BREAKING STICKS

[Fiery]

Originally Posted by bonzolead

Everybody it's not the brand,type,wood,etc. count the grains from the but end of the stick the more grains and straighter grains the stronger the stick it's basic physics.

Yon can get a Regal-Tip 7a with 7+ straight grains and it will last longer than a Pro-Mark 2S with 2 crooked grains.......really.

The finer & straighter the grain is what you look for.

Bonzolead

It's the exact opposite in my experience, concerning the number of grains. Less grains means more solid wood. Such sticks are also generally heavier than sticks with finer grain.
(In general, the heavier the stick, the longer it will last.)

I've had two pairs of Vic Firth Tomas Haake signature sticks - .645 in diameter - with very fine grains, ten+ lines per stick, and they lasted around six weeks before I was left with only one whole sticks. They were also lighter than a typical 5B. On the other hand, a single pair of Vic Firth 2B - .630 in diameter - with three grain lines had lasted me three or four months (more than twelve weeks, or double the time the Tomas Haake sigs lasted). They were also the heavies pair of the whole batch in the shop. Really.

Of course, the grains should be as straight and regular as possible.

[topgun2021]

What I hate is that I never break sticks on my drums, but my cymbals will chip my tips so often.

[nick.bedford]

Originally Posted by jangus

I really dont understand how people break so many sticks. I've had the pair I'm using for at least 4 months.

I play alternative rock and I do rim shots as much as possible. Basically I have to play loud, as it also improves my performance and sounds better. But even then it takes me a little while to get through a pair of sticks.

[airsmunch1]

I would rather break sticks than cymbals or heads! In my humble opinion.

I go through about 3 or 4 sticks a night.

John Crash Jones
Wolves at the Door
www.wolvesatthedoor.net

[Phil Brodermann]

Has anyone had any experience with S-hoops, and the difference they make to the average stick life, in terms of rim shots? cheers.

[Just Another Drummer]

Vic firth 3A Rock!! They have a barrel tip for nice cymbal sounds and a beef-up neck, good for recording. And about durability....FOREVER

[Music is Awesome]

I keep breaking my sticks and denting my toms' head. Now it's is just getting annoying and costly to keep breaking my sticks.

[MikeM]

Originally Posted by Music is Awesome

I keep breaking my sticks and denting my toms' head. Now it's is just getting annoying and costly to keep breaking my sticks.

If you're denting the tom heads, then the toms are probably angled too much. This will also cause your sticks to break off up at the tips.

[bonzolead]

Originally Posted by Fiery

It's the exact opposite in my experience, concerning the number of grains. Less grains means more solid wood. Such sticks are also generally heavier than sticks with finer grain.
(In general, the heavier the stick, the longer it will last.)

I've had two pairs of Vic Firth Tomas Haake signature sticks - .645 in diameter - with very fine grains, ten+ lines per stick, and they lasted around six weeks before I was left with only one whole sticks. They were also lighter than a typical 5B. On the other hand, a single pair of Vic Firth 2B - .630 in diameter - with three grain lines had lasted me three or four months (more than twelve weeks, or double the time the Tomas Haake sigs lasted). They were also the heavies pair of the whole batch in the shop. Really.

Of course, the grains should be as straight and regular as possible.

you just got a freak pair.................really LOL

keep swattin the finest grain sticks possible,
Bonzolead

[bonzolead]

Originally Posted by Music is Awesome

I keep breaking my sticks and denting my toms' head. Now it's is just getting annoying and costly to keep breaking my sticks.

quit trying too kill your drums........they are your friends.

Bonzolead

[bonzolead]

Originally Posted by Just Another Drummer

Vic firth 3A Rock!! They have a barrel tip for nice cymbal sounds and a beef-up neck, good for recording. And about durability....FOREVER

I love the 3A size I use a Vator 3A through

Bonzolead

[Music is Awesome]

Thanks Mike, I'll try a diffrent angle for my tom tomarrow.

Bonzo I don't try to kill my drums......most of the time.

[bonzolead]

Originally Posted by Music is Awesome

Thanks Mike, I'll try a diffrent angle for my tom tomarrow.

