My favorite sticks

Switched from Vater 5A Los Angeles wood tip acorn to

Pro Mark rebound fire grain 5A wood tip acorn or oval
 
I was always a Pro Mark guy (usually TX5BN). More recently I switched to Pro Mark Fire Grain 5B Forward which were kind of the perfect stick for me.

However, Pro Mark seemingly decided to completely discontinue the “Forward” variant of their sticks, so I’m currently in search of a proper replacement.

More by chance I learned that Meinl makes sticks for just over two years now when I was offered them at a local music store. So I decided to try their 5B Heavy model and so far it feels damn close to my Pro Mark 5B Forwards. So I might have found my new favorite stick.
 
I wanna try the Bopworks sticks-Amazon is easiest for me to order and they have signature Mel Lewis and Art Blakey which I'm interested but more so in other models. I had ordered both on Amazon but then quickly stopped my order on second thought. I still want to try their standard models-a birdland stick and another one I can't remember the name. They pair sticks by weight so balanced as I recollect. I'm surprised how sensitive I am getting to sticks weight and whatnot. The feel of a stick really influences your playing and I really prefer a more round acorn like tip but others work fine too. I just want it to hold up.
 
I go through phases of sticks, sometimes I like 5Bs sometimes I like 7As. When I’m into my 7As I would normally use either my Vater Manhattan 7As or my Promark firegrains. When I feel like 5Bs I would use my promark active grips.

luke
 
Regal Tip Jazz and Jazz-E were a perfect fit for me. Can't get them anymore, or so it seems. Vic Firth AJ4's are close but I'm still looking.
 
Have you tried the Promark Elvin Jones model yet? The Regal Tip sticks I've tried had a pretty thick lacquer, though and the Promarks don't have that..
Yes, I have tried the Elvin's but they feel a little heavier in the hand to me, compared to the Regal Tips. I do like them though.
 
Promark Firegrain rebound 5A, Todd Sucherman sigs, and Regal Tip Jeff Porcaro sigs.
 
Last edited:
Promark Oak Wood Tip w/ Stick Rapp. I alternate between the 5B and 747B
 
Last edited:
I got some Regal Tip Jeff Porcaro sticks and they are great! I may be switching to them as long as I can get them. It took Regal Tip a month to acknowledge my order and deliver them, but they did send them.
 
I use Vater for a few years and loved them... Then a customer brought me a couple of pairs of Dave Weckl sticks and i have no desire to ever use anything else...
They are light.. crazy stiff and somehow last forever... easily the best sticks i have ever used.
 
Vater Sugar Maple SD9s, essentially 5B in diameter with an extra 1/4" in length but lighter in weight.
 
I bought a pair of the Vinnie Paul sig's and found them to be a bit unbalanced. They're very forward heavy and even on a practice pad they're weird.
I'll stick to the Thomas Lang sig's for pad work & the On-Stage 5b maples (with Sex Wax for grip) for the kit.

Update:
The On Stage maple sticks left more wood slivers on my rug than a logging site. Cheap sticks are cheap quality and I learned from this the hard way.
Ahead 5a & 5b's are the stick of choice at my house. I'll use the cheapies at a gig & let the wood fly! :devilish:
 
Last edited:
Vic Firth Freestyle 5B
 
Last posted here in October 2020 and ofcourse things have changed... again... haha

Been using the Vater 5B maple sticks for some time and eventually felt that those weren't the right ones. Felt a bit 'off' in my hands. Thought i wanted a thinner stick and a bit more weight, so tried the Vic Firth 5A's for a while. Those weren't the right ones either, so switched back to the maple 5B's and yup... those felt better.
Still after some time i felt i was missing something and discovered the SD9 maple stick.

Was going for the Vater stick, but since those were sold out i thought i give the Vic Firth SD9 Maple a spin. Haven't regretted it since!
Basically a maple 5B that is slighty thicker and longer (5B diameter = .595" | 1.51cm / length = 16" | 40.64cm, the SD9 diameter = .610" | 1.55cm / length = 16.25" | 41.28cm)

It just feels right and i'm loving the extra length. Doesn't seem a lot, but it feels like a huge improvement. It also has a different tip (oval instead of acorn) and that gives a tad brighter sound on cymbals without overpowering. With hickory sticks i found that cymbals sound to 'harsh' and 'pingy', but this is just perfect. Toms and snare also sound a bit fuller and louder, meaning i can hit a bit less hard.

I do find the 'official' name amusing, because I've never used a stick with such a long name!
Vic Firth Rock Maple American Custom SD9 Driver

1641453544982.png
 
Last edited:
Back
Top