How personal are drum sticks to you? Do you have to use a certain pair?

I hate using new sticks. They just don't feel right, too slippery. I found that if I sand them down a little bit they break in quickly. Promark has a "Natural" stick that feels better but I really like Vic Firth 5B and some 400 grit sand paper on occasion works for me.
 
I'm not too fussy about drum sticks. Lately, I've been playing mostly Vic Firth 5As.
 
. She pretty much said "Do you need to buy another pair already? You have a bunch of sticks in your stick bag!". Well, this is all true, but

I can relate. I always have extra sticks laying around from past experiments, something some gave to me, or a size I used to use. But if they're not the ones I'm currently using, off to the store I go! Those other sticks won't do.

As for guitar picks, I tend to have a variety laying around, because they can have different effects on the sound of the guitar when recording (well, assuming it's an acoustic or very clean patch).
 
as personal as is
some may be thematic when talking about sticks, others may be able to play with what ever they give them
im, at least i consider my self to be, not to exigent when over the topic
 
First of all, I think a guitarist saying they play with any pick or a credit card is - in the minority. I'm pretty sure Eric Johnson would not want to play with just any pick.

I get attached to a particular stick. I have tried different sticks over the years, but when I'm gigging regularly, I have usually settled in with a particular stick over an extended period of time. Can I play with another stick? Yeah, I guess, but it's not nearly as comfortable or fun.
 
I've got hundreds of picks and tend to change them up depending on each particular day. Sometimes if I feel I'm a little off I'll either grab a thicker or thinner pick to adjust. Tone-wise, it doesn't make a difference when I record, especially with other instruments in the mix.

With sticks, I'm comfortable using a variety but each one affects the tone of my ride so much that it sounds like a different cymbal. That said, it really narrows down the variety of sticks that I use. I look at my stick collection as a tool kit. There are pairs that are more suited for each particular song and there are sticks that just sound bad in my hands.
 
Im a guitarist and a drummer and im totally different. I only like playing with hard picks. If i use light or even medium picks i actually play worse. It's wierd i just love the feel of hard picks and the tone for that matter, but i kinda need the deeper sound because of my obsession with treble you can call it :). But with sticks its the same, i need to have a certain feel, and a certain balance point, by that i mean where it balances because i like a certain length of the stick so i can use advantage of my set-up.If the balance point isnt where i want it i shave wood off the front,back middle etc. untill i get it close to perfect. Also different wood looks different, remember style is important, thats why my sticks and painted red :)
 
To be honest, I can use any stick and still play, although it may feel a little strange. I like my chris adlers sigs a lot, but I would still be able to play with 7A's or 5b's
 
My drum sticks have become personal to me in a different way in that I have several pairs that I've owned for nai on four years now. In my current band and bands I've been in I have a list of our songs and the pair of sticks I'll use for each of those particular songs.

The reason I do this is because I've found different sticks will pull out differing and very specific tonal and sonic qualities from the drums and cymbals. This is quite apparent on the snare drum, I can get a very transparent and hi-mid tone using my Vater 7A's that is very focused, where as if I play the same snare in the same tuning with a my Buddy Rich's I get a very fat tone with a lot of low end...it sounds like a completley different snare.

The same goes for the ride cymbal and hats. If I want to get a very definate stick-attack I'll use my Gadd's, where as if I want to get a very mellow and more cusioned sound I have a pair of promark 7A's that became water soaked when my house flooded out a couple of years back that have become a little springy and have some give.

So to answer your question; yes! I do think that drum sticks are a very personal thing.

Hope everyone is well,

Kev
 
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Comparing stick selection to string selection will get the point across better. Comparatively, 60+ hours without breaking a string is pretty good, I think that would hit home. As far as your personal stick selection and the sounds you get it's similar to string gauge & design/material. Picks matter, but for me it's more subtle than the tonal change from a different stick.
 
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