what's your size

[scrubs]

Size: ~8A
Tip: Barrel, wood
Wood: Maple

Ex: Vater Sugar Maple 8A; Vic Firth SD4 Combo

I have a variety, from 2B down to the Firth SD5 Echo, but I tend to gravitate most toward the Sugar Maple 8A & SD4 Combo.

[deve]

5a's and 5b's, hickory, Wood tips of course. I always thought that plastic tips are for heavy guys. I don't like the way the plastic sounds on cymbals. (It can beam you up to mars) I used to play a lot of jazz, back then I was using sd4's, 7a's or Elvin Jones signature sticks.

[spjessop]

I have three sets of sticks to hand at all times. All wooden tips.

Current faves are Zildjian 5A Hickory. In reserve are Zildjian Super 5B Hickory and Vic Firth SD9 Driver Maple.

I find I like a heavier chunkier stick the slower I want to play. It makes sure my limbs are still working hard enough.

[tyro]

For jazz or lighter pop I like Vic Firth Peter Erskine original signature stick. Really light and with a piccolo tip (round, small), great for quick light touches on the rides...

For regular pop I mostly use 7A, I enjoy Vic and Zildjian in that size. A little different weighted, and Vic has tear drop tip, the Zildjian has a rounder tip.

For hiphop, reggae and rnb I often use Vic Firth extreme 5B. These are also good for heavy slow rock etc, but I don't play that much. I also often mix n match different sticks, especially choosing a lighter stick for hihat hand in hiphop/rnb.

Another great thing to have is timbale sticks; I use them mostly as a percussionist on blocks, bongos etc but also on drumset for a trashy, oldschool reggae sound.

I prefer hickory sticks, and always wood tips - the plastic tips sounds so bleh on cymbals. That being said, I just bought a bigpack of noname kind of 7A maple sticks with wooden barrel tips (to have some extras around for practice and the girls I teach drums) and I quite like them too...

[Blindside]

For rock, I love the Vic Firth Danny Carey signature sticks.

For funkier stuff, the steve Gadds are kinda cool.

[big country]

timbali sticks are kinda fun

it took me many years to realize plying hard was not a good way to drum

I think its very if not the most important thing for a drummer to not take aggression on drums


im not a drummer by the way

[joeq]

For Jazz and lighter playing the Peter Erskine's are great- good bounce at a low volume

For in between stuff I like the Vic Firth Steve Gadd model- the black ones. It's odd but they really have a deeper sound than most other sticks. They sound and feel great and have a broad range, but the wood tips do wear out quickly.

for louder rock things, I like Regal Tip Rocks. Everything else is wood tip, but the Rocks I have in wood and nylon tips. They are a bit longer than most sticks so you can get slightly more leverage

I always carry 2 pairs of each of the above.

additionally I always keep some timbale sticks, mallets, brushes and Rods in the bag. I also have a pair of Vic Firth SD5 Echo sticks. These are very thin with a counterbalanced handle for playing extremely soft.

[ImJohn]

I have lots of sticks and mallets but my default stick for drumset playing is the mighty hickory Regal-Tip 5B nylon. (I roll 'em to find the straight ones and then sort through those and get the 'heavier' ones because the wood desity tends to vary a lot! )

I also like their Blasticks quite a bit for special uses.

For snare drum stuff (rudimental/symphonic) I prefer the Vic Firth Bolero model (roll to find perfect straightness and then try to prefectly pitch match a pair of course! )

[ImJohn]

Those Hornets look pretty cool but I haven't tried them. I'd be concerned that the handle tapper would force me into holding them in only one position but . . . . I'll have to give them a try and find out!

[pan60]

i think i am going to order some of Hornets.
i just have to check these out!
i need some new 7As so i guess thats what i will start with, maybe some 5Bs.

[big country]

the hornets are some fine lookin sticks indeed

[pan60]

Originally Posted by big country

the hornets are some fine lookin sticks indeed

they look freak-en sexy as **** i just hope they feel that good ~

[nandoanalog]

Play with Buddy Rich signature sticks, practice with Mike Mangini signature sticks.

