Breaking sticks

Re: Breaking sticks left and right...

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.....
 
Probably my favorite unbreakable sticks, so far, would be the Zildjian Back Beat Dipped (purple)
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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)
 
Re: Breaking sticks left and right...

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!!!!!!
 
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
 
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.
 
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...
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Vater!

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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
Re: Vater!

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


Regards


Eric
 
Re: Breaking sticks left and right...

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.
 
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