Vic Firth Nova Sticks

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Witterings

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Hi all,
Has anybody tried the Vic Firth Nova Sticks, I used Pro Mark 5a's for quite a while which I have been really happy with and tried some Stagg's recently as they were 1/5th the cost, the Staggs literally broke in minutes and are a false economy.
I'd like to try the Nova's as they're half the cost but not if it's going to be a similar experience to the Staggs.
The Pro Marks I'm going through quite a few at the moment but it's the amount I'm playing and not the quality of the sticks and they're fraying until they get too bendy to use as opposed to breaking.
 
I'd stay away from them. I picked up a brick from Musician's Friend with a heads order a while back, and immediately broke two pairs as soon as I started to practice. I don't even play hard.
They also have an odd feel to them, I can't describe it beyond weird, and not good weird. They're very springy-feeling which actually makes it hard to play quick hi-hat patterns.
 
The Novas aren't worth the money, but what is......The Vater Goodwood sticks. I bought a bundle of these, same price as the Novas recently. These are more durable than Vic Firth 5As. I'm a jazz musician primarily, but I need good sticks to practice with. Well the Novas worked OK for that, but they do break very easily and have a strange light flimsy feel. The Goodwood sticks are great for gigging. I've used the same pair for two 3 hour gigs and several more hours of practicing and there's no chip on these at all. Go for Goodwood sticks over Nova. Musiciansfriend has them
 
I'm used to playing with high quality, vic firth american classics and ziljian drum sticks but they were just starting to get rediculous paying 8 bucks a pair. I came across the nova's and couldn't pass up the deal, read some good reviews so I bought them. So far i'm impressed i been using the first pair for about a month now and they are still holding up strong. The feel isn't as good after a couple weeks of playing but still deffinately worth the price. I also play fairly strategically as in i don't break very many sticks, but I do play fairly hard when I'm at band practice. Haven't tried any other low quality sticks yet so I only have the high quality ones to compare it to. I've always prefered vic firth so I'll probably stick to it.
 
I have some Nova sticks that are 5 years old. They are great for practice and saving the better sticks. I have had top of the line sticks that wear out faster than the Novas.
 
Avoid, they may be fine for lower volume practice, but won't hold up to loud performance. They're made of flawed cuts of wood, don't believe the rumours saying otherwise.
 
I have been using these sticks for about 6 months now. 8 aussie dollars per pair and the usually last me 3 or 4 weeks, and I am a pretty hard hitter, and even playing rim shots on the snare. They cost 40% less and in my experience they last just as long as any other drum stick, probably due to my playing style. I must admit, some sticks will only last a song or two... but who cares... Im saving so much money!
 
Nova Hickory Drumsticks are manufactured in the U.S. and have minor cosmetic blemishes that don't impact their playability in any way.
 
the nova sticks are crap, the grain runs on an angle thru them and they break on the grain, i never break sticks when using the american classic, i wear them out on the hats till the tip falls off, i bought a dozen sets of the nova and they were all busted by the 3rd gig, i bought a dozen sets of the american classic a year ago and i still got 3 sets i havent used yet so its alot cheaper for me to use the american classics, just my opinion
 
the nova sticks are crap, the grain runs on an angle thru them and they break on the grain, i never break sticks when using the american classic, i wear them out on the hats till the tip falls off, i bought a dozen sets of the nova and they were all busted by the 3rd gig, i bought a dozen sets of the american classic a year ago and i still got 3 sets i havent used yet so its alot cheaper for me to use the american classics, just my opinion

Bit of an exaggeration. You broke 24 sticks in 3 gigs? I highly doubt that.
 
yes i did, and its no exaggeration, 24 sticks in 3 gigs, thats only 8 sticks a gig and i even broke 3 in one song, they are garbage plain and simple, i even complained to vic firth about it but they did not even answer my email, i still use vic firth american classics as im not gonna bite off my nose to spite my face but i still email them every once and a while to let them know im still pissed about it.
 
yes i did, and its no exaggeration, 24 sticks in 3 gigs, thats only 8 sticks a gig and i even broke 3 in one song, they are garbage plain and simple, i even complained to vic firth about it but they did not even answer my email, i still use vic firth american classics as im not gonna bite off my nose to spite my face but i still email them every once and a while to let them know im still pissed about it.

