Stick Dust

[Sparkman]

Do you replace your sticks, or get a new pair from your stick bag, once you start getting stick dust all over the place or do you wait until the stick itself breaks? Do you try to get rid of stick dust around your kit? Can stick dust on a head affect the sound?

Mostly this thread is dedicated to what you think about stick dust.

[skunkendilly]

Hi Sparkman
Stick dust need not present a problem to the well equipped drummer.
When gigging stick dust can rarely be seen due to the stage lighting as it is bright or if there is no lighting it will be too dark. Either way you or your audience will not be concerned at the levels of stick dust.
Between numbers it may be possible for the drummer with lightning fast technique to remove the stick dust with a commercially available dusting tool. This technique may be enhanced by free flowing paradiddles and rattamacues leading up to sly dusting of the kit and close by band members. You will be able to relax in the knowledge that your kit will be top notch at the end of your solo and it's dust free surfaces will be reflected in the polished faces of your fellow musicians.
However if you leave your kit undusted in a devil may care fashion you will find that your drums will begin to take on a woody timbre reminiscent of a woodpeckers beak at dusk.
As the woodpecker is one of the foremost percussive birds I can think of this can surely only be a good thing. With regard to using sticks till they break, best not. Many unpleasant accidents have happened during a performance as stick tips thrum through the air to lodge where they may.
Regards
Skunk.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I collect my stick dust in a small hand vac and use it on my Rose bushes. I have seen a significant amount of growth in the past few years. I think it has to do with holding moisture in the soil longer.

[wolfmoon]

I collect my stick dust in a small hand vac and use it on my Rose bushes. I have seen a significant amount of growth in the past few years. I think it has to do with holding moisture in the soil longer.

You must play a lot to generate that much stick dust. A bag or 2 of mulch from Home Depot might help those rose bushes a little better ;0)

[freebirdgdw]

Stick dust or 'Stust' is the bane of my life. Because my kit is set up in a room that the family use also I'm always having to up and move my kit to hoover up and then set it up again. If it was up to me I'd be elbow deep in 'stust' but not with my Mum about :/

[Deathmetalconga]

I have never noticed dust from sticks - pulverised wood, I assume. I have seen chunks and spliters, but never dust. I play on carpet so maybe that is why.

[jwildman]

I mainly use sticks until they break. My dust falls in my high and middle tom because I have crashes right above them. It's usually awhile before I get the dust out because I have to take my toms off and turn them upside down and my toms are really hard to get back on. I don't really mind the dust, I don't think it makes much difference in the sound.

[larryace]

Thanks Skunkendilly, you started my day w/ a great big dusty smile. I wait till they break. OCD anyone?

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

Wow, what a dedication to saw dust. Really. I am stunned.

[jayblazeff]

I used to be amazed at how much stick dust i had collected INSIDE of my hats after a gig. it went down alot though after i switched from maple sticks to hickory.

[genericdrummingusername]

Aheads produce no dust. A nice serendipitous perk.

[Tut]

I used to break sticks when I was younger, maybe once every 4 gigs. But now I can't remember the last time I broke one. I use ProMark 7As. Good ol' oak, nylon tip. The problem I see is that the shoulder gets so worn down that it because too thin and flexible, thereby not producing the same volume, sound, and response as a new stick. So when one starts feeling too worn that I can feel and hear the difference, I toss it.