Help me pick out some sticks

  • Thread starter Thread starter thebigcheese
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thebigcheese

thebigcheese

"Hi, I'm in Delaware."
I used to use really heavy, flashy sticks with rods in the middle (to keep them from breaking?) because I thought they looked cool, but then I started to actually think about what I was doing and got really light sticks, 5As. But I just got my hands on some slightly thicker, slightly heavier sticks I had lying around and they fell a lot better. I feel like the added weight makes them roll better. The problem is, they're just black and not labeled, so I have no idea what size they are. Can someone help me figure out what I want? Things I like in sticks:

-I like the narrower sticks, but not pencil thin.
-I would like plastic tips because wood tips break off very fast.
-I want something a little heavier than 5As, but not a whole lot heavier
-I somehow manage to break my sticks by slowly chipping off the end by the tip until I develop a long crack running down the middle and they split. Is there a sturdier wood I could be using? I'd like that to not happen so often.
 
Maybe look into some Aheads...they have different sizes, so you'll want to check a few out. They are aluminum, covered with plastic grips, and plastic tips. I'm pretty shitty, and constantly break my wooden ones, but have only dinged the covers on the Aheads....
 
Try a 5B if you just want a little more meat than the 5A offers...

The Vic Firth American line are made of Hickory and withstand quite a bit of punishment and come with either nylon or wood tips.

:)
 
I break the Aheads. When they do break, it's dangerous because you have jagged piece of aluminum sailing across the room.

I would go for a Vater Power 5B. It's a little longer than a normal 5B and the shoulder is thicker.
 
i'm with farview on the aheads, and if you're doing rimshots, those covers get screwed up reaaaall quick.
 
My suggestion would be to get some el-cheapos in a bunch of different sizes and get those down to 2 or 3 you like, and then get some better sticks in those sizes and go from there. Remember to try different companies too, as some can be a little different.
 
If you're breaking AHeads you're doing some shit horribly wrong or using the wrong ones.

I broke two 5B's, sent em back, and they gave me 2B's instead. Love em. I now have 3 sets just for the hell of it. I'll never buy another fucking wood stick ever again.
 
I swear by Pro Mark "The Natural" in 5B.
 
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I like the feel of 5B's, but not the tip. I found some 3A's (I think) from some company that I can't remember, that I love because they have a round-ball tip that sounds great on my ride, and they're meaty like 5B's.
 
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I have to imagine the Aheads would sound a lot different when hitting the rim, which could be a problem for at least one of my band's songs. If I can find them anywhere, I might try them out. I need to find a Guitar Center around here.

I looked at some 2Bs today, but they feel too big. I also looked at the 5Bs, but they're mostly just thicker and not really much heavier, unless I'm thinking of the wrong stick. I want something a bit heavier, but not really thicker. The store I was at only had the 2Bs, 5A and B, and like 7A or something.
 
Greg_L said:
If you're breaking AHeads you're doing some shit horribly wrong or using the wrong ones.
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The thing with the aheads is that if you're doing rimshots constantly, which is common, it puts a lot of stress on the aluminum. Not to mention the first pair i bought, one of the nylon tips came of and the threaded end went straight through my snare head, and left a nice scratch in the inside of the shell.
 
Aheads are god awful, they break cymbals and their rimshots and clicks suck. Plus they're known to break, and its an awfully expensive investment.

I've used standard Viccies for years. Pretty much 5A nylon. I've considered getting some Ian Paice sigs (I think ProMark makes them) which are like long 5As. Ringo Starr sigs are awesome as well, they're 5A but with a really fat wooden tip, making great warm cymbal sounds, especially the ride.
 
BlackHawk2029 said:
The thing with the aheads is that if you're doing rimshots constantly, which is common, it puts a lot of stress on the aluminum. Not to mention the first pair i bought, one of the nylon tips came of and the threaded end went straight through my snare head, and left a nice scratch in the inside of the shell.
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I'm pretty sure I hit harder than most people, and I do rimshots all day long. They don't break if you're using the right one. They don't splinter or leave sawdust all over the place either.
 
Do they sell Aheads at GC? I might try to go to one this weekend so I can try out a bunch of different sticks.
 
thebigcheese said:
Do they sell Aheads at GC? I might try to go to one this weekend so I can try out a bunch of different sticks.
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Yes but they might not have a wide enough selection for you to make a good decision. They mostly carry the cheesy versions like the Tommy Lee and Lars models.
 
Try the Dave Weckl signature sticks with the nylon tip. They are thin enough and heavyish with a a good hard wood.
 
Greg_L said:
Yes but they might not have a wide enough selection for you to make a good decision. They mostly carry the cheesy versions like the Tommy Lee and Lars models.
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Well, if it's good enough for Lars, it's good enough for me! :p
Syke.
 
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