Light stick lover - can't win

A week or two ago, GC had a sale on those SP sticks.
I picked up 7A and 5B packs just to try them out, and to have some nylon tips for variety.
Most of my other ones have wood tips - barrel and round.

I really like the 7A's, and if I need sticks in the future, I think I'll be going with those.
Obviously, they're thinner and lighter, but I also like how my cymbals respond to them.

That said, there's a pretty significant volume difference between the two,
and for someone who needs to get louder, the 5B's are the right choice.

Good observation, as someone who almost exclusively uses the SP 7a I also find I have to 'dig' a bit harder in higher volume situations however... That is a non-issue for me anymore as I don't play 'heavy' music anymore, the musicians I play with don't crank amps, I'm not that heavy handed, and my kit is mic'ed 99% of the time I play live. I could see this being an adjustment for someone typically using a 5b or thicker. I ultimately love the speed and finesse of the thinner sticks. I also take more of the Copeland approach to tuning, meaning my drums are much tighter and brighter up close, so I get a boost in projection from my preferred tuning.

The SP 7a is also a joy to use on my ekit.
 
The test pair I ordered was the anti-vibe. Local store had regular in stock so I just went out and got a regular Zildjian 7A Nylon pair.
Will compare the two, and hopefully this will be my path to saying goodbye to RT. Their responses to me today were just plain unacceptable.
 
Well, I thought I would be honest about how today's test went.

I ran about 90 minutes of material. First half with the new Zildjian 7As. Second with my RT Jazz nylons.

During the first half, I was thinking, well, I think I can adjust to this. But amazingly, I was Feeling the length difference big time, even though it wasn't a big difference. Then for the second half, it was - ahhh.

Ugh. I NEED 16" and .520 ish.

More stick experimentation dollars in the toilet. I'm going to wind up waiting for the RTs, even though they no longer Deserve my money.
And, when I find stock, I will probably bankrupt myself buying a lifetime supply so that I can stop worrying about this nonsense.

Arg.
 
I made a post earlier about Vic Firth AJ 3s I met to say AJ5 I use both models but the AJ5 is longer than a 7A but about the same diameter. I can move quickly and quietly with those sticks
 
I'm laying here reading this thread and once again I'm just blown away as to the life preserves being tossed overboard in the whirlpool of sticks. You guys are unfrikkin real around here. This all gets deep into the tools of our trade and the amount of responses I've read makes me just shake my head in near disbelief to the amount of intense scrutiny under the microscope of sticks. This is just amazing to me.
 
I like lighter-weight sticks in general (not that I've played properly in years) but always hated how thin they are. So about a decade ago I switched to primarily using maple sticks on gigs where pumping out the volume wasn't a concern. Good balance for me. 5A diameter with the weight of a 7A.

Mind you, the vestiges of any 'technique' that I may have briefly had have probably gone by now given that I haven't been able to regularly play since about 2013...
 
Good observation, as someone who almost exclusively uses the SP 7a I also find I have to 'dig' a bit harder in higher volume situations however... That is a non-issue for me anymore as I don't play 'heavy' music anymore, the musicians I play with don't crank amps, I'm not that heavy handed, and my kit is mic'ed 99% of the time I play live. I could see this being an adjustment for someone typically using a 5b or thicker. I ultimately love the speed and finesse of the thinner sticks. I also take more of the Copeland approach to tuning, meaning my drums are much tighter and brighter up close, so I get a boost in projection from my preferred tuning.

The SP 7a is also a joy to use on my ekit.

Any chance you'd have a food or mail scale to be able to weigh the SP 7As?

For reference, my RT Jazz Nylons are 1.5 to 1.6 ounces.
 
Ok, since I recently got a new 'brick' of x4 pairs of SP 7a's I figured they would be best to test since they have no wear/use. I ripped open the brick and weighed out each individual stick then listed the results in the pairs they were packed as (I ended up resorting the pairs to have more similar weights, you'll see what I mean):

Pair 1
1.64oz
1.57oz

Pair 2
1.74oz
1.63oz

Pair 3
1.71oz
1.59oz

Pair 4
1.55oz
1.56oz

When I used to get the vater manhattan 7a the weight would usually be within the 0.1oz variance you mentioned on your RT's BUT I don't mind the slightly wider weight range (it's still very minimal) when the SP feels the same as the Vater and is half the price.


Ohhhh yea, I use wood tips so keep that in mind. I would think the nylon tip versions would be in the same ballpark. I don't have a lab grade scale like I used to but my humble 'spice scale' (lol) passes the nickel test so it's accurate enough for this conversation.
 
