Brushes

[BillyFurnett]

Anyone have an idea who makes VERY heavy duty brushes??
To cut down on the volume level at practice our drummer has been using brushes in place of sticks (Not traditional brush playing style) and he's just eating them alive!
We've tried All kinds of retractable nylon and metal, fixed, jam sticks (Dangerous!!) and are now on Regal tip.

Any ideas?

[Jblount]

Pro mark makes a wooden stick made of bound up dowels. I know this dosnt sound appealing, but they are great. They come in several different stlyes and sizes. Here is what they look like

[tmix]

Promark and others use to make the same thing in plastic dowells.
I added rubber "O" rings to mine so as to tighten up the bundle.
I have used the same pair for 5 years now. They look ugly, but still work.

[Rimshot]

Don't get me started on metal brushes and how they are currently made!!!
They are wimpy!!
Years ago, brushes were made out of a heavier gauge wire, the wires were longer, they were packed with more wire and the retractors often had a small hard rubber ball at the end that could be used to play rolls, cymbal crashes, etc., by just turning the brushes around.
I play a lot of jazz with other acoustic instruments in a small trio. I have purchased many sets of brushes even the nylon ones, and they all suck. There just aren't enough people playing the type of music that is played with brushes for the manufacturers to make the real quality brushes anymore.
Drummers compensate now by turning up the pre amps on the snare mics and using a very sensitive vocal mic on the head of the snare and an all round dynamic on the bottom just to compensate for the crappy brushes.
I'm considering making my own.

If you're just trying to bring the volume down for rehearsal, why not just muffle the drums and tape the cymbals? It certainly won't give the greatest sound, but it will be audible and the beat will be there. That way the drummer can use the sticks he/she likes.

[BillyFurnett]

Thanks for the comments guys.
We've tried the wooden dowel rod (Jamsticks) kind from Promark...
They last about three songs and it's a wonder someone hasn't lost an eye yet. The nylon ones are a bit better with some rubber bands around them, but still ultimatly come apart.
I think Rimshot has the right idea about just muffling the drums.
I might try cutting out some thick rubber circles for the snare and toms and a rectangle to bungee across the bass drum and leave the cymbals be, so he can go with sticks.
The Regal Tip brushes do LOOK kind of solid, but it's the same story with very few and short wires. For regular brush playing I'd bet they're pretty decent, but who knows.
I'm sure someone could fabricate brushes for the need I mentioned and charge a decent buck if they could gurantee they'd last .
(Monster Cable you ready for a new product area??)

Thanks

[Jblount]

Who is your drummer, Mike Tyson? You tear up sticks like that, man. There is one other product you might try. It is in a red package with a yellow label, and its called "tell him to play softer". I think in your situation, that is the only thing that will work.

[BillyFurnett]

He IS playing softly!
(This guy could tear up a cannonball I swear.)

[Jblount]

Try slipping some Tylenol Ultra strength in his drink before you play, that might work.

[mikeh]

Perhaps your drummer needs to learn how to adjust his tecnique to the situation. There are times and places to hit hard and times and places to hit soft.

I would think the plastic dowels are the best option for your situation - but if he's already blown thru those you have few decent options.

[BillyFurnett]

That's a very good point Mikeh and echos what J had suggested about simply telling him to play softer. He's an excellent drummer and I don't want to inhibit his style or approach, but then again I don't want to be at a gig turning up the amps disproportionate to the room to compensate for his volume either.
I'm not sure what the solution is (Yet) but thanks for the thoughts guys.

[Jblount]

There is a happy meduim between keeping good loud energy and bashing the crap out of drums. Just ask him to back down just a little bit. He has to learn how to adjust to you also. You have a volume pot on your guitar and amp, he has to learn to use less velocity when playing. In live playing situations, I adjust the way I play for the room and the suroundings, even if we practiced it at a certian volume.

[BillyFurnett]

Well it looks like the Regal Tip brushes get a three practice rating from me, which under the circumstances IS pretty decent.
All other brushes (Nylon-Metal) and wooden "Jamsticks" have only lasted one or two sessions.

[mutok]

Geez... I've had a set of Reed sticks and Brushes for about a year and only one dowel has snapped off of the whole bundle (and I play for about 45 minutes every day)!

[Jblount]

Well, his drummer is Godzilla. No stick stands a chance. No kit is safe. Everyone run, run fast. Oh God the humanity! JK.

[BillyFurnett]

He's more like Quad-zilla!

We've actually had some success with weening him back onto sticks (7a) and playing for the room, not the state.
Now if we can just get him to stop destroying Tokyo!

[Fela]

Yeah man. Use brushes to play stuff that needs brushes. If your drummer is playing that loud he can't be listening to you guys if you are playing soft. You do get less of 'a sound' out of drums when you are playing soft and it takes technique to play soft and still groove. He needs to learn to play soft sometime, otherwise you are hampered as a band.

Maybe try to dampen out your practice space. When I need to play soft I often switch to a pair of those promark dowel things. I have had the same pair for a couple of years now.

[BillyFurnett]

I hear ya.

Brute force is no substitute for control and technique.
(Not to say that heavy hitters don't have their own valid playing criteria, or don't exhibit control and technique).
It IS pretty silly that we have a heavy weight drummer in a bantem weight band, but it's panning out with him coming down considerably and us going up a bit.
(I also got back there and torqued down the snare to the point of it being very sensitive and noticeable, so his instinct to pound is met by an explosive snare that unless played with a bit of technique drowns us out,)

Thanks all for the advice.

[Jblount]

Sounds good billy! Hope you all continue improving.

[BillyFurnett]

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"...There is a happy meduim between keeping good loud energy and bashing the crap out of drums. Just ask him to back down just a little bit..."

-Jblount-
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BINGO!!

[Dexter411]

One criteria for great drummers is adapting to other musicians. Look at someone that bashes the hell out of their drums but with control like Dave Grohl. All of his Remo double-ply's have a hit marks all over the place but, despite this, all those marks are in the center. Also, when Nirvana played unplugged in 1993, he used those dowel things as well as just cooling down. And that special sure had quite a nice groove going.

[BillyFurnett]

Very true Dexter and excellent specific examples as well.