Vic Firth Nova sticks?

joshisaces

Gold Member
Has anyone ever used these? Are these seconds or something?

I need some cheap sticks but I don't want them to be made of like... driftwood. haha


Does Vic Firth actually make these?
 
Seriously? They have them at Wal Mart?

Okay, I'll pass on them then.....

Wal Mart carries a brand call "First Act', on the the oder of $4.95 US for two pair. They're hickory and actually for the price, great for a beginner who's hacking $ away. They could be coated with a clear lacquer spray (from another isle) and be respectable for the price.

Do a google search, there's some decent reviews of em'.
 
Well because sticks are about $8 a pair now, I can't afford to keep buying nice sticks just to practice with at home. I don't like chewing up my nice sticks either. So I've ordered the 12 pair brick of Nova sticks myself (7A nylon) to use at home and save the nice sticks for gigs. They haven't arrived yet, but when they do I'll be sure to post a review.
 
Well because sticks are about $8 a pair now, I can't afford to keep buying nice sticks just to practice with at home. I don't like chewing up my nice sticks either. So I've ordered the 12 pair brick of Nova sticks myself (7A nylon) to use at home and save the nice sticks for gigs. They haven't arrived yet, but when they do I'll be sure to post a review.

Alright thanks dude! I feel the same way.

Sticks are so expensive. We're just hitting things! XD
 
A pair of brushes is like $20. There is no shortage of hickory trees I am aware of, sticks should be about $5, brushes about $10. Cheap sticks should be anywhere less than $5, since you pay for the pitch pairing and nice finish of ProMark, Vic Firth, Regal Tip, Vater. Drumheads are worse though (its over $100 for me to replace the heads on one of my kits). Drumming is expensive! They should raise the price on guitar picks too!
 
A pair of brushes is like $20. There is no shortage of hickory trees I am aware of, sticks should be about $5, brushes about $10. Cheap sticks should be anywhere less than $5, since you pay for the pitch pairing and nice finish of ProMark, Vic Firth, Regal Tip, Vater. Drumheads are worse though (its over $100 for me to replace the heads on one of my kits). Drumming is expensive! They should raise the price on guitar picks too!

I know man! I should have picked a better hobby... like billiards ;D

hahaa guitar picks are easy to make though, so.....
 
well the brick came in today, and I had no idea what to expect. Well I've only played with one pair so far, but I've looked at the rest. There's nothing wrong with these sticks at all. They are 7A nylons and are sized about the same as regular Vic Firth 7A and feel about the same. The finish is even and smooth (unlike some Pro Marks I've seen) and they are PITCH PAIRED (unlike Vater sticks I've had). I did my typical iPod shuffle practice session and went through everything from Ray Charles to Van Halen and these sticks held up nicely. They are no less durable than Vic Firth sticks. Some of the pairs have dark grains on them (I guess those are the "cosmetic blemishes" they talk about) but look no different than any piece of furniture (or anything else made of wood). Nova sticks are CERTAINLY worth having as practice sticks and even gig pairs if you aren't looking for any specialty models.
 
well the brick came in today, and I had no idea what to expect. Well I've only played with one pair so far, but I've looked at the rest. There's nothing wrong with these sticks at all. They are 7A nylons and are sized about the same as regular Vic Firth 7A and feel about the same. The finish is even and smooth (unlike some Pro Marks I've seen) and they are PITCH PAIRED (unlike Vater sticks I've had). I did my typical iPod shuffle practice session and went through everything from Ray Charles to Van Halen and these sticks held up nicely. They are no less durable than Vic Firth sticks. Some of the pairs have dark grains on them (I guess those are the "cosmetic blemishes" they talk about) but look no different than any piece of furniture (or anything else made of wood). Nova sticks are CERTAINLY worth having as practice sticks and even gig pairs if you aren't looking for any specialty models.

Hey man! THANKS!

I think I'll probably get them in 5a's. I'm not doing any gigging anyways. For like $40, you can't beat 'em. That's only like 3 bucks a pair. SICK.

Thanks again for the review :)
 
The studio I practice at has them for sale, so I've seen a few pairs. They are horribly inconsistent. Weight varies greatly between pairs of the same model, and wood often has more than purely cosmetic faults. Think knots right in the middle of the stick and grains going almost perpendicular to the stick. There might be some good pairs, but you'll probably have to sift through a lot of sticks to find them.
 
I bought a brick of Nova 2 years ago, 5A, and one of them was warped. The other 23 were just fine. I bought nylon tipped sticks and they are fine. It doesn't take much not to meet the first standards and be selected as seconds.

What Fiery has seen must have been bad news. Mine were fine.
 
I bought a brick of Nova 2 years ago, 5A, and one of them was warped. The other 23 were just fine. I bought nylon tipped sticks and they are fine. It doesn't take much not to meet the first standards and be selected as seconds.

What Fiery has seen must have been bad news. Mine were fine.

Thanks GD. Still planning on getting them :) Just gotta wait till my madre y padre get back from their cruise.
 
Well I got 12 good pairs which is more than I got from Vater (I've had a few unmatched pairs, and dead sounding sticks from them) and ProMark (had a few rough sticks) and certainly better than Zildjian sticks
 
Well I got 12 good pairs which is more than I got from Vater (I've had a few unmatched pairs, and dead sounding sticks from them) and ProMark (had a few rough sticks) and certainly better than Zildjian sticks

yeah, a few of my vaters had some noticeable flaws and got grinded really easily.

I'm afraid that the only reason I break sticks is because I do rimshots a lot.


I got a vic firth 5a brick in December and broke them all last week, which is pretty good, right?

I mean, 2 pair a month...
 
I had a pair of Vic Firth 5As that lasted about 6 years, then I bought one of those buy 3 get one pair free deals months ago, I'm still using all four. Curiously the Buddy Rich models last only a bit longer than a month even though they are thicker sticks. Back in high school I remember using Vic Firth marching sticks and the Tom Aungst models (the red ones) would only last a short time while the pair of MS2s I lasted at least 2 years (I don't use them anymore). Vic Firth's durability is pretty questionable now, but I think they have some of the best variety. Regal Tips are my new favorite though. The Vater sticks I had, despite being terrible last forever :) A pair of Super Jazz sticks has lasted 3 years, the Manhattan 7A lasted about one year, and the Sweet Ride (thinnest model they make) has been about another year. I guess you pay for that though because these sticks have a dense sound which is kind of lifeless. Sticks are wood, and wood isn't perfect. EX: baseball bats, hit the ball the right way it can fly hundreds of feet, hit it the wrong way and you can snap the bat...
 
just broke the first Nova stick out of the first pair in the set today. I've really been giving them a workout, more so than I usually play with (also trying to build endurance--Buddy Rich style). Oh well I've got 11 more pairs (I sorted them out by pitch too since some of them were off) Highly recommended cheap practice sticks!
 
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