Why the "hate" for nylon tips??

J

Jazz Man

Guest
I saw a Youtube video with Ginger Baker and he said NO to nylon tipped sticks.

I've heard quite a few other people grumble about them over time, but I've never heard anyone explain WHY they don't like them.

Anyone out there dislike them??

Please enlighten me on the cons.

I'm ALWAYs eager to learn new "angles" on things.

Personally, I like them because I like the brighter sound I get on my ride cymbals.
 
I agree about the brighter cymbal sound, but I play mostly hard rock and metal so that's just what works for me. Of course I guess I'm sort of a double pariah because I play with nylon tips on aluminum sticks.

For what and how Ginger plays, I totally get why he prefers wooden tips. He comes from a much more subtle and rhythm-oriented drumming background and I would say it's a safe assumption that it's easier to get more subtle sounds from a wooden tip. Of course it's also a safe assumption that he abhors nylon because he's a cranky ol' bastard...
 
Been using nylon tips for many years.
Only had one tip come off.

I'm not sure but maybe they cost more than wood tip sticks.


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Nylon tips sound like nylon. Wood tips sound like wood. Felt mallets sound like felt. Brushes sound like brushes. Bundles sound like bundles. Hands sound like hands.

There's no hate, just a variety of different tools for different jobs. That said, I hate when I need to work a philips screw with a flat head screw driver.
 
I dont like the sound or the feel of nylon tips. Nothing to do with "Hate" just personal preference. The stick racks in my local drum shops have both types for sale so they must be used or the manufacturers would stop making them.
 
I love them because wood tips always split, when I am using nylon tips the sticks last 10 times longer when I practice. Yeah, they do sound different, when I play live sometimes I use wood tips.
 
I've been using nylon-tipped sticks since they first became available to me - so that tells you how old I am. In the early days there was a problem with the tips coming off, but I can't tell you how long it's been since I've had a tip come off. It's that rare. The tone between wood and nylon is very evident, but the accentuated hi frequencies produced by the nylon tips is perfect for rock/pop/country music. Very occasionally I'll use a wood tip just for a change in cymbal sound, but for me, nylon is the stick of choice.

GeeDeeEmm
 
I have used use nylon tips for years and years. I remember once, or maybe twice, a tip flying off, and that was many years ago. To each his own.
 
The first thing to go on my wood sticks is the tip.

I looked into making a special shaped pencil sharpener to remove the rest of the wood tips and replace them with nylon, but I found out somebody else already did it.
It seemed too obvious for someone not to have the idea.

I generally try to use a stick that comes in both tips so I can use the nylon for longevity and the wood for special things.
 
Back in the day when I rode a covered wagon to school, some nylon tips would come off. To say that "they always come off" is a bit dramatic. Wood tips splinter and that flat spot sounds horrible on a cymbal. UnionGoon is correct in his assessment of Regal Tip brand. I have never had one come off and the segmented tips sound a bit closer to wood than do the solid nylon. All sticks wear out but if you insist on nylon, Regal Tip is the way to go.
 
I never really liked the feel of them -- they do feel a little different. I've had them go flying off the stick as well on occasion... I'm kind of on the fence as for the difference in sound -- sometimes I dig it, other times not so much...

I know guys who swear by them and guys who'd never touch them -- 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. I usually have a pair in my bag - but never really use them.

If you dig 'em - use 'em... who cares what the rest of us slobs do?
 
I used nylon tips almost exclusively for years. It's only been recently that I've been using wood tip also. I've had a few tips come off, but not for years has this happened. I think the major manufacturers have taken measures to keeps the tips on the sticks.

I like the longevity that nylon tips provide and the bright sound they produce on the cymbals. In quieter songs and jams I like the wood tips, but if it's loud and proud, give me nylon.
 
When I was young, I learned to hate them because of the tips coming off. Then again, I also hated the wood tips splintering or the tips breaking off. I'd go through a pair of ProMark 2Bs in no time back then.

Today I play both. I haven't had a nylon tip come off in ages, so use them to avoid splintering the wood tips. I do agree that they sound thin and tinny on cymbals, but I use them for longevity.
 
I stopped using them because they fall off without my noticing and then I end up denting my drumheads.

This was my experience more than once as well.....

Add to that I prefer a "warmer" sound to my cymbals so I like wood.
 
I prefer the sound wood tips. That said, I use nylon. The reason being is that from the audience, I'm pretty sure the difference in sound is negligible. I think it's mostly the drummer who can hear the difference. So I go with nylon because wood tips start to degrade after only a few gigs. I've been using the same pair of round nylon tipped sticks for gigs since mid June of last year. Maybe 40 gigs. I could get another 40 out of them easy.

Of all the nylon tips out there, IMO round nylon tips sound the best on cymbals, but they dent heads easier. Regal Tip "E" Series, with the ribbed tip sound good. But the ribs would sometimes catch on the edge of cymbals....and they only come in one size.

I'm about to go back to acorn tips, the harshest sounding tips on cymbals, because I'm hoping my drumheads won't dent as easily. I play ride cymbal only a small percentage of the time. If I was a jazzer, the round tips would be my pick. They really do sound nice on the bronze.

I tried taking a hot piece of metal to deform some plastic acorn tip sticks I had lying around, to get a less harsh tone from cymbals. It did help the tone. I will probably be doing that to my future acorn tips when my Vater Fusion (round tip) sticks finally wear out.
 
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