Wow.. I feel like I am using the big sticks after reading a few pages of this thread. It seems that most play 5A or 5B. I guess I have been using larger diameter sticks for the longest time and have not changed too much.
I used to use Vic Firth SD-1s. They had a nice weight forward feel to them. They seemed perfect for laying into the bell on the ride. Until very recently, I was on a Vic Firth "Metal N" kick. They were also pretty beefy and LONG. So I had been breaking a few and needed to replace the breakage when I tried Vic Firth "Rock N". I think I will switch to these for a while. They are a tad shorter than the Metals, but overall, the same diameter and better balance.
It's funny. I was going back and forth on a practice pad between the Metals and the Rock, and it seemed that the Metals had a tad more vibration to them. I am not sure if such a small difference in length is the cause, but I feel I have a little more finesse and control with these.
I am glad that there are gobs of sticks to choose from. I also tried the VF 2Bs, but there was too much a difference between the length between the 2Bs and the Metals to get comfy with. The 2Bs felt as though part of the stick was missing.
Is it just me, or do the other companies not carry much in the way of larger diameter sticks? It might just be that Vic Firth seem to be the easiest to find. I think I need to do some research to see what Vater, and others have that are comparable to VF Rock/Metal. Those seem to be a good fit for me. I realize that they carry a little of a cheese ball name, but besides the inside joke of using them, I don't care what they call em.
LOL, It seems that GC is a little like a POW camp for drum equipment. Besides the abused items on the floor, everything else of value and interest is kept under lock and key. All the other sticks are behind the counter. They must have a HUGE loss prevention problem. All the cymbals are bolted down, or kept prisoner in a long cymbal cage. A bit of a side note, but this is a huge turn off to buying anything from them.
Anyway, off to another sweet local store tomorrow to try some more sticks out.