They used to, but customers started complaining that their hands got all smeared up.
with the labeling on the stick?
Just a wild guess here... he is making a facetious reference to "ashes" not ash wood.
Here I found this for you:
http://www.logolighters.com/custom_drumsticks.htm
Minimum order is 165 pairs but they come personalized.
I don't think they use ash because it's not very good at dampening vibrations.
Why on earth would one like to use sticks that dampen vibrations? That's almost as silly as staying away from vibrant cymbals and resonant drum heads. Sticks are supposed to vibrate and sing; the stick's resonance is an essential part of a rim click's and a cymbal sound's attack.
Absolutely! I'm often stunned at how lazy my right foot becomes when I don't really think about it. Same goes for grip, posture, etc.
Why does drumming have to be so hard???
--J.