[cortisol]

It's a funny practicing with one size stick and then switching to another for playing!

I switch back and forth between Vater 5b with an acorn shaped tip to some Travis Barker signature sticks. The Vater 5b's are bassball bats! They generate a huge sound due to their mass. I matched up the heaviest I could find. But... practicing and playing too long with these was preventing me from playing at the faster tempos. So I switch back and forth to the Travis Barkers because they are lite and still feel like they can rock. So now I go back and forth to get beyond my sticking points (no pun intended honest)!

I feel like I'm going from one stick to another to gain skills that apply to using both.

I guess we're all trying to build the right muscles with the bigger sticks and the reaction times with the faster stick.

Peace,
cortisol

[SamSites]

Trueline hickory ... Billy Ward signature.

[chetatkinsdiet]

Vic 5B wood tips.

m

[mrface2112]

i like a nice maple stick, but it's hard to find one in a size i like. I love the give and crack that a maple stick provides.

I've been using the Vic Firth Extreme 5A of late, and IIRC that's a hickory stick. Nice length and bead. I use both wooden and plastic beads, depending on the sound i want.


cheers,
wade

[cajonezzz]

Usually Vater, then Vic Firth, Zildjian if i have to.
7a
Capella "Funk butts"
5a
5b
or:
Whatever is not broken or whittled to a toothpick in my stick bag.

VF SD-1
Peter Erskine with the acorn bead for jazz stuff ( great cymbal sound)

Dennis chambers 8a/mallet combo

[pan60]

cajonezzz
i love they way your new room looks!!!!!!!!

[rdc333]

Since the 70's, I still play with Regal Tip Rock.

After all these years, having tried many other types, they still feel & sound the best.

Once in a great while, I will use Regal 5B for a little more juice, if needed.

On the practice pad, it has always been a marching stick, like a 3S . . .

[cajonezzz]

Originally Posted by pan60

cajonezzz
i love they way your new room looks!!!!!!!!

Thanks Pan-- it's not MY room, it's the shop I work out of most tho, and I'm helping to book the Mix room ( web page you saw)

the owner posts here as "mpr3". Very cool place, you should see the A room ( tracking room) very cool spot.

cz

[pan60]

it looks awesome!

[Sabian576]

Vic Firth HD4

[pasta]

Vater Manhattan 7A

[Berolzheimer]

Trueline Powergrip 5a wood tip

I love the bulge, it lets me keep my hands relaxed & in control.
I also don't much like the sound of plastic tips.

[bdubya]

YES, the Buddy Rich's are a great stick . . . great weighty feel in the hand, but without losing any control. I feel like i play better with them. plus they're white and look badass under blacklight (not that i have a blacklight ...) +1

Originally Posted by nandoanalog

Play with Buddy Rich signature sticks, practice with Mike Mangini signature sticks.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by Berolzheimer

Trueline Powergrip 5a wood tip

I love the bulge, it lets me keep my hands relaxed & in control.
I also don't much like the sound of plastic tips.

I tried a pair. They felt good in the store... I didn't dislike them... I was impressed that something so innovative didn't totally suck, as such ideas often do.

But for whatever reason, I did not fall in love with them either, so I never bought them again.


I think maybe I felt that the counterweighting of the bulge took away some leverage. You can't really WHIP them. In a way they are a mid-volume version of the SD 5 Echo "quiet" sticks I was talking about.

[nandoanalog]

Originally Posted by bdubya

YES, the Buddy Rich's are a great stick . . . great weighty feel in the hand, but without losing any control.

SHHHHH don`t let noobs know our little secret

[Fleaman]

Zildjian anti-vibe 5B and anti-vibe Super 5B...and I wrap them in semi thick tennis racket grip.

Although it seems they are not the most durable sticks....I break 'em quite easily.

They just came out with a backbeat anti-vibe 5B, basically a 5B butt end....gonna check that out, might be more durable too. Pretty much all of my stick explosions are due to rimshots.

Anyone else know of durable low shock sticks to try out?