If you broke that many sticks in 3 gigs, then you must be doing something very wrong. Well, not wrong... but something odd. For example, I play rims shots on my snare 100% of the time and never use the for cymbals. and about the neck for me. I also play my cymbals flat. For you to break that many sticks, you must have been playing uncomfortably hard. I've done it myself when the whole kit is not mic'd for bigger venues.

Whatever, the sticks don't work for you, they work fine for me... User preference.
 
I prefer the name brands like Vater instead of the second quality sticks, for two reasons. 1- I think the first hand/quality sticks last longer, and 2- they look nicer. And while people may say It doesnt matter what they look like theyre drumsticks, I could say that about all kinds of stuff. Why do people go to get their hair cut? Because they like the way it looks. Why do we wear certain clothes? Because our appearance is everything.
 
If you broke that many sticks in 3 gigs, then you must be doing something very wrong. Well, not wrong... but something odd. For example, I play rims shots on my snare 100% of the time and never use the for cymbals. and about the neck for me. I also play my cymbals flat. For you to break that many sticks, you must have been playing uncomfortably hard. I've done it myself when the whole kit is not mic'd for bigger venues.

Whatever, the sticks don't work for you, they work fine for me... User preference.

well since you seem know so much you must have a lot of experiece with these, so you tell me why every one of the nova 5b's broke but ive never thats right NEVER broken an american classic 5b? i only wear them out, ive been playing for 32 years now and i dont play any different no matter what stick i use, my kit is always miked and i leave it up to the sound guy how much he adds or doesnt add and i wear in ear monitors as well so its always the same volume no matter if its at rehersal, a bar or an arena, plus ive never cracked a cymbal or dented a head since i was a teenager either, i buy quality equipment, theres a reason maple drums cost more than plywood, and b20 bronze cymbals cost more than b8 bronze and if novas were as good a quality as the american classic they would be the same price, ive got a box here with every used stick ive used since switching to vic firth in 1999, all the american classics have the ends worn down playing the hats till the tip finally falls off, and as for rim shots ive chewed the center out of the american classics on rims from doing that but they still never broke, the novas are actually broke and most broke on the grain, some are even split from the tip all the way down to the but end and some leave a sharp edge that can damage heads if not caught quick enough, anyway its just not worth taking a chance for the difference of $2 a pair and like i said it actually costs less in the long run to use a top quality stick as they last a lot longer anyway, and the reason im still pissed at vic firth is i didnt know i was getting the novas, they had a deal on that if you orderd a brick of them they would print your name on them, i always bought them by the dozen anyway so i thought what the hell, i actually thought i was getting american classics but when they came they were the crappy novas.
 
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...theres a reason maple drums cost more than plywood, and b20 bronze cymbals cost more than b8 bronze...

I'm going to just be pedantic here for a second.

Maple drums usually are plywood.

And in real terms there's little difference between the material cost of a B8 cymbal blank and a B20 blank. Copper has reached an all-time highest price and B8 cymbals have a much higher copper content than B20 cymbals. Most of the perceived cost of cymbals is workmanship and factory markup as well as other costs like shipping. Paiste 2oo2 cymbals are B8 bronze, but I gather they're usually more expensive than the Sabian/Zildjian equivalents in the US - so in that case, the bronze has very little to do with the price of the cymbal.
 
I'm going to just be pedantic here for a second.

Maple drums usually are plywood.

