Boso Drum Sticks

No way on this planet I will buy these....

Bamboo is cheaper than hickory big time.

Sticks are made in China.

And they still want 14 bucks for it? Seriously?

I am gonna STICK with my american made hickories for a better price.

Indeed. I do wish the price was the same as regular drumsticks.

Karl
 
I bought a pair of the Strata model from West Music in Iowa (www.westmusic.com) for $14.50. I was attracted by the unusual durability of bamboo sticks, and the fact that the weight and length are the same as the Vic Firth 5B Extreme American Classics I have been using for quite a while. In particular, I like wood tips, but with other types of wood, they tend to chip. According to the review in Modern Drummer, that is not a problem with these. I've only had them for about a week, so I'll have to wait to see how they hold up. I do like the way they play.
 
Well, I've had the Strata sticks for a few weeks. The wood tips do chip, and the one that chipped has a crack developing near the tip. I've also got a splinter in my right thumb. I may try the nylon tip version, but they're not the perfect solution I had hoped for.
 
I gave the 5B model an honest test. I'm a 5B guy and usually use oaks for practice pad and hickory for playing. Assuming a lighter stick could facilitate more speed, I was disappointed. The balance of the stick is poor, rebound must be assisted and the cymbal sound is strange. These just are not "professional" drumstick in any way, shape or form. It's a great IDEA but the execution is not well thought out and... they are made in China, yet cost $2 or $3 more than US-made hickory sticks.

They've become my kids' drumsticks.
 
I got my iMovie back up and running. I'll finish editing it tonight with a simple script for you to read my review. you'll see and hear how they compare with various models...up to you to decide if you like them or not, but I'll put my opinion in the end.

K
 
Comparison and Review is up on Youtube:

http://youtu.be/9KhoHo7yR2U


Here is a 10min video of me playing most of the Boso bamboo models compared to some usual and not so usual hickory and laminated birch wood models. I found the results to be very interesting!

The reason I put this up is because, a) I had a ton of video footage, and b) I was really dissatisfied with the Modern Drummer Magazine and website review.

The MD review offered little to no insight to how they sound, and or feel. They only focused on the materials used, models and their weight. Bamboo has an interesting timbre, and very "whiplike" feel that takes some time to get used to. There are a lot of pros and cons. All in all, I think Bamboo has a lot of potential as an alternative to wood, or even replacement to wood.

Attached to the video in the description is a link .pdf file "review" I made. This was supposed to be a script for me to read on camera, but I kept on botching the video and it would of taken too long for me to film, edit, and post. So that's that.

By all means, I am sure I am not a professional writer so there might be some grammar errors in the pdf. I hope this will help some or all of you, especially those who are still trying to the right stick for them!

Best,

Karl
 
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