Which Sticks Do You Use?

  • Thread starter Thread starter drummerdoug86
  • Start date Start date

which brand do you use?

  • Easton

    Votes: 2 1.1%

  • Pro Mark

    Votes: 43 23.6%

  • Regal Tip

    Votes: 2 1.1%

  • Vater

    Votes: 22 12.1%

  • Vic Firth

    Votes: 80 44.0%

  • Zildjian

    Votes: 12 6.6%

  • Other

    Votes: 21 11.5%
  • Total voters
    182
The only sticks I use are Vater's Piccolo Sugar Maple. The maple makes them light enough for real delicate and/or fast playing. Yet they are relatively thick so you can use the thick shoulder for louder stuff and it won't slip out of your hands like a really thin 7A or something. Plus, if you do any sort of bouncing on cymbals you need a round tip, not teardrop like most sticks. Also, the sugar maple lasts longer than the lighter woods that some other companies use (like Vic Firth's rock maple, which break really quickly). Vater Piccolo, Perfect stick.
 
caveman smash

No name cheap ass 2B's. As a caveman, I appreciate them not breaking and I've found it blows 5's out of the water for recording.
 
Pro Mark

drummerdoug86 said:
I have been using Pro Mark's 5A oak for my rock band, but they break soooo easily. So now I need to switch to a more durable stick. Feel free to post what model in addition to voting for a brand, and what type of music you play.

Thanks.
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DC-10's. They just whittle down after awhile... :D
 
I play, none other than, Vater 3A's, aka Fatbacks. I find them to be a nice balance between diameter and durability. However, I'm getting tired of having to actually look for them at local music stores! In the next six months I'm gonna try and go back to 5a's or 5b's.
 
ProMark SD1 Hickory - General rudimental playing/concert band
Vic Firth SD1 Maple - Lighter rudimental playing/concert band
Vic Firth SD5 Maple - Super light rudimental playing/concert band
Vic Firth AS7A Hickory - General Jazz
ProMark Michael Carvin - Light Jazz
Vic Firth AS5A or Vater Fusion - General drum set pop/country/rock/RnB

I much much prefer a ball shaped bead as I find the cymbal ping to be much more defined than with a more tear drop shapped bead.

I have been using Pro Mark's 5A oak for my rock band, but they break soooo easily. So now I need to switch to a more durable stick. Feel free to post what model in addition to voting for a brand, and what type of music you play.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

One note, strength in order from hardest to softest is oak > hickory > maple. So oak is going to be your strongest stick.... but they way it breaks is different. Oak generally just snaps where as hickory will start to splinter and let you know it is coming. Maybe a happy medium for you is a hickory stick with a nylon bead. You get the hardness on the bead but the warning of breakage of hickory?

Then there is the school of thought that if you are breaking sticks all the time, you are hitting too hard.
 
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Vic Firth American Made Metal

I've been using Vic Firth stick for a long time. Before that I was using Pro Mark Tommy Aldridge Signature Series. I like those because they were 17.5 inches long. The Vic Firth Metal series are cool. Really solid. I typically play pretty hard. Lots of wood chips flying all over. The left wears out from hitting the rim of my snare..and the right one wears out about 3 inches in from the hi-hat. They are fairly durable though. I've lightened up in my playing as of late because brass is just too damn expensive.
 
I normally don't respond to these stupid public opinion threads, but I love my AHeads. I'll never use wood again. Ever.
 
I've been using Aheads for a bit now....but I still suck....:D
 
just going through band in school, swapping sticks for sticks, i've played zillions of them. without a doubt regal tip 7a's are the sweeeeeetest sticks i've ever touched, doubt i'll use anything different in the future :D
 
promark american hickory in 5a and 7a, wood and nylon tipped on both, home made rods, need to get some brushes. I play anything from metal to alternative to country to grindcore. whatever i'm in the mood for at the time.
 
I use Pro-Mark 5As and 5Bs, mainly. Pro-Mark are the only ones that stand up to the abuse (lots of metal involved). I've tried Vic Firths over and over, and they just don't hold up. But I'll have a pair of 5As go show after show after show, with practices in between.
 
I've been using Zildjian 7A nylon tips and like them but I'm thinking of going a little heavier.
 
Standard Woodtip 5B Vic Firth... but I used to have a couple different sets of Ahead sticks in various sizes and tip types.. I broke them though... :-D

*Point of Heavy Footed Pride: I also put a kick beater through my drum head once.. and I snapped a dw kick pedal's beater connection in two once :-D

-Paul
 
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