In the 1980s professional percussionists from the two major New York City orchestras listened to almost 40 different head types. Four 1-1/8 models, OR39 (brown), OR42 (tan), OR45 (white) and OR48 (black) were selected as having the most frequent application to the major orchestral keyboard parts of the late 19th and 20th centuries. They are still found in the mallet bags of many professional percussionists.
In the 1980s, professional percussionists in New York City's two major symphony orchestras listened to nearly 40 different types of percussion heads. The four 1-1/8 models OR39 (brown), OR42 (tan), OR45 (white) and OR48 (black) were chosen because they were most frequently used in major orchestral keyboard instruments of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Many professional percussionists still have these mallets in their mallet bags today.