DRUMMER CAFE

I use ProMark 5B nylon.  I've tried other sizes but these just feel comfortable to me.  I've tried the Vic Firth 5BN but I find they break too easily.  If I was playing in a situation that required a lot of intricate work (like a concert band or orchestra) I would go with the Firths because I find the balance to be better, but for live with a rock or country band it's ProMarks for me.  I also have a couple pair of MultiRods - darned useful things.

I have a set of Calato brushes, I don't know the model.  They're telescoping and have black rubber on the handle.  I'm not a big jazz player so brushes aren't a priority.

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Rob

I use Vater sticks, specifically the Marvin "Smitty" Smith model.  I used to use the Fusion, but wanted something a little longer, larger in diameter, and heavier(I have fat hands!).  These are great sticks, they are very similiar to the Fusion model, but just bigger overall.  They are both made of Hickory(which has a nice weight and durablilty to it) and they don't have much gloss on them, which is important to me because my hands sweat when I play.    They both have ball tips, which I strongly prefer.  I do occasionally still use the Fusion model, for lighter stuff, but I try to stick mainly to the Power Fusions.

Formerly a dedicated Weckl sig. use, now a dedicated Pro Mark 717/721 user. I can't decide which one, but I definately like the weight and length of these sticks. Also, the bead has so much better definition than any Vic Firth stick I ever used.

HA HA HA, what a great smilie!!!!

I agree, Promark??? What's next, Remo??

Hey Felix, glad you like it :-)  I was searching around for something to say that wasn't obscene (which is harder than it sounds) and finally came upon that.

Hey Bartman, what you got against Promark?  Tell you what, you talk Vater into sending me a box of their 5B nylons gratis and I'll try 'em out

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Rob

11 posts and 46 views on the subject of drum sticks. I think we're all now officially drum nerds.

Vic Firth 5A wood tips. I've tried 'em all and these are the ones that do it for me.

Anyone try those Zildjian Dipsticks or whatever. @$%# things nearly tore off the skin on my fingers. Who was the dipstick who thought of that idea?

Hey, I had the same attitude as you before I tried 'em. I figured they were the sticks for Billy Cobham and a bunch of metal drummers who spent more time obsessing over bass drum pedals.

My friend who worked with me on my grip endorses them, and pretty much demanded I use them while he worked with me. I even got a pair with his sig on it. Since I'm pretty adamant about using one stick for everything, it's become pretty dang comfortable, and they're the only sticks in my bag now. Unfortunately no music shop carries them, so I have to order them a box at a time.

Sorry, Pro marks inhale the chrome off bumpers...I remember working in the drum shop...I never saw a manufacturer with such terrible quality control.

But back to something really important.  When I played alot of orchestral snare I noticed this problem and I have been working on Bart's endurance exercises and this problem has reared it's ugly head again:

The difference in stick to stick timbre drives me insane.  I can't find wood sticks that have the same pitch.  So I gave up.  I'm thinking trying an Easton stick for practice.  Does anyone else hear this problem?  It's not my hands either.

Yeah, I used to use those sticks back in my drum corps days. I think some people used to build homes with those things.



It drives me nuts too! Since I get my sticks several cases at a time, I try to match them up myself ... especially for sessions. Vater has been pretty good about matching sticks .... lately.

Short story ............ I had THE perfect pair of sticks years ago, which I used for warm-up and practice pad work. They were PERFECT in weight, pitch, balance ... and guess what they were?

Promark 2B Oak  

I got the sticks in the late 70's, but in 1988, while working on my graduate degree (SWTSU) I was a Teaching Assistant ... some kid forgot his sticks for drum line practice. I went to my office and got these sticks because they were the closest thing to marching sticks that I had. I told this kid to be careful with them and that I had these sticks for years, etc. What does he do .... he breaks them within 5 minutes. I about came unglued and opened a BIG can of whip ass!

_{I felt like someone ran over my dog}

The only thing of Promark that I have is a Certificate of Recognition that they gave me years ago. I should probably give Promark another chance; it's been over 10 years since I closed my drum shop ... and I haven't picked up a pair since. Perhaps they are better now.

Vic Firth 5As wood tip
Zildjian 5A plastic tip
Ayotte 5A a bit longer nice feel wood tip
Vater 5A plastic tip my new sticks I will always use they have impressed me I was looking for ayottes in a plastic tip no go asked the sales person what similar to the ayottes so he said vater and I say wow
Pro Mark Hot Rods don't knock them till you tried them
Dave Weckell sig. Vic firth they haven't marked up my skins yet so still a great stick. So what I am getting to is I used to uses really beffy and heavy sticks like 5Bs and other sticks and I had wrist problems after I played my drums with the 5Bs so I went a step down and no more wrist problem