Ok, since I recently got a new 'brick' of x4 pairs of SP 7a's I figured they would be best to test since they have no wear/use. I ripped open the brick and weighed out each individual stick then listed the results in the pairs they were packed as (I ended up resorting the pairs to have more similar weights, you'll see what I mean):

Pair 1
1.64oz
1.57oz

Pair 2
1.74oz
1.63oz

Pair 3
1.71oz
1.59oz

Pair 4
1.55oz
1.56oz

When I used to get the vater manhattan 7a the weight would usually be within the 0.1oz variance you mentioned on your RT's BUT I don't mind the slightly wider weight range (it's still very minimal) when the SP feels the same as the Vater and is half the price.


Ohhhh yea, I use wood tips so keep that in mind. I would think the nylon tip versions would be in the same ballpark. I don't have a lab grade scale like I used to but my humble 'spice scale' (lol) passes the nickel test so it's accurate enough for this conversation.

Interesting. Thank you so much. The difference between the min and the max is a bit of a surprise. On the other hand, these weights, are, I think, in the zone.

I wonder if I could get away with going in person to a Guitar Center with my little scale - and buying the lighter ones.
I also wonder what difference the nylons will make?
 
Interesting. Thank you so much. The difference between the min and the max is a bit of a surprise. On the other hand, these weights, are, I think, in the zone.

I wonder if I could get away with going in person to a Guitar Center with my little scale - and buying the lighter ones.
I also wonder what difference the nylons will make?

GC sells both the single pairs and the 4pk bricks of the SP sticks. My local store has them on the very bottom of the stick rack in a non-marked area. If you didn't know what you were looking for you would think they are just overstock of other stick haha. They have a practice pad set up next to the sticks, bring your scale and see. My scale is about the size of a smartphone so I could fit mine in my pocket.
 
Interesting. Thank you so much. The difference between the min and the max is a bit of a surprise. On the other hand, these weights, are, I think, in the zone.

I wonder if I could get away with going in person to a Guitar Center with my little scale - and buying the lighter ones.

Are you sure the SP 7As are a full 16"? Specs aren't listed on website, and, in an Amazon review, someone said they were 15.75".
 
Are you sure the SP 7As are a full 16"? Specs aren't listed on website, and, in an Amazon review, someone said they were 15.75".

Mine are all 16" on the dot and these are the wood tips which have a shorter ball type tip, the nylon tips may even add 1/16 of an inch +/- (say 1-2mm).
 
I'm a big fan of finding what works for the individual.

Reading what I have here, I realized that I've never given this much thought to sticks, ever.

They almost don't matter to me, but I am realizing that they mean a lot to others.
 
Uhh. I NEED 16" and .520 ish.
As I said before: Frank Kincel from LA Backbeat
I do have 16“ in .505, .520 & .535 from him.
You can get the sticks from him in different weights and taper.
J = Jazz = lighter wood
B = Bounce = longer Taper
X = extra reach = longer stick
I can really recommend getting in touch with Frank; he‘s doing great work.
 
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As I said before: Frank Kincel from LA Backbeat
I do have 16“ in .505, .520 & .535 from him.
You can get the sticks from him in different weights and taper.
J = Jazz = lighter wood
B = Bounce = longer Taper
X = extra reach = longer stick
I can really recommend getting in touch with Frank; he‘s doing great work.

Thank you. I don't think they had nylons, correct?
 
I'm a big fan of finding what works for the individual.

Reading what I have here, I realized that I've never given this much thought to sticks, ever.

They almost don't matter to me, but I am realizing that they mean a lot to others.

I wish they Didn't mean a lot to me. Unfortunately, wrong weight or length feels really uncomfortable to me.
 
You may still be able to get the stick from other sources.
Unless you're a Regal Tip player. Then all you see is "sold out" for literally a year.
So many have moved on to other brands I doubt they'll recover. Too bad to as they were my first brand of choice since 1980. :confused:
 
I have played light sticks for many years. I am a Stickitis person as far as experimenting, but I seem to always return to where I started.

My goto for many years was Regal Tip Jazz Nylons. 16", .520 diameter. But, they are dying or dead, so I tried to find the closest alternative.
I actually succeeded after a long search. Promark Jazz Nylons. Those are good and comfortable for me.

My local dealer just emailed me and said Promark discontinued the stick, so I am back to square 1.

Anyone know of a light 16", .520ish diameter stick with a nylon tip?
Have you tried Vic Firth 7AN hickory? They are slightly shorter than the Regal Tips ~15 1/2” x 0.512” (approximate) diameter. Nylon tips. Let me know if you can’t find any and I’ll send you these since I don’t really use them much.
 

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I'm laying here reading this thread and once again I'm just blown away as to the life preserves being tossed overboard in the whirlpool of sticks. You guys are unfrikkin real around here. This all gets deep into the tools of our trade and the amount of responses I've read makes me just shake my head in near disbelief to the amount of intense scrutiny under the microscope of sticks. This is just amazing to me.
Actually it’s just a forum to discuss stuff like this lol
 
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