How long do you keep sticks?

Mastiff

Mastiff

Senior Member
I don't mean how long in time, but how much damage do you tolerate before you toss them? I used to chew up my sticks on the side of the hi-hat, but I've gotten over that in recent years. Now the thing that happens is the bead wears down, or a chunk flies off leaving a flat spot. I had one set I used for a long time and I suddenly realized my ride sounded terrible because the bead was badly eroded away. I'm working on speeding up my doubles too, and a crappy bead with flat spots doesn't help. I recently swapped out my sticks and a big chunk of the bead came off within a week. Is this just the cost of doing business?
 
Mastiff said:
I don't mean how long in time, but how much damage do you tolerate before you toss them? I used to chew up my sticks on the side of the hi-hat, but I've gotten over that in recent years. Now the thing that happens is the bead wears down, or a chunk flies off leaving a flat spot. I had one set I used for a long time and I suddenly realized my ride sounded terrible because the bead was badly eroded away. I'm working on speeding up my doubles too, and a crappy bead with flat spots doesn't help. I recently swapped out my sticks and a big chunk of the bead came off within a week. Is this just the cost of doing business?
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When the bead wears down to the shape of a sharpened pencil.
 
Tip chunk-out usu means it's days with me are numbered

Seems, can't get thru a gig these days w/o a right hand cymbal side, tip-chip
oh well that means: was enthused and I meant it ; )
 
When I used Promark Carl Palmer sticks, I stopped using them when the wood tip started to chip. I had a box full of old sticks that were perfectly usable otherwise. A waste. The chipped tip cut the ping out of my ride cymbal.

That's the main reason I'm now using nylon tip sticks again. That, and Promark stopped making Palmers.
 
Chipped tip or the shoulder starts to split. I see guys playing some (to me) incredibly chewed-up sticks and I just don't know how they do it.
 
I use wood-tipped sticks all of the time. I use a pair of sticks until the tips get soft. I can tell that by playing the ride cymbal. Then I throw them away. I do not like how nylon-tipped sticks sound on the ride cymbal. I have been playing for over 50 years. Drum sticks come and go. Peace and goodwill.
 
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I use nylon tips, so I quit using them when the shoulder of the stick gets noticeably thinner, and when one stick feels different than the other one because it's missing so much meat. One stick usually is in better shape than the other one. So that goes into a bin, and eventually, I see if I can make pairs out of the remaining decent ones. If they weigh the same and pitch the same, they get recycled.
 
What they said. After every jam session I'll inspect them. When I can't hear my ride ping I know something is a miss. The acorn is always the first to split or whittle away. Oh yea, I use VF 5B wood tip. Thinking about switching back to nylon, idk.
 
Mastiff said:
I don't mean how long in time, but how much damage do you tolerate before you toss them? I used to chew up my sticks on the side of the hi-hat, but I've gotten over that in recent years. Now the thing that happens is the bead wears down, or a chunk flies off leaving a flat spot. I had one set I used for a long time and I suddenly realized my ride sounded terrible because the bead was badly eroded away. I'm working on speeding up my doubles too, and a crappy bead with flat spots doesn't help. I recently swapped out my sticks and a big chunk of the bead came off within a week. Is this just the cost of doing business?
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I keep them the same length I bought them. Why saw them down anyway?
 
That's a good question.

I use mainly nylon tips, so it's the wear on the shaft that is the determining factor if they live or die