Drummers: Whats your preference; NYLON or WOOD tip, any why? (What's your favorite stick?)

[lindsayannemusic]

For jazz, I usually use ?uestlove sticks, there really light and long.

Rock and most other heavier styles, I use vic firth perfect pair - 7a, or 5a, depending on how heavy the music is. Vic Firth Dave Weckl Signature Drumsticks are a special favorite of mine. And of course there are too many to list random 5a's and 7a's I give a try

[lindsayannemusic]

Drummers: Whats your preference; NYLON or WOOD tip, any why? (What's your favorite stick?)
For jazz, I usually use ?uestlove sticks, there really light and long.

Rock and most other heavier styles, I use vic firth perfect pair - 7a, or 5a, depending on how heavy the music is. Vic Firth Dave Weckl Signature Drumsticks are a special favorite of mine. And of course there are too many to list random 5a's and 7a's I give a try if they're on sale.

[MasterCylinder]

I play pop and prog...........I use 5B nylon because they make my ride cymbal sound gorgeous.

It's that simple.

[JesusMySavior]

I am a wood tip guy through and through. I hate the sound and feel of nylon tips. Right now I am a Zildjian Anti-Vibe guy. Not because it is necessarily 100% my choice, but because I suffer from massive carpal tunnel (which I am currently treating with ice and motrin). They are great sticks.

Before my carpal tunnel became a life issue, I used Pro Mark Oaks. 5a, 747, and 888s were my choice. It is more than likely what irritated my wrists so much as I would woodshed for 6 hours a day with these oak sticks. No mercy, lol.

Anyways yeah wood tip and Zildjian Ant-Vibe. Protect your hands and wrists, they are precious instruments.

[LeftoverPenguin]

I prefer the sound/feel of wood, but they don't last as long as the nylon sticks. So I've been using nylon for day-to-day practicing and saving the wood sticks for performances.

I've been using Vic Firth's Extreme 5A sticks and Questlove's signature sticks. I had been using regular 5A but the added length on the extreme sticks are closer to the length of Quests signature sticks. I use 7A on occasion as well.

[tard]

Nylon, Vic Firth 5bn, I like the crispness of the nylon tip on the hats and rides and the big difference in sound when alternating between the shoulder and the tip on hats or while riding the bell on the ride plus the extra life of the tips is a bonus.

[Flareless]

Nylon are nice in that they don't chip away like wood and provide a consistent sound but I gave them up decades ago because of my big bass player Jim.

When we jammed Jim stood in front of the drums and to my right of the kit. We were playing something particularly rocking when suddenly Jim stopped playing, grabbed the back of his neck with his hand and started swearing. It seems the nylon tip of my stick flew off and hit him in the neck with my last cymbal crash. Wow! Drum Stick Guns!

Jim, who was a big bruiser offered to not kill me if I promised to switch back to wooden sticks and never use those cursed nylon tipped things again.

That was 31 years ago and after that I've only used wood tips - out of respect for the bass player : )

[tard]

Originally Posted by Flareless

Nylon are nice in that they don't chip away like wood and provide a consistent sound but I gave them up decades ago because of my big bass player Jim.

When we jammed Jim stood in front of the drums and to my right of the kit. We were playing something particularly rocking when suddenly Jim stopped playing, grabbed the back of his neck with his hand and started swearing. It seems the nylon tip of my stick flew off and hit him in the neck with my last cymbal crash. Wow! Drum Stick Guns!

Jim, who was a big bruiser offered to not kill me if I promised to switch back to wooden sticks and never use those cursed nylon tipped things again.

That was 31 years ago and after that I've only used wood tips - out of respect for the bass player : )

I have only ever lost one nylon tip off of a Vic Firth stick in the last 14 years and the set of sticks were just about worn out but true to their warranty the gave me a brand new pair of sticks. In the past I have had quite a few pieces of wooden tips split on the grain and the chips fly off and hit me in the face which is one of the reasons I went to nylon tips.

[Big Foot]

Vater Fusion maple w/ the round tip. Usually nylon for practice because they last longer. Wood when we play jazz and nylon or wood (which ever is closer to hand) for anything else.
I'm looking forward to trying the new Fusion Acorn tip - in maple.

