the peak in timpani performance. Users can customize the timpani through choices of pedal system, head type and configuration.
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K.H.S. established the JMP factory in Tianjin, China. In the beginning, the factory produced mainly Mallet Instruments components. Later, the factory began to manufacture assembled parts and finished products as well as designing new models.
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In 2003 Majestic joined the K.H.S. group of musical instrument brands and became an important part of one of the largest musical instrument manufacturers in the world. With the success of this important merger, a full manufacturing capability was in place to produce both a full range of modern marching drums and a full range of orchestral mallet percussion instruments.
A new company was established for the Majestic division called "Majestic Holland b.v." and a large new factory in Nijehaske, near Heerenveen, was established for continued select timpani production in keeping with the Dutch rich musical instrument making tradition.
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As the popularity of school percussion grew in America, Ross mallet instruments’ xylophones became popular in the market through its successful rental program, which was the first xylophones rental program in the USA.
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The percussion department was established and oversaw the overall development of the percussion business.
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Three brand new Majestic marching drums series were developed and introduced: XTD, EVDEAVOR and CONTENDER.
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The Majestic mallet instruments inherited the marimba production know-how from the Ross Mallet. The Majestic mallet instruments were manufactured in Tianjin, China.
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The Majestic Prophonic series was released.
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From stage to car in simple steps, innovative Prophonic timpani place the superior sound of fully suspended cambered copper or aluminum kettles on an elegant portable frame.
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K.H.S. began to manufacture its Majestic Philharmonic Pro & Concert Pro series.
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The Prophonic & Concert Black series was released.
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The factory in Tianjin began to manufacture Mallet Instruments. Some of the Ross’s tone bars incorporated Ross’s xylophones technology from the USA and became part of the new product lines produced under the Majestic brand name.
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The Majestic Deluxe Series 4.3 octave padauk bar marimba was released.
The Majestic Deluxe Series 4.3 octave padauk bar marimba provides great tone at an affordable price. The full-featured frame is height-adjustable, has re-leveling rails, and full-sized smooth rolling wheels. Bars are fine-tuned to the highest standards, for concert quality sound.
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The Concert series timpani was introduced.
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The Concert series timpani offer lightweight portability and an extended range of height adjustment making them ideal for both the gigging pro and for promoting good technique to young players.
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The Majestic timpani product line was fully developed and completed, satisfying the diverse users’ needs.
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The Majestic M8650H Professional marimba was released.
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The Majestic Prophonic & Concert Black series Concert Toms were released.
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The Majestic Prophonic & Concert Black series Snare Drums were introduced.
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The Majestic Gateway marimba was introduced.
The Majestic Gateway series makes performance quality instruments accessible to young percussionists. The M5533D marimba offers a 3.3 octave range and full-sized bars for realistic practice. Optional resonators can be added later to enhance the instrument sound.
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Majestic received an appreciation award, “in sincere appreciation of your support of WGI Sport of the Arts”, from WGI Sport of the Arts.
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Majestic received an appreciation award,“in sincere appreciation of your support of WGI Sport of the Arts”,from WGI Sport of the Arts.
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Majestic received an appreciation award, “in sincere appreciation of your support of WGI Sport of the Arts”, from WGI Sport of the Arts.
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Majestic received an appreciation award, “in sincere appreciation of your support of WGI Sport of the Arts”, from WGI Sport of the Arts.
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By researching and developing new ways to produce mallet instruments in Taiwan, Majestic was able to redesign marimba models tailored to the highly profitable high-end segments.
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The revolutionary Majestic Reflection series ( M850HW/B, M843HW/B) wad debuted. The Majestic Reflection Marimba is the product of extensive research and design with valued input form the world's leading marimba players. Majestic has created an instrument that delivers maximum tone and resonance through innovative bar suspension and spacing as well as an instrument that enhances the players comfort in performance.
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Majestic received an appreciation award, “in sincere appreciation of your support of WGI Sport of the Arts”, from WGI Sport of the Arts.
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Majestic received an appreciation award, “in sincere appreciation of your support of WGI Sport of the Arts”, from WGI Sport of the Arts.
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Majestic received an appreciation award, “in sincere appreciation of your support of WGI Sport of the Arts”, from WGI Sport of the Arts.
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Majestic 60th Anniversary.