Bonzo I don't try to kill my drums......most of the time.

I was just messing with you, I'm guilty of killing my kit once in awhile also.

it's all about emotion rather it be intense or mellow.

people don't. want too see a jukebox on stage LOL

Bonzolead

Originally Posted by Music is Awesome

I keep breaking my sticks and denting my toms' head. Now it's is just getting annoying and costly to keep breaking my sticks.

Woah. There are two things you have to do:

1. Angle your toms less.
2. DON'T HIT AS HARD!

[Abbruzzese1981]

I use Lars Ulrich signature sticks. Thirty five bucks, but the taper covers are only about four bucks. My taper covers lasted a good four months before they needed dire replacement. Plus the tips hardly ever need replacing.

[east coast drummer]

Canada's Los Cabos Drumsticks have a great record for longevity. I find their red hickory line is particularly strong without being over heavy. If you haven't heard fo them, check them out. www.loscabosdrumsticks.com

[beastdrummagirl]

Probably my favorite unbreakable sticks, so far, would be the Zildjian Back Beat Dipped (purple)

[spantney]

I used to soley use Zildjian 5A sticks but they always kept breaking at the taper, must just be something to do with the way my drums/cymbals are angled. I would go through them at a rate of probably about a pair a week but in the 6 months or so since I switched to Vic Firth 5A's I've killed 2 pairs in total!

[Fiery]

Originally Posted by bonzolead

you just got a freak pair.................really LOL

keep swattin the finest grain sticks possible,
Bonzolead

It was two pairs and it was just one example I gave out of many. This consistently happens whenever I'm buying new sticks - the more grain lines, the lighter the stick and the sooner it breaks. Sticks with very few grain lines are a rare find in a bunch, but they have always lasted me a lot longer than the average stick.

If your experience is different for whatever reason, by all means carry on accordingly; for me it's the way I described, and I've gone through quite a few sticks to come to that conclusion.

[yesdog]

I use Vic Firth SD9 drivers or Pro Marks Sucherman sticks. I love the feel of them but they break very easy, They don't like rim shots or the bell of the ride cymbal. I recently played a show at a club that has a very bad sounding room. I used Vic Firth AC SD4 Combo's. One pair lasted all night 4 hours off playing. Those sticks are very tiny. I am confused I bought three pairs thinking one pair would not make it through one set.

[A-customs]

Originally Posted by jangus

I really dont understand how people break so many sticks. I've had the pair I'm using for at least 4 months.

Im guessing you dont do any Rimshots????Another common thing when guys break alot of sticks,is Hi Hats being set to high ,where the stick is always hitting them on the side.I still break them ,but not nearly as many as i used to.....

[larrylover]

Originally Posted by beastdrummagirl

Probably my favorite unbreakable sticks, so far, would be the Zildjian Back Beat Dipped (purple)
Attachment 32982

EWWW! dips!!! talk about callus burners.

on a side note, I made the mistake of rotating sticks for the past year, and now my 12+ pairs of sticks have been breaking every time I play them lol. down to about 5 sticks, and one new pair for emergencies.

(vicfirth 5AN)

[akasticks]

Originally Posted by drumbig

I buy a six pack of Vader 5b's about every two weeks. I don't break all of them though, I put them aside once there looking like they might break soon,I just like the way new sticks feel 'like new socks'.

I LOVE NEW SOCKS!!!!!!

[Rabbit Foot]

Every drumstick i ever break i just glue and duct tape back together, lasts me for a decent amount of time. But then again i cant afford sticks, yet alone drum head. :P

[McShmoopy]

Ive been using Vic Firth Metal N Nylon tipped sticks for about 5 months, DESPITE me doing Rimshot after Rimshot theyre still kicking! Sure they're worned fairly but these are some immense sticks for only £9! I would highly reccomend these if you are breaking sticks too often.

[redsky20]

Since I'm pretty broke I make my sticks last as long as physically possible, my Vic Firth American Classic 5AN's have lasted a good 7 months and they've only finally decided to put them away after a good few splinters in my eyes... ouch...