[scott brunson]

5as 7as cheap by the dozen.. as long as their straight and balanced.. strictly wood tip,,, nylon gives me a false bounce and damage heads

[Anto]

Nylon all the way, the last wood tips i bought broke after an hour of playing. My nylon sticks (Vic Firth 5AN) last a lot longer, although i did have a few of those tips fly off from time to time!

[Bretton]

Nylon. the only difference I really notice is on the ride cymbal, and it makes it much brighter and pingier.

I warm up with Vater 3As and then switch to the Vater "Punisher" which is a ball tip, sized in between 5Bs and 2Bs

[tard]

Originally Posted by Anto

Nylon all the way, the last wood tips i bought broke after an hour of playing. My nylon sticks (Vic Firth 5AN) last a lot longer, although i did have a few of those tips fly off from time to time!

If you loose a nylon tip on a Vic Firth stick they will give you a new set of sticks no questions asked.


http://www.vicfirth.com/products/americanclassicN.php

American Classic® Nylon Tip Hickory Drumsticks

For durability and the brightest cymbal sounds, nylon tips are the answer. The American Classic® nylon tip models mirror their wood tip counterparts, so drummers can switch from the richness of a wood tip to the brilliance of nylon without sacrificing feel and balance. And with Vic Firth's new "tip locking" manufacturing process, they won't chip or fly off - guaranteed!

[moe.ron]

vater stewart copeland signature stick is my favorite but if i usually use vater fusion nylon round tip live if there's no micing

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

If I'm honest, when I'm standing away from the kit hearing someone else play, nylon tips are neither here nor there to me. I can barely pick the difference even if I'm concentrating, if I'm not then I don't notice them at all.

But when I'm sitting on top of the kit using them myself, I've grown to detest the sharp slapping sound they produce on a snare batter and I equally hate the harsh, overt brightness I hear on a hat or ride cymbal.

Personally, give me a wooden tip any day of the week.

[JBoom]

I use the Pro-Mark 5A Oak (with wood tip). Love the feel and the sound.

If you're dealing with tips that chip quickly, either your sticks are cheap or your playing is very intense. I would figure out if playing has anything to do with it, and then figure out if there are any changes you can make in your playing that could help. If playing and/or quality can't be changed, you might just have to deal with the expense of sticks in your playing (if you're satisfied with your playing, I'd say it's worth it).

All that said, the Pro-Mark Oak sticks are a denser, more solid wood, so that might help.

[mls]

For acoustic drums, wood tip is all I will use because of their lower pitched sound on cymbals. For electric drums, I will only use nylon, as they harbour (and spread) less dirt and also are less likely to fracture, causing damage to my silicone DTX pads. Ironically, I've never experienced a damaged wood tip when using acoustic, but considering a drum head is a mere fraction of the cost of a silicone DTX pad, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

My perfect stick? I've not found it yet. I'm currently trying out all the 5A's and 5B's from the big three (Vater, Vic Firth, Pro-Mark). Vater have recently cut their stick prices by just over 25% in Australia ($14.95, down from $19.95) so despite being a dyed-in-the-wool Pro-Mark user, that cost saving is hard to ignore.

[Drumolator]

Wood tips. Better ride cymbal sound. Enough said.

[Swexx]

I gotta go wood tip on this one. Even though nylons are more durable, I think woods sound a little less harsh.

My favourite stick is the Vic Firth 8D - it's a mix between a 7A and a 5A, having the length of a 5A and the diameter of a 7A.

[audiotech]

Durability is not a factor to me when it comes to sticks and wooden tips sound so much better to me when playing cymbals. Depending on the type of wood and the shape of the tips, you can get a variety of different sounds from sticks with wooden tips. When I'm auditioning cymbals, I always use the same sticks that I use for most of my playing and it just so happens that I like the weight and feel of the Steve Gadd sticks with wooden tips, although I have many others in similar sizes that work just fine.

Dennis

[Bo Eder]

I prefer wood tips. Either the Vater Los Angeles or the Vic Firth 5A. But I'll make either of them work if I had to.

