NWB - Community Blog

I think like most drummers I have been all over the place with sticks and have recently unearthed a real gem of a stick.

I have always used lighter sticks and for the past 30 yrs A7s have been my tool of choice. For years I have used Vic Firth and occasionally flirted with other makes before coming back to them.

Very recently I started using A5s and again tried a few different makes, Vater, ProMark, Vic Firth Jojo Mayer sig!.

A couple of weeks ago I had to pay a bit quieter during practice and picked out Zildjian A7s, what a lovely stick.

I have now settled on another lovely stick, Vater Manhattan. It is longer than a normal A7 but still has the light lovely feel.

Check it out http://www.vater.com/newproducts/product.cfm?M=1

ps. I always use a wood tip because I use expensive cymbals.

Good blog Aly
I use Pro-Mark 707 Simon Phillips signature sticks - I've used them since pretty much the start of SB. I knew nothing about Simon Phillips then and still know little about him now...I should really look him up because they're the best sticks I've ever used.

It came about atter a Stiff Little Fingers gig about 5/6 years ago. Being the big geek I am, their drummer Steve Grantley gave me a pair of his sticks at the end of the show - some Zildjian sticks not sure exactly what. I wanted to drum like SG and play in a Punk band like him, so therefore when we started SB of course I needed to use the same sticks...that would automatically turn me into SG sure it would lol.

So I took the sticks SG gave me to the Drum Center and asked if they had any the same but they didn't have any in stock...BUT "we've got these which are very similar..ProMark Simon Phillips 707" Gareth told me hoping for the sale of the century. I bought them and have used 'em ever since - they're light and just the right thickness for me. Only down side is they're a tenner a pair and I snap sticks like they're breadsticks. Tried a few different pairs but it just don't feel right.

yeh vic firths for me too x

I use Vic Firth 8D I think...they're pretty expensive (£9 a pair from the drum centre)...but I've got too used to them I don't really like any others. I bought 2 pairs the other week as I was running low and split one right down the middle that night, so they're not always the best for longevity...

I've tried a few types out and have eventually settled on Carbosticks. They're not the Ahead ones (which are also destroyers of skins and cymbals!!). They're quite pricy but i saw a bundle on the American Ebay site and they worked out around £5 a pair. They wouldn't post them to the UK but as my sister lives there i got them via her.
They've got a really nice feel and you get no nasty reverb through them. Really hard wearing and they don't dent the skins (unlike Ahead). You also get that nylon tip sound on the ride.
Personally i wouldn't use anything else now. I would recommend anyone give them a try.

Vic Firth 5B wood tip. There's nothing else like them. And when I want some extra weight - Vic Firth Greg Bissonette signature.

@AYP - I always use wood as the ride cymbal (to my ears) sounds more natural.
I could understand if you want more ping then use plastic but with A's I would of thought the ride would be pingy enough. Just MO.

I used Premier CC's yor years and Years, 30 + years (getting old). Then the buggers stopped making them. If you could get them it was only by the box, and they were not of the same quality. Then tried a few differnt types to get something similar. Settled on pro-mark. good sticks, lasted forever.
As you have seen Al, i don't hit things gently, and I too have the 'chopping' effect from the hi hat going on, I did notce that lighter vic-firths were lasting a gig at best.

Then around 18mnths ago I got serious tennis elbow in the left arm (hitting that damned snare all my life). I took some advice and changed technique slightly. One of the things I had noticed was that playing in a rock band, I would over hit the snare with the left arm, (trying to get volume I think). I therefore changed to a slightly bigger, heavier stick Vic-Firth 5B Extremes. They have taken a lot of getting used to, but have stopped the overhitting, they seem to last a few gigs each as well, so not too bad.

Always use wood tip now, I like the sound and feel. I did use nylon years ago when I had cheaper cymbals to get a good ping, but with the cymbals I now have I get a decent sound with the wood, and no plastic marks on the cymbal surface.

They are such a personal choice I think, so no right or wrong, just what works for you.

BDB

2bz and turn um round, avit.

Vic Firth David Silveria signature stick. ALL DAY!!!!

Cheap Stag 5B for me bought in bulk. Tried promark / vic firth etc they lasted two minutes. :0)

BTW thanks for dropping off the drum head stickers Al. Fitted to the gretch now and looks great!

Al, like you mate, I used to buy the budget 5B Staggs off t'internet, but being a rock drummer, I was sometimes going through 2 pairs a gig! Then about 6 months ago I decided to give those Ahead aluminium sticks a try, and jeez, I've never looked back. The power you get off this stick is bloody awesome, there's minimal aftershock, and the biggest bonus is as the plastic covers wear out you just replace them. I will admit snare heads do take a bit of a battering, but personally I would never go back to a wood stick now, not for playing rock anyway.

I had a pair of those when I was getting into drums (..when I was about 15 I think), I still have them but I find them way too heavy for myself. However they certainly last the distance, and they look quite cool I suppose (all black with white tip)...they're not cheap but if they're a good weight/feel for you then it's probably a wise purchase, will last you ages.

true, they are a bit heavier than a wooden stick, and they would be a complete waste of time if all you play is stuff by The Temperance Seven! However, for rock music they are the dogs gonads, and Lars Ulrich uses 'em, so if they're good enough for him.......

I used to swear by Zildjians for years, until I have abatch that the tip shape changed to more of a point and the tips fractured (nylon) and fell to pieces, zildjian didnt want to know.

Then they started to split up the grain, they never used to do that !

So I changed to Promark - 5B's rarely split them and they wear at a decent rate, prob get 2 gigs and four rehearsals from a pair.

I also have a pair of vic firths, there ok, but never seam as nice as the promarks

Ive never tried the carbons or the ally stick, its alot of money to throw away if you dont like them !!

I agree with Hydra that the Ahead sticks give you an awsome powerful sound and have a nice feel to them. I'm quite a heavy hitter and i found that they just destroy your skins. Its true that many pro's use them such as Lars and Tico (bon jovi), but lets face it they get new skins (and probably cymbals) every gig for free!!! I've got 3 brand new pairs of them (5b/rock type) in the cupboard and thats where they'll be staying!
The other thing that can be a problem (and it only happpened to me once) is that the nylon tips screw on to allow you to get the replacment condoms on them. If the tip wears loose it can come off leaving you with a screw sticking out the end. Now that is devastating to skins!

Al, Think l would leve em alone, reading above the talk of condoms, screws, and damaging yer skin !!!!!! ouch not for me

Al, Think l would leve em alone, reading above the talk of condoms, screws, and damaging yer skin !!!!!! ouch not for me