Maple sticks.....

Sweetnoise

Junior Member
So, I am one of those guys who, through god knows what kind of experimentation, has found his ultimate sticks!!! But, guess what? They(Vic F.) stopped making them...
My question to Drum World is, is there any others who fell in love with these same specs? And, most importantly what have you found that works as well for you????
The Two models are:::::: Bob Gadsden( maple). And, Billy Cobham signature, also Maple. I know the Billies are still out, but not maple. I like the maple. Its sweeter on my arms. I understand Vic chose to stop making them because there are not many players out there like me. But sticks make more of a difference to me than the drums!!!!
 
You could try the Vater Sugar Maple Blazer or SD9s which are both 16 1/4 Length .610 Dia. or the Power 5B are the same diameter but 16 1/2 in length. I personally don't use that thick of stick, but I have some other Vater Sugar Maple sticks and I like them.
 
I hear you. Firth stopped making the maple SD4N that I used to use. Try Vater Sugar Maple. That's what I went to and they have a decent range of models. I use their 5A now.
 
The Regal Tip Bob Gatzen stick is discontinued. He has moved over to Promark and they only have a hickory model. My favourite maple stick these days is the Regal Tip 9a in maple.
 
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A set of hickory sticks will last me 6 gigging months. Maple sticks...I break them after a few hours, and my gig's don't require me to hit what is considered hard. They are dangerous too. When they break, maple is not a stringy wood so the break is very clean and can skewer stuff (like your eyeball) if you're not careful. They are light and I do like the feel, but I can't make them last more than a week. It's the rimshots that get them. Too bad. They are really light and you can really fly with them.
 
A set of hickory sticks will last me 6 gigging months. Maple sticks...I break them after a few hours, and my gig's don't require me to hit what is considered hard. They are dangerous too. When they break, maple is not a stringy wood so the break is very clean and can skewer stuff (like your eyeball) if you're not careful. They are light and I do like the feel, but I can't make them last more than a week. It's the rimshots that get them. Too bad. They are really light and you can really fly with them.

I found this out too Larry, unfortunately.

I had a pair of Vater Piccolos that I loved. 2B size stick but without the weight of Hickory. I had the big size my large hands needed but was like playing with 5As in terms of speed.

The front of the stick just snapped clean off playing the hi-hat. First stick I've broken in years. It's disappointing, those sticks felt great but if they're going to have that lifespan its hardly worth it without an endorsement deal or something.
 
Yea maple has no lifespan. It's not economically feasible.
 
I for one use Maple sticks for the majority of my gigs ( amplified Classic Rock, Big Band and Small group Jazz) and have never broke a maple stick. I play rimshots all the time and never break sticks. Technique has a lot to do with it. I let the stick rebound naturally rather than forcing it.
 
I used to go a good year before breaking my Firth maple sticks. For the Vater maples I go through 2 or 3 pair per year. Not bad.
 
I switched from maple to hickory a few weeks ago after a long time playing maple. the biggest issue for me was the acorn tips of maple sticks seem to only last one song for me. ive played the same pair of hickory for one gig, and one practice and last night I finally split a tip ( while on the ride cymbal). im using vic firth American classics
 
I think if you're going through maple sticks to easily, then they're probably not the right stick for the job. They're much lighter (yet still pretty hard) so if you're looking for more volume (all thing being equal, they are not as loud as hickory) yeah you're going to bash them harder and use them up faster than the equal size hickory stick.
I use maple vater fusions with a nylon tip for practice because yeah, the ride cymbal flattens out the tip. But the shoulder doesn't seem to chip up faster than a hickory stick and I've never busted one.
 
Oddly my VF SD9 Drivers seem to last pretty well and don't chip as easily as my hickory sticks (Promark 5B). They certainly last more than a few hours! And I've never snapped one.
 
Indeed!!! Thank you people!!! Maple shreds a bit quicker. But how sweetly it tranfers our intentions!!!
Broke one more RegalTip Bob Gadsden. Only three left. The end of an important 10 year stick relationship. Its physics and dynamics met my arms. Monogamy from that point till now.
My local drum shop guy, turned me on to the B. G's just after the sig. Billy C's were discontinued. Also maple and amazing in use. So, I went to him seeking something availabe for the NEXT 10 years.
He pulled out these rock maple, sd11 slammers. Vic F. We both agreed the tip looks a bit over cut. But he has been loving them. Ive been enjoying them too now for a couple weeks. !!!!!
Mite I end with a Holy S$@t Batman!! The difference in sound, using different sticks on whatever you hit; I just love that kinda kaos in tactile audio land!! :)
 
So, I went to him seeking something availabe for the NEXT 10 years.
He pulled out these rock maple, sd11 slammers. Vic F. We both agreed the tip looks a bit over cut. But he has been loving them. Ive been enjoying them too now for a couple weeks. !!!!!

Vic Firth SD11 Slammers are one of my favorites. I think they were discontinued by VF at some point and brought back due to demand.
 
Glad I saw this post when I was at GC. I used to use VFs SD1s but tat was over ten years ago. I didn't play in such a loud rock band back then and hardly broke any sticks. I was looking to get away from the beefy VF Metals. I had been using VC Rocks. But sometimes a brand new stick will crack after playing it for less than 15 minutes.

So I was testing out some Vater Rock and VF SD1s. The SD1s had the diameter that are comfy to me, yet felt nimble and articulated compared to the Metal. Then it dawned on me that the are maple sticks and not hickory. Ilove great sticks, but I feel I would end up snapping a small forest of the maple sticks.

I got another pair of the VF Rocks and a pair of Vater Rocks to test drive in the meantime. I am in the research and audition phase of selecting my "go-forward" stick.

I still have about five or so pairs if Metals to destroy before I can move on. I am trying not to be wasteful. LOL. We'll see how it goes.
 
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I've gone back and forth between maple and hickory for about the last fifteen years of playing. I love using maple sticks for softer-volume gigs such as my theater gigs, or for low-volume practice when I know I don't need to swing trees. I use SD1s as a way to "take a break" from heavy hickory sticks in the middle of a long gig; they sound and hold similarly to large sticks but with a fraction of the weight.

A Canadian company called HeadHunters makes some really great maple sticks with grip notches and outstanding feel. They are tricky to find in stores, but they last a long time and were my go-to stick for one year-long stretch in the late 90's. Check them out, great sticks.
 
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