Stick suggestions please?

Magenta

Magenta

Platinum Member
I'm always being told that I need to play more audibly. (I don't know why I should, it's not as if I want anybody to hear my mistakes.) Recently I have started to make a conscious effort, but I'm not a hitter and I don't suppose I ever will be.

My usual sticks are Vic Firth 7A. Yesterday I played with a pair of 5A, and I was astonished at the difference they made in terms of volume: it seemed to me that they were doing at least half of the work.

The difficulty I have, though, is that I have small, weakling handies and although I didn't play for very long with the 5As, I found them heavy and bulky and right from the get-go, they made my hands ache.

Are there any sticks that are as slim as a 7A but a little heavier? I think I'd manage extra weight if it came without the extra width; both weight and width are just too much.
 
If you check Regal Tip they have a 7A that is a little longer, I think there is an E on the stick, which will add some weight but more evenly distributed. See if you can find those. And as silly as this sounds you may take the 5A's you have and let Mr. Magenta cut them off to the same length as the 7A and see how they feel. Also try a Vader Fusion stick. A little beefy but not heavy
 
You could also try a different type of wood. If your 7A's are maple you could try 7A hickory which is denser.
 
Thanks, Grunt, on your recommendation I've checked out the Regal Tip and I like what I've been reading. I'll definitely give them a go. I haven't been able to find much about the Vater Fusion but I'll bear them in mind in case I come across them somewhere.

Your suggestion about shortening the 5As is a brilliant one! They're a good inch longer than the 7As - that's probably a relatively fair chunk of weight, given their diameter. I just experimented with holding them an inch further forward than I normally would, and they feel better. And they're the sparkly gold sticks I was given for Christmas, which I've always wanted to play with but haven't been able to. If shortening them doesn't work, no harm done because at the moment they're purely decorative anyway. The prospect of them maybe being playable-with is making me happier than you'd ever believe!
 
picodon said:
You could also try a different type of wood. If your 7A's are maple you could try 7A hickory which is denser.
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I think they are hickory, but I'm not sure. That's a good point, though.
 
You might like the Jojo Mayer sticks. They're a shortened 5A. Tricky to get hold of though. Alternatively, Steve Gadd signatures are good.

Vater make some 'between size' sticks, I just can't remember what the pair I liked were called. Sorry sweetie!
 
I've come to like the Vic Firth 8D sticks. They're a little bulkier than a 7A, but not quite to a 5A. And they've got the tear drop tip on them, so you'll still get plenty of attack on the cymbals.

And as someone else already suggested, try some different types of wood.
 
BacteriumFendYoke said:
You might like the Jojo Mayer sticks. They're a shortened 5A. Tricky to get hold of though. Alternatively, Steve Gadd signatures are good.

Vater make some 'between size' sticks, I just can't remember what the pair I liked were called. Sorry sweetie!
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Senior moment, dahling?

If possible I want to avoid a larger diameter, as my fingers are so stumpy. I'll have a look at the Steve Gadd signatures.

My singer's significant other is a drummer, and he's a BIG lad. The other day we compared his tree-trunk drumsticks to my little matchstick ones, and then compared the sizes of our hands. The tips of my fingers barely came higher than the end of his palms :(
 
adamosmianski said:
I've come to like the Vic Firth 8D sticks. They're a little bulkier than a 7A, but not quite to a 5A. And they've got the tear drop tip on them, so you'll still get plenty of attack on the cymbals.
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Ah - I think they may have these in my local music shop, so if that's the case, they'd be the obvious ones to try first. Thanks!
 
Try the Vic Firth 8D, as previously mentioned. It's 16" long, but otherwise the exact same stick as the Vic 7A. I think you'll find the extra length will give more throw, and naturally be a bit more powerful than the 7A. If you still need to go bigger but 5a is too big, try the Vic Firth 85A. It's bigger than the 8D, but smaller than the 5A. Hope this helps, and good luck finding your stick!
 
Magenta said:
I think they are hickory, but I'm not sure. That's a good point, though.
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You could also try 8A as a compromise between the two. As long as 5A but thinner though not as thin as 7A. Right now I'm using Regal Tip 8A Jeff Porcaro. Great for shuffles :p And somehow I like the barrel shape.
 
Gosh, whoever thought there would be so many options?! I'll be a stick nerd by the time I've found The One!

gish said:
Try the Vic Firth 8D, as previously mentioned. It's 16" long, but otherwise the exact same stick as the Vic 7A. I think you'll find the extra length will give more throw, and naturally be a bit more powerful than the 7A. If you still need to go bigger but 5a is too big, try the Vic Firth 85A. It's bigger than the 8D, but smaller than the 5A. Hope this helps, and good luck finding your stick!
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picodon said:
You could also try 8A as a compromise between the two. As long as 5A but thinner though not as thin as 7A. Right now I'm using Regal Tip 8A Jeff Porcaro. Great for shuffles :p And somehow I like the barrel shape.
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I'm going to make a list of all the suggestions and waft it in front of anybody who asks me what I want for my birthday/Christmas. I wonder if Mr Madge would give me drumsticks for our wedding anniversary?
 
