Stick Quest

[DSOP]

A month or so ago, I found my hands getting tired after playing up-tempo grooves and fast jazz cymbal spangalangs. Especially my thumbs. This probably has a lot to do with having my own space to practice regularly and putting more time in. I've been playing 5B sized sticks for as long as I can remember, aside from a brief period about 20 years ago when I played 2Bs, and the first 10 years of playing when I experimented with all sorts of sizes based on what was available and what I could afford. Promark 747s, Gretsch Tony Williams, Powertip, Dean Markley, etc. I remember buying tons of those 5B Regal Tip bargain line sticks called "Jojo". Then there were Promark 808s and then 707s. When Vic Firth came on the scene, I loved their 5B.

Anyway, I decided to try some Vic Firth 2Bs again a few weeks ago, and lo-and-behold, no more pain! I have small hands, so I'm not sure what the deal is, but the 2B feel perfect. The only thing I'm not crazy about with these Vic Firth 2Bs is that they really don't last very long. The tip tends to flake off after a few hours, and rim shots really take their toll pretty fast on the shaft. It's almost as if the wood is kind of soft. They feel and play great when they're fairly new though.

So, I ordered three more pair of the Vic Firth 2Bs, and also ordered 3 pairs of Promark 2Bs. So far, I've gone through two pairs of Vic Firth and one pair of the Promark. The Promark definitely last longer, but their tip is more of a long oval as opposed to the Vic Firths which are more of an acorn. The Promark also feel very nice, but not as nice as the Vic Firth balance-wise.

I've now ordered three pair of Vater 2Bs to see how they feel and hold up. I had been using Vater 5Bs for a long time, and those sticks were pretty much indescructible; they lasted forever.

Has anyone else noticed the Vic Firth acorn style sticks wasting away fairly quickly? Am I imagining things, or do Vater sticks just use better wood?

[TsonicTsunami]

I've been going back and forth between Vic Firth and Vater. Lately I've been using the Vic Firth 5B kinetic force.
It has a little shock absorber/ counter balance in the butt end. I can really feel the difference after a couple slammin sets.
The hands don't hurt and don't feel as fatigued. Might want to give them a look.

[YamahaPlayer]

Has anyone else noticed the Vic Firth acorn style sticks wasting away fairly quickly? Am I imagining things, or do Vater sticks just use better wood?

I've use VF 2B's exclusively for years now. You're experience with tip seems to be more of an individual basis. I can safely say I've gone through 100's pairs of VF 2B's over the years. Their quality is absurdly high and consistent across the time period I've used them. Doubtful I'm alone in that statement.
While the tips (of any stick) will tend to compress - it is still just wood, and the sheer number of times the tip is hit on a drum head and/or cymbal is shockingly high.


A number of factors go into stick wear, from angle of attack, velocity, etc... it's possible you are catching the tip on a rim, cymbal edge, etc that is the most common cause of tip's breaking by far. It really only takes one impact to the tip by any sharp object to weaken it and cause chipping.
Not sure what you mean by "flaking" but consistent chipping or damage to the tip of a drumstick is almost assuredly from it being struck against a none flat surface.
Take a video of you shedding or playing a gig, you might be doing something you aren't noticing while playing.

I would estimate I get about 20-30 hours of playing on a pair before the balance becomes an issue from rim shot wear. It is extremely rare the tips get chipped or worn down. In almost every case a tip chips or breaks on me it's because I caught a rim, hi-hat edge, etc.. it happens.



On a side note, I've found over the years you can tell a lot about a persons drumming by looking at their sticks.

[DSOP]

It is extremely rare the tips get chipped or worn down. In almost every case a tip chips or breaks on me it's because I caught a rim, hi-hat edge, etc.. it happens.

I'm telling you, I was playing my ride cymbal at the time, and I actually saw the piece of wood chip off of the tip. This has happened with two pairs already. I'm not a heavy-handed player either. I'd say I got about three or four hours of playing in before the tips started to chip. The Promarks didn't suffer the same fate (but their tip is shaped differently), and the Vaters I used to use didn't either (until many hours of playing). Maybe the sticks I got from MusiciansFriend were old stock and had dried out. Or maybe my stroke just doesn't jive with them. Man, I really like how they feel though.

[Lucas Ives]

I play VF 5Bs but am a pretty light hitter, and have also experienced the tips chipping from *just* ride cymbal playing. It's of course possible that I weakened something with a cymbal edge blow, but ..?

I usually get 2 weeks or so out of each pair between practice and gigs.

[willyz]

I buy sticks all the time. At the rate I've been gigging lately (let's say 4 gigs a week) I try to keep 8-10 pairs in the stick bag. I find that it's not the bead of the stick that gets worn, but more so and inch or two below that. It just slowly gets worn down and the weight of the stick no longer feels right. I tend to switch pairs every couple of tunes.

Vic Firth 5B's have been my stick for a few years now. I dig through the batch to get the heaviest ones. I've also been known to dabble with Todd's Promark stick, which is like a maple 5B. Every now and then the Vic 5B's feel funny to me and I'll switch to Todd's Promark for a minute and vice versa.

[Old Pit Guy]

Happened to me with SD2s. Yeah, I know ... anyway, the little tips were just waiting to mock me for being stupid enough to pay Stan $5 (goes back a ways) a pop. One day he gives me his look and says pick something else. I switched to SD9s. No tip problems of note, but I don't hit particularly hard.

[deseipel]

check out the Vater Sugar Maple 5B's. Not sure if maple is harder than hickory, but I like them a lot. I practice rudimental stuff with VF 2Bs so I never have an issue with the beads. They'd be way too heavy/chunky for set playing (for me). I'm having trouble figuring how the bead on a 2B would chip like that unless you hit it on something like diamond plate or an irregular surface. weird. The VF 2Bs seem pretty consistent to me. Although, the finish seems to wear off after a long time, but that's normal.

[DSOP]

I'm having trouble figuring how the bead on a 2B would chip like that unless you hit it on something like diamond plate or an irregular surface. weird.

The stick's wood grain runs lengthwise, and the 2B's tip is fairly round, so depending how the grain runs through the tip there is usually a tiny piece that can easily flake off. Once that happens, it just accelerates the chipping off. The "Rock" tip seems to have less of a protrusion, but they're a bit too long for me.

[kinkymook]

Calling Todd Sucherman! Paging Todd!
Impossible to find his Signature stick in Denver, but I took his advice last year and started using Maple sticks-specifically the VF Sd11 Swinger. Love 'em. Check it out.