Stick issues....

B

BigBelly

Member
I'm a new drummer and I am having a hell of a time with sticks. I bought an entire bag of 5A's and liked them but thought they were a little small for my big paws. I recently bought another bag of sticks and I'm not sure what the hell they even are. They are way bigger! Bigger in grip, much heavier and longer too. I love the feel of the extra weight but am feeling fatigue much quicker.

What is a good longer but light stick. Is an X5B a good choice?

Anyway...I keep throwing sticks! The sticks I have are unfinished and just feel very slippery. I have seen sticks with a coating but what about a varnish, would that help?
 
What's the size of the other sticks you bought and do you know what type of wood they are?
 
BigBelly said:
I'm a new drummer and I am having a hell of a time with sticks. I bought an entire bag of 5A's and liked them but thought they were a little small for my big paws. I recently bought another bag of sticks and I'm not sure what the hell they even are. They are way bigger! Bigger in grip, much heavier and longer too. I love the feel of the extra weight but am feeling fatigue much quicker.

What is a good longer but light stick. Is an X5B a good choice?

Anyway...I keep throwing sticks! The sticks I have are unfinished and just feel very slippery. I have seen sticks with a coating but what about a varnish, would that help?
Click to expand...

I would stop buying bags of sticks until you figure this out... just get a bunch of different individual pairs and figure out which works best for you. otherwise you will wind up with hundreds of sticks you will never use :)
 
Well since your new to the drums keep in mind that the issue of fatigue can be caused by a slew of different issues outside of the size of the sticks that you're using. Proper stick technique plays a major role in offsetting fatigue as well as the eventual onset of more serious injuries (carpal tunnel, ligament damage, etc.) There are a lot of great resources available on the internet regarding stick technique. Look up some of the master instructors like Jim Chapin, Louie Bellson, Joe Morello, Jim Riley, & Dom Famularo on Youtube and watch how they hold their sticks. Jojo Mayer's Secret Weapons DVD is a good learning resource too and specifically deals with this subject.

Personally (heavily emphasizing personally), I find that a stick 16" in length or under is easier to work with. For me anything longer than 16" messes with my balance point/fulcrum mojo.

For larger sticks that feel lighter you could try going with some maple models. Vater's Sugar Maple series and Vic Firth's American Custom models (perhaps a SD9 or SD10) are good choices for larger sticks that feel and weigh lighter.

With stick slipping you can try a little bit of stick wax Zildjian makes a product, as does Sex Wax the surf board wax company. This will add a bit of tackiness to the grip area. Also, I used to use Regal tip sticks and they were always heavily lacquered. Prior to using them I would sand down the finish with a very fine grit sandpaper. This always worked like a charm for me.

Good Luck.
 
Both bags of sticks were bought at Guitar Center. They came in a clear plastic bag and are unmarked. I was told they were Vic Firth. One guy told me the bulk bags were blemished in some way, another told me they were just bought from VF in bulk to sell cheap. Don't really know to be honest. The first bag are 5A's, not sure what this new bag is, I just wanted to try something longer and a bit heavier.
 
Drums&Beer said:
Also, I used to use Regal tip sticks and they were always heavily lacquered..
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Regal Tips are AWESOME!! I love regal tips so much... i play with the graphite core nylon tip "5Bs" and "Rock" sticks... the coating on them is great and i love how much weight there is behind them with that core in the middle.
 
FWIW, these bags of sticks are only about 10 bucks so that's why I have bought in such bulk. I also have two sons and we all are trying to learn. Let's just say we go thru some sticks in our house....
 
BigBelly said:
FWIW, these bags of sticks are only about 10 bucks so that's why I have bought in such bulk. I also have two sons and we all are trying to learn. Let's just say we go thru some sticks in our house....
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Ah... well in that case you probably don't have to worry about it...
I have never heard that the bulk stick bags are blemished... i think that's probably a mis-understanding of the employee.
But yeah, since you have a GC nearby, just go in some day and try out every stick they have and get a couple pairs of the different ones that felt the best.
 
thelimpingtoad said:
Regal Tips are AWESOME!! I love regal tips so much... i play with the graphite core nylon tip "5Bs" and "Rock" sticks... the coating on them is great and i love how much weight there is behind them with that core in the middle.
Click to expand...
No Regal Tip sticks have a graphite core. The black dot you see at the butt end of the stick is from a small plastic rod inserted there to hang the sticks from as they are dipped into the varnish. It's then simply clipped off with half an inch or less of it left in the stick.
 
Yep, that's them. Thanks! I've got two bags. One is a bag of 5A's and the others are more similar to a Louisville Slugger. Like I said, I don't know what model they are I was just eager to try a larger, heavier stick. Mission accomplished, these sticks are huge.

I guess my real question was about the coating. Do most folks prefer some sort of coating on the sticks? My youngest son was given a set of 5B's as a gift and they had some painted graphics on them (flames or something, I forget) and that really seemed to make the grip awesome.

I'm new to drumming and new to this site, I really appreciate the help folks!
 
It's largely dependent on preference. I've got a few pairs of Regal Tip Jazz sicks and those are lacquered and it feels pretty nice, especially considering those sticks are on the thinner side so I find it helps with the grip. However I noticed a while back (a few months ago) that I started getting a blister on my index finger. Although to be fair I was playing harder than I usually do, and it was a hot day (about 100 degrees or so), and it was my first drumming related blister. But you can always sand off the lacquer around where you grip the stick also, it's kind of a nice touch too, you always know where the fulcrum is on the stick just by feel. They do also sell stick wax which helps grip supposedly (never tried the stuff myself), kind of like surfboard wax.

Although, I'm fond of unfinished bare sticks. I'm currently using both Peter Erskine models of sticks from VF, about the only complaint I have with them is that they're not sold in a multi pack (6 pairs or whatever) and it's worse than 8 bitches on a bitch boat trying to find them in nylon tipped. They are pricey as well about 8-9 bucks a pair, but I rarely break a stick.
 
Fiery said:
No Regal Tip sticks have a graphite core. The black dot you see at the butt end of the stick is from a small plastic rod inserted there to hang the sticks from as they are dipped into the varnish. It's then simply clipped off with half an inch or less of it left in the stick.
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interesting. I always thought that was a solid core.
regardless, the regaltips have the best feel of any stick i've used before. I also like the finish on them.
 
thelimpingtoad said:
interesting. I always thought that was a solid core.
regardless, the regaltips have the best feel of any stick i've used before. I also like the finish on them.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's a pretty wide spread myth. The first time I met with Regal Tips I was told they had a graphite core. But when the first one broke I'd sawn it to pieces and found out the "core" was not really all it was said to be. Only a few years later did I find out what the black dot really was.
 
Your grip may be too loose! Check that.

Try this: Play with a 7a stick for like 15 minutes, then switch to a 5B stick for 15 minutes, repeat. I don't know why or how, but this cured my traditional and matched grip tension forever.
 
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