For those who don't (or rarely) break sticks

B

Big_Philly

Guest
A simple question: when do you decide it's time to throw a pair of sticks away (or do whatever it is you do with the sticks you don't use anymore)?
When you break a stick discarding it is an obvious choice, but I rarely break sticks. I have broken two or three sticks in 12 years of drumming, most of them being several months old.

I myself get rid of the sticks I use when the tip of the stick begins to fall apart. It's barely noticeable, but when the tip of a stick gets really edgy and splintered I sometimes feel some of my cymbals don't sound the same. I also think it might wear heads faster than what is desirable.

So when do you throw away your sticks?
 
Well, I do break sticks, but I suppose the obvious answer is that you should throw them out when they no longer feel and/or sound good to you. If you pick up a new stick and notice that it feels or sounds a lot better than the one you're using, it might be time to switch.
 
Sticks & SHINY cymbals are my weaknesses...sad I know.

Of course when the tips are damaged that's it, but I like to use new sticks almost every gig/rehearsal.

And of course, cymbals must not just be clean, the must be shiny...like new. IT'S THE LAW. in my sad world anyway.
 
I've got tons of splintered tipped sticks lying around in my drum room. I found that I actually like the attack of this one particular Vic Firth 7A on my rides, but I only have the one, so I end up using a different 7A, either a Zildjian, or Vater (those are my most matched pairs these days) with my left hand. Every now and then it gets kidnapped by my son and I find it a few days later under a couch.

Anyway, I don't hit insanely hard, and actually don't really "break" sticks unless I'm playing outdoor gigs... Go figure.
 
I have fallen into the category where I don't break sticks, but I break or fray the tips of the sticks, which at this point I have had to flip the stick and play with the butt end, or throw the stick away. A simple solution for me was going from a pro-mark 747 Neil Peart signature stick to a 5A Ahead stick with a medium taper. I love this stick as if a tip breaks but the shaft is solid, I remove the tip and replace it for a fraction of the cost. I also love the stick as it is consistently straight. Although the stick is more to buy intially, durability wise they have tended to hold up better for me, saving me money in the long run.
 
Same as others, when the tip gets slightly "splintery" or chipped.. alternatively the taper of sticks start to get chewed up a little from swiping the cymbals.. when I start seeing a little more than usual "saw dust' around my throne it's time to toss them.

A good tip from Todd Sucherman is to try Maple sticks since the tips and shoulders don't wear out nor splinter as quick as Hickory sticks... they just snap and then you know it's time for a new stick! I'm going to be trying some soon once I find a suitable pair.
 
A good tip from Todd Sucherman is to try Maple sticks since the tips and shoulders don't wear out nor splinter as quick as Hickory sticks... they just snap and then you know it's time for a new stick! I'm going to be trying some soon once I find a suitable pair.

Yeah, but I prefer my sticks not to snap. Murphy's law implies that they'll snap at a very inappropriate time, which has happened to me once. One of the three sticks I snapped was a maple one. I broke it on an e-kit. Go figure...
 
what happens with me is I wear the shoulders of the stick down like a beaver on the hats and cymbals, then eventually the tip splinters down the stick and breaks. I use promark 5bn sticks, and I can't get a pair to last longer than 3 weeks if I play them every day. I play thrash./deathmetal so maybe I am just hitting the sticks on objects more so they wear down faster than a lot of people
 
I haven't broken a hickory stick after my first year of playing (but I did destroy three maple sticks within two days...). When the tip of the stick starts splintering, I can still use it for practice and rehearsals, but I like to whip out a pristine pair for gigs.
 
I haven't broken a hickory stick after my first year of playing (but I did destroy three maple sticks within two days...).

Really?
Wow, I've been using the same pair of maple SD10 Swingers for 4 months.
They're in great shape!
 
I toss mine when the shoulders get splintery (hickory) or when they get whittled to where they feel smaller than a 5A on the front end (oak- I use ProMark 808's, slightly thicker than a 5A). I get about 6 months out of a set of 4 (i play w/2 [obviously] and keep 2 handy as spares, and switch them out frequently so that 1 pair doesn't get more worn than the other), but I only play a couple of times a week. I now have a practice kit at the house, so that's gonna change. :)
 
For practice, I play 'til they break, but I only use sticks in good condition for performances.

I have, however, been thrashing with some Ahead sticks lately, and I just don't wanna play anything else. They're holding up great, too.
 
I too give them up when the tips are gone.

I do know certain jazz drummers around town who like that sound, or have been known to file tips back on to sticks to prolong their lives and save money.

Otherwise, the shafts end up getting worn down a little from rimshots, at which point I give them away to other band members: so they can play cowbell during my prolonged drum solos.
 
With me, the shaft just gets all dented, but not chipped. The shoulders do chip off a little bit but I generally have pretty thick cymbals (i.e., cymbals that don't cut through your stick like a knife) and on top of that I strike my cymbals at a fairly flat angle. As long as the damage on shoulder & shaft doesn't affect the feel of the stick I will continue to play them. So far, since I started paying attention to this, the tips of my sticks have always been the first to get damaged to a point where I toss 'em away.
 
I don't even chip sticks much anymore.

I play the Steve Smith Vic Firths a lot. The barrel tips usually start cracking before anything else.

I toss them in the trash if the barrel has any chunks come off. I figure the rougher surface will be harder on my heads, so out they go!
 
So many of you are commenting on tip damage that I'm wondering why you don't switch to nylons...?
 
My sticks dont break. They just look like they get chewed on by a large dog everyday. The get more & more grotty, and then simply fall apart and wither away rather than break.

I always induct a new pair as the first pair is on its last legs. So its always 2 working pairs. An ugly pair & a really ugly pair

( Vic firth Weckl-the older versions )
 
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