[Anto]

Originally Posted by tard

If you loose a nylon tip on a Vic Firth stick they will give you a new set of sticks no questions asked.


http://www.vicfirth.com/products/americanclassicN.php

American Classic® Nylon Tip Hickory Drumsticks

For durability and the brightest cymbal sounds, nylon tips are the answer. The American Classic® nylon tip models mirror their wood tip counterparts, so drummers can switch from the richness of a wood tip to the brilliance of nylon without sacrificing feel and balance. And with Vic Firth's new "tip locking" manufacturing process, they won't chip or fly off - guaranteed!

Interesting, how would I go about getting replacement sticks? Does it matter if the stick is broken too?

[larryace]

Wood ball tip for me. 5B or better. The heavier the stick, the fuller tone that comes out...drums and cymbals. Ball tips are my preferred shape for cymbal tones.

Nylon is too harsh sounding to me. Not by a lot, but enough. I get plenty of life from my wood tips. I'll use the same pair on gigs for the better part of a year. The middle where I rimshot is the first thing to go. Yea, the tips aren't perfect after months of use but that doesn't affect me too much. I still play them until they break. I prefer a broken in stick to a brand new stick.

If they could make a plastic tip that was mellower sounding I'd buy it. I've seen those ridged plastic tips but haven't tried them yet. The ridges....knowing me, they will catch the cymbal edge. Abrading nylon tips with sand paper may mellow the attack, haven't tried that either.

[SticksEasy]

I love both. I use nylon because my favorite stick is only available in nylon tip, but I've used a lot of wood tips in the past too.

I think I also lean more toward Nylon because I like snap from my toms. I tune them really low and dampen out remaining overtones with either Evans rings, or a moon gel near the top of the head. I like each drum head to pop during a fill, rather than all of them to clash together in a big boomy mess. Nylon tips go a long way toward giving me that extra bit of attack outta' my drums.

For cymbals, I can't tell a lot of difference, because I always play crashes with the shoulders of my stick, and I play so aggressively on responsive ride cymbals, there's not a lot of room for change between my strokes.

Long story short - if I had to use wood, I wouldn't complain. One of my favorite drumstick models of all time is Vater's 5B Nude in wood tip.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I use all sizes and both tips. I haven't seen anyone using the aluminum or felt tips just to add to the mix.

[IDDrummer]

Wood tips for me. I don't like the sound of nylon. Preferred stick is harder, as I use a lot of different ones. Favorites include CDX sticks made to my specs (heavy shaft with a long taper), ProMark Benny Greb model, and Vic Firth Dave Weckl model. Any 5B will work, though!

[kettles]

Zildjian Dave Grohls are my main sticks at the moment, but I also use 5As, 7As, and Vinnie Paul Sigs which are huge. I like the tip on the VPs. I prefer wood, partly because our practice room is a tin shed and I need to do everything I can to cut down the brightness of the cymbals, and also because I like the feel better. I like the Zildjian black dip sticks too, they make playing with cold hands much less work.

Haven't had much opportunity to try different sticks in my time. Only played for "3 years" during high school and besides being able to play half a dozen songs through and through I didn't know squat about drums lol. So it's been all wood for me for those three years and for the past 9 months since getting back in.

I play both Sound Percussion sticks and Vater. Lets face it, well known brands are very expensive so I get a few sets of Vater Rock sticks and then get these SP sticks as sort of "throw away sticks". I use up the SP's first and then play with the Vaters. I have to say these SP sticks are AWESOME! Especially the 5B's! Also love my Vaters though next time around I am going to try the Hammers or Aliens.

PS: The last link are to the 5A's but I get the 5B's and with that deal of B1G1F.

http://vater.com/products/product.cfm?M=12

http://vater.com/products/product.cfm?M=26

http://vater.com/products/product.cfm?M=111

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Sound-Pe...37-i1445169.gc

[caddywumpus]

Wood tips. You can always make a wooden stick sound more articulate on cymbals by using the click grip, and more articulate on the toms by using a staccato stroke. You can't make a nylon tip sound less articulate...