Nonono, sticks are like eggs, butter and coffee, they don't have to wait for birthdays :)

Yep it's a whole universe but I think as soon as you found your favourite size, then it's easy. Then you may still have preferences regarding tip shape or finish (natural, laquered...), not to mention colour or some famous name on your sticks that you can insult with sloppy technique (referring to my own drumming of course :))
 
picodon said:
Nonono, sticks are like eggs, butter and coffee, they don't have to wait for birthdays :)
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I believe you, and because I believe you I'm going to waft the list in front of my local music shop proprietors this evening.

picodon said:
Yep it's a whole universe but I think as soon as you found your favourite size, then it's easy. Then you may still have preferences regarding tip shape or finish (natural, laquered...), not to mention colour or some famous name on your sticks that you can insult with sloppy technique (referring to my own drumming of course :))
Click to expand...

:( Can't get my size in sparkly gold. Unless of course Grunt's suggestion works :)
 
I'll give you one more to try. Stanton Moore signature model from Vic Firth. I use them now because of hand issues and larger ones bother me. I find these perfect
 
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I've been through several stick models and I also have smallish hands so maybe I can help.

My usual stick is the Vic Firth 7A. On the journey to settle on this model, I used everything from 5As, most of the VF American Jazz series, and several signature models. Even now, I'm not sure the VF 7A is really "the one". It just feels the best out of everything I've tried.

I found out along the way that I prefer a shorter stick. Anything longer than my 7A just feels unwieldy. This may be what you experienced when you tried the 5A.

Anyway, here are several models I tried that may work for you...

VF AJ3 -- Very slightly larger than the 7A. It's 16" long though which changed the rebound a little. I discovered I was much quicker around the kit once I moved to the 7A.

SD4 Combo -- Same diameter as the AJ3 but slightly shorter. It's made of maple so it's really light. This stick was great. I liked the tip shape and sound but it seemed to aggravate my wrist which I injured a few years ago. I believe the maple allowed more shock to travel up to my wrist? Either way, I had to change. The pain went away as soon as I switched. If you don't have a history of wrist issues, this may work for you.

Peter Erskine Signature -- The first one. The one with the tiny ball tip. This was one of the first small sticks that I used. I remember loving the pinpoint precision of this stick. That stick made just about any ride pretty defined. After experimenting with a few other sticks, I found the rebound and speed a little lacking with this stick.

Peter Erskine Big Band Stick -- This is his newest one. I tried this one just because I saw it at the store. It's a larger stick though. The shaft is somewhere between a 5A and 5B. However, it has a longer taper to it that makes the stick rebound effortlessly. It practically plays itself. However, it felt a little cumbersome getting around the kit quickly. It took me a while to discover I like a small stick.

Steve Gadd Signature -- I just tried this one rather recently. It's just slightly bigger and longer than the 7A. It has the tip that I liked from the SD4. I just found that the 7A played slightly easier fro me. I still use this one every once in a while. It's also painted, which can make it slick if you sweat a lot. I just take a little sandpaper to mine and a little swipe of stick wax.

VF 8A -- This is basically a 7A, but it's a half inch longer. I tried this one for a while but found it a little awkward getting around quickly. I also found that in addition to small, I prefer a shorter stick.

VF Jojo Mayer -- One of my old drum teachers gave me a pair of these. I like the length of them. They are about a tip shorter than the 7A but the shaft is between a 5A and 5B. Not bad, but I like something a little smaller. I still have these in my stick bag. I use them for warm-ups sometimes or if I really need to crank up the volume. They are painted too, so I do the same trick as with the Gadd sticks.

Zildjian 7A -- I liked the size and length but found it didn't play nearly as easily as the VF 7A.


The Regal Tip 7As mentioned earlier intrigue me. They are actually shorter than the VF 7As. Regal Tips in general are not available near me so I may just have to order a pair to try out. I think about that every time I snag my stick on the underside of my ride or clip it on the front of my rack tom. "Hmm...I wonder if a shorter stick wouldn't have done that?...

If you read this far, thanks. I just wanted to give you a few models in the 7A "range" that may work for you. Good luck in your quest for the perfect stick. I don't think it's ever over.
 
I use Pro Mark 808, rounded tip. Sometimes a 707 and only in a pinch. But I do like Pro Mark. The wood has to have some weight to it as I like the bounce.

I also used 5A or 5B on occasion

I like wooden handled non-retractable steel brushes

I do like rounded tipped sticks and I do not use nylon tips nor do I like rubber coated stick handles.

I like big. I think I got into bigger sizes from rudimental lessons waaaay back when. We were using big angled wooden practice pads with a rubber pad on top. These simulated a drumhead angle when being strapped on and marching.
 
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