Drum Sticks

A drummer's tools ...

Dull subject, I know, unless you're a drummer!

Any drummer who's been playing for more than a couple of years will already have worked their way through a whole bunch of different sizes, materials, makes, etc.  I'm no different.  However, at around £12 a pair for 'branded' sticks ... drummers have a tough time of finding that perfect pair.

You know what, I never have.

I used Ahead sticks for about ten years.  It was no coincidence that I was playing electronic drums at the time.  Electronic drum pads of the early 90's were basically plywood with a bit of rubber car mat stuck on top.  You did get predictable  rebound off them, but they were very hard on the hands.  The Ahead sticks, being hollow aircraft-grade aluminium, take a lot of that shock out of your hands.  When I went back to using 'traditional' drums I also went back to using wooden sticks.

When I got a bit fed-up with the £12 or-so a pair, I bought a bulk load of cheap sticks.  I won't name and shame them, but they had an S at the start, a G at the end, and a TAG in the middle :-p  They were really very cheap, I believe I bought two 'bricks' for them for about the same as one pair of famous branded sticks.  They played ok as well, a few of them broke in seconds, but most did not.  They really were wonderful value for money - but considering they were almost free, does that say a lot about the quality?

The big problem is the weight, and I didn't appreciate it at the time.  Through (decades!) of trial and error, I've found I seem to get on with a stick weighing about 60 grams.  The problem with these cheap sticks (5B Oak btw) is that the weight varied between about 30 and 70 grams.  That's a massive difference.  Imagine holding two sticks in your hand instead of one and you'll have an idea for how much difference that makes!

Being a bit geeky and having a bee in my bonnet about this, I put a few pairs of expensive 'branded' sticks on the scales.  Again, I won't tell you the brand, but it began with P, ended with K and had RO-MAR in the middle :-)  These were a lot better, but could still have as much as 15 grams difference between them.  By now, I'm going through old boxes for other sticks and found my old Ahead aluminium ones (5A, btw) - onto the scales with them.  3 pairs and only 1 gram between them!

I've now ordered a new pair of Aheads, a tiny bit heavier than the old 5A's I used to use (I find with light sticks I just swing them harder to achieve the same effect).  With some quality stick wrap on them, I reckon they will be about perfect :-D