[larryace]

Originally Posted by caddywumpus

Wood tips. You can always make a wooden stick sound more articulate on cymbals by using the click grip, and more articulate on the toms by using a staccato stroke. You can't make a nylon tip sound less articulate...

Click grip Phil, :) is that like French with the thumb on top? I do that on my ride because it does yield a superior click. Is that what you mean? What about the staccato stoke, that's new to me. How do you do a staccato stroke?

[Phills]

Used to play with all the sticks I could find (or could afford) when I was a kid.
Now only playing with wooden tipped sticks. Mostly the somewhat longer sticks like the Vic Firth 5A extreme or the Jack DeJohnette signature.
I also like the Dave Weckl signature or a 5B. Depends on the song / style.
Maybe I should try some nylon tips again, just to hear how that sounds and feels.

[bobdadruma]

I use both for different sounds.
I like them both equally.

[caddywumpus]

Originally Posted by larryace

Click grip Phil, :) is that like French with the thumb on top? I do that on my ride because it does yield a superior click. Is that what you mean? What about the staccato stoke, that's new to me. How do you do a staccato stroke?

The click grip is about muting the stick, the angle of the head on the cymbal, and the resonance chamber you form with your fingers and palm. Yes, it's thumb up, but can be any angle, really, as long as you can achieve the motion.

As for the staccato stroke, Phil, it's the same you learn when playing timpani. I found that adapting it to the toms sounds great, especially when you need a sharp attack at quieter volumes.

[dmacc]

99% if the time Vic Firth Wooden Tip SD4's

1% of the time Vic Firth Peter Erskine Ride Stick (wooden tip)

Why wood? I'm not a fan of the sound or feel of nylon tips as a player. As a listener - matters here nor there.

[uniin]

wood tip. always. never liked the sound of nylon tip.

i used vic firth 2bs... loved the size weight and feel, but whilst looking for a new stick i began to use zildjian mike mangini signatures... i feeled as if their heavier weight and slightly smaller diameter was better for me... re-using the vic firth 2bs and i don't regret it one bit.

[whatsthatfunkysmell?]

I'm a wood tip guy, tried the nylons but wasn't a huge fan. Right now I'm playing nova 5b sticks and I couldn't be happier. Dirt cheap drumsticks and I'm still on my first pair after two months.

[cdrums21]

I am a wood tip guy as well. I like the sound the nylon tip gives to my ride, but I don't quite like the sound and feel of it on my drums, so I go with the wood tips. I use Regal 2B wood tip sticks. The tips don't chip up, but the shoulder gets chewed up pretty quick. The tips are oval shaped and give me a monstrous fat sound from my drums. I find that round tips really dent up heads. I've used 5B's as well, but the Regal 2B's sound best for what I look for in sound and feel.

[2bsticks]

For the majority of the time I use Vic Firth American Classic 5B wood (round) tip. They just feel great in my hands and rebound very well off the cymbals and drums. I also like the Zildjian 5B nylon tip. I like the brightness off the ride cymbal.

Plus I have an in at Zildjian who now owns Vic Firth so I get my sticks dirt cheap :-)

[cdrums21]

Originally Posted by 2bsticks

For the majority of the time I use Vic Firth American Classic 5B wood (round) tip. They just feel great in my hands and rebound very well off the cymbals and drums. I also like the Zildjian 5B nylon tip. I like the brightness off the ride cymbal.

Plus I have an in at Zildjian who now owns Vic Firth so I get my sticks dirt cheap :-)

Pete! I've used Vic Firth 5B wood tip sticks too, but the tip wasn't round, more acorn shaped? Do you have a problem with your heads denting with the round tip sticks? I had a drummer sit in on my kit and used his own round tipped sticks. He dented the crap out of my tom heads and they were brand new clear emps. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about it. He didn't seem like that hard of a hitter either. Maybe it's technique, this guy didn't seem to have much. :(

[2bsticks]

Hi Clint, So far no dented heads and I can hit hard at times. I currently have clear Emperors on my Oak kit, but on my Slingerlands I use coated Ambassadors and no damage at all. I wonder how the guy hit the drums? \
I will be putting some clear Ambassadors on my Oak Customs next week so I will pay close attention. Hope all is well with you.