[JoeLackey]

Stick breaking all comes down to proper technique. There is no need for stick breaking. Honestly. Get you're technique down and you'll see a difference. I promise.

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Originally Posted by JoeLackey

Stick breaking all comes down to proper technique. There is no need for stick breaking. Honestly. Get you're technique down and you'll see a difference. I promise.

Sticks break because they're made of wood, they continually hit things and they are not made to last forever.....it's pretty simple. Now it's worth saying that I'm not talking about breaking a stick every 15 mins here. But to suggest that they should last forever? Just not true....whichever way you try and spin it.

This constant "bad technique" line that I continually read here on DW is a bullshit 'easy cop out' for mine. It depends on the level and consistancy of breakage. 13 sticks a night (as per a recent thread)....way too many and yes, technique needs to be called into question. A stick that breaks as a matter of course....nothing more than the cost of doing business.

Drums are made to be hit. As a result, some things are gonna wear...sticks are one, heads are another.

[Homeularis]

Drums are made to be hit. As a result, some things are gonna wear...sticks are one, heads are another.[/quote]

+1

And it goes for cymbals too.
The whole "technique" thing has some truth but alot of it is BS.
To say, if someone hits hard enough to break things sometimes, he or she has bad technique, doesnt make sense.
Some people just like to hit hard. I really used to pound and still do sometimes.
Oh, and you can save the whole "glancing blow" thing too. Like I have the time and extra energy for that. Just sayin.

[Rick H.]

Apparentally now they have those metal sticks coated in wood and you just change the heads or whatever but i hear theyre not all their cracked up to be, i like my 7A's they break every now again but what are you gonna do? drum sticks are gonna break, all you can do is prolong it, by moving to 2B's if youre willing to change stick sizes but either way in the end your gonna have a broken stick.

[nikole.957]

Originally Posted by bonzolead

you just got a freak pair.................really LOL

keep swattin the finest grain sticks possible,
Bonzolead

Online or DVD course would be cool. I've tuned plenty of old school rods. I want to learn how to do it the 21st century way. I too don't plan on doing this as a business, but would like to learn all I ca

[specgrade]

I use nylon tips and either they break off or just fly off. If I can find the escaping tip I'll glue it back on. I used to use wood tip but they seem to wear down quickly or split.

[PearlMasters]

I have been playing with Vic Firth 5A wood tip for years and I would always hate how fast they would break, especially when I was playing live. Im not much of a heavy hitter but I do crack the rim alot. Regardless, the tips would always split. I was so reluctant to switch to another stick because I've been using Vic's since middle school and Im now 26 but something had to happen. I tried different pairs and finally I came across the Los Angeles 5A wood tip from Vater. These sticks feel so good and are so very strong. I have been playing with the same pair for about 20 days now and I love the feel of them. I am now a Vater user for the time being. I think it was my own fault that I was never open and too stubborn to try new sticks.

[PearlMasters]

Originally Posted by topgun2021

What I hate is that I never break sticks on my drums, but my cymbals will chip my tips so often.

Are your cymbals straight across? Be cause if your hitting then at a straight angle its brutal for your sticks.

[PearlMasters]

Originally Posted by redsky20

Since I'm pretty broke I make my sticks last as long as physically possible, my Vic Firth American Classic 5AN's have lasted a good 7 months and they've only finally decided to put them away after a good few splinters in my eyes... ouch...

7 Months? No way. What do you play? The softest jazz?

[Mr.L]

I've been playing for almost a year, and I haven't broken a single pair of sticks... Maybe I'm just a wimp with the things. Or maybe they have iron built into them. You never know.

[Sonorforce3007user]

Originally Posted by PearlMasters

I have been playing with Vic Firth 5A wood tip for years and I would always hate how fast they would break, especially when I was playing live. Im not much of a heavy hitter but I do crack the rim alot. Regardless, the tips would always split. I was so reluctant to switch to another stick because I've been using Vic's since middle school and Im now 26 but something had to happen. I tried different pairs and finally I came across the Los Angeles 5A wood tip from Vater. These sticks feel so good and are so very strong. I have been playing with the same pair for about 20 days now and I love the feel of them. I am now a Vater user for the time being. I think it was my own fault that I was never open and too stubborn to try new sticks.