And in real terms there's little difference between the material cost of a B8 cymbal blank and a B20 blank. Copper has reached an all-time highest price and B8 cymbals have a much higher copper content than B20 cymbals. Most of the perceived cost of cymbals is workmanship and factory markup as well as other costs like shipping. Paiste 2oo2 cymbals are B8 bronze, but I gather they're usually more expensive than the Sabian/Zildjian equivalents in the US - so in that case, the bronze has very little to do with the price of the cymbal.

so with what your saying a set of plywood westburrys are as good as a set of yamaha maple custom absolutes and a set of sabian b8's is just as good as a set of sabian aa's or hh's, shit all these years ive been wasitng money on the phoney higher quality equipment, where were all you guys with your opinions when i was buying this stuff, oh yeh, you wernt born yet...lol

ps: if anyone thinks high end drums and made of plywood they better do some reading on the manfacturing process, plywood drums have the grain direction alternating on each layer, quality drums do not, you cant cut a sharp bearing edge on a plywood drum, it will chip off.
 
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so with what your saying a set of plywood westburrys are as good as a set of yamaha maple custom absolutes and a set of sabian b8's is just as good as a set of sabian aa's or hh's, idiotic profanity removed all these years ive been wasitng money on the phoney higher quality equipment, where were all you guys with your opinions when i was buying this stuff, oh yeh, you wernt born yet...lol

ps: if anyone thinks high end drums and made of plywood they better do some reading on the manfacturing process, plywood drums have the grain direction alternating on each layer, quality drums do not, you cant cut a sharp bearing edge on a plywood drum, it will chip off.

I'd appreciate it if you read what I actually posted.

Firstly, 'Plywood' is a generic term for wood overlaid with alternating grain patterns. In the majority of drums - even high-end drums - this is the standard construction method. Stave, steam-bent and block shells aren't built this way but they are in the vast minority because it's much harder to mass-produce those drums. I'm not saying a set of Westbury's are the same as a set of Yamaha Maple Customs. What I'm saying is that the basic method of construction is the same and they operate on the same principles.

B8 is merely an alloy of bronze. The alloy has no bearing on the construction method. It just so happens that B8 cymbals are usually lower-end, but not always. Matt Nolan (who is a custom cymbalsmith in the UK) makes cymbals from many different kinds of bronze; B15, B6, B8 - etc. Paiste 2oo2 cymbals are a high-end cymbal made with B8 alloy. The alloy has little bearing over the price - the price is often decided by other factors.

I suggest that you do your own research before leaving another mess of a post in this thread.
 
I'd appreciate it if you read what I actually posted.

Firstly, 'Plywood' is a generic term for wood overlaid with alternating grain patterns. In the majority of drums - even high-end drums - this is the standard construction method. Stave, steam-bent and block shells aren't built this way but they are in the vast minority because it's much harder to mass-produce those drums. I'm not saying a set of Westbury's are the same as a set of Yamaha Maple Customs. What I'm saying is that the basic method of construction is the same and they operate on the same principles.

B8 is merely an alloy of bronze. The alloy has no bearing on the construction method. It just so happens that B8 cymbals are usually lower-end, but not always. Matt Nolan (who is a custom cymbalsmith in the UK) makes cymbals from many different kinds of bronze; B15, B6, B8 - etc. Paiste 2oo2 cymbals are a high-end cymbal made with B8 alloy. The alloy has little bearing over the price - the price is often decided by other factors.

I suggest that you do your own research before leaving another mess of a post in this thread.

sorry not even close, high end drums do not have layers of alternating grains at all, like i said earlier you cant cut a sharp bearing edge on an actual "plywood" shell as it will chip on the edge, it is one long thin sheet with the grain going the same way wrapped over itself till they reach the thickness they want , 3, 4 ,5 layers etc, whatever thickness they are trying to achieve and the reason they do it this way is its easier to wrap a thin layer and get it perfectly round than to try to bend a thicker piece of wood plus there is less chance of the grain warping or splitting as can happen with a thin stave type shell, i suggest you do some research before posting next time.
 
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