Welcome to the club! I think those Vic Firth sticks are awful - I never had a full tip on my 5A's for more than a week and once I had a pair that lasted 3 days before the stick broke in half. Now playing zildjian 5A's with plastic tips and although people have been saying how weak they are, they have lasted about 2 months now and the tip just won't break!

[danplaysdrums]

Here's a bit of information for those looking into their first pair of sticks or those thinking about trying a new brand/tip/model/wood type sticks.
The first thing to consider is the wood. Personally I don't think there are good woods and bad woods, different woods are suitable for different styles. Here is a quick overview of the 3 main types of wood used in drum sticks.

Oak
Oak is very heavy for it’s size. Oak sticks have a heavy feel, so they feel good in smaller diameters. Oak absorbs much less shock than Hickory, which means it passes the shock on to your hands, therefore Oak should be played on softer surfaces (i.e. snare drums not turned too high, rack and floor toms, and thinner cymbals) and at lower volume levels.

Maple
Maple is lighter feel than the other two woods, so you can have a much larger diameter stick in your hand without a heavy or slow and sluggish feel. Maple sticks are great for orchestral or Symphonic playing. Maple, like oak, has a lower shatter point, so when Maple sticks are taken to a drumset, rimshots with lead to quick failure on the sticks, unless playing low volume applications like soft jazz.

Hickory
The benefits range from very durable wood with a high shatter point, meaning it can take a get deal of abuse before breaking. Hickory sticks tend to chip away as they are played on cymbals or rimshots, as opposed to Maple and Oak, that can merely snap in half when the much lower shatter point is reached. The most important benefit is how Hickory sticks absorb more than twice the about of shock as the other woods. This means more of the vibration that stick occurs due to contact with a rim as in rimshots, or cymbals, is keep within the stick as opposed to transferred on to your hands, wrists, forearms, and elbows.

The next thing do think about is the tip, nylon or wood?
Wood tip sticks offers a warmer and quieter sound, thus they tend to have thicker necks.Nylon tip sticks due to the louder projection of the nylon tip tend to have thinner necks, and offer a very consistent sound during the lifetime of the stick.

Another vital parameter for a great stick is the tip shape.
Round, acorn, and arrow are the most common shapes for drumsticks. There are probably 20 or more variations on these 3 main shapes due to slight preference drummers will have for their performing situations or styles. Most of these variations can be seen on each drumstick Manufacturers’ Endorser Signature lines of sticks.
The acorn bead offers the great versatility as opposed to the round bead which offers the least versatility. The round bead offers a cleared articulate less warm sound than an acorn bead, and more uniform sound since despite the angle striking a round bead to a surface it will be the same. An acorn bead offers 3 clear positions of shape of the bead for different sounds. The arrow bead offers the warmest sound when propely played on the flat or large surface of the bead, but requires more advanced training to play acorn beads correctly and consistently.

Drumming beginners may become confused about all of the markings on drumsticks (5A, 5B, 2B etc.) However, the markings are rather simple.
A stands for orchestral, or symphonic style of music therefore narrower necks and small beads for quieter style of playing.

B stands for Band, therefore needing more neck and bead size to perform within a louder and larger performing group.

S stand for street, or marching band style of performing, therefore a thick diameter stick for projection and volume needs.


Hope that helps guys :)

Dan x

[RudimentalDrummer]

Thank You Dan for the Value Ifo here......


Regards


Eric

[DanEscapingVendetta]

Originally Posted by nick.bedford

I play alternative rock and I do rim shots as much as possible. Basically I have to play loud, as it also improves my performance and sounds better. But even then it takes me a little while to get through a pair of sticks.

I play in a band that's quite active and regularly gigs at venues such as the o2 Academy, HMV etc... We practice twice a week, 6 hours a session. A pair of Vic Firth Classic 2b's will last me around a month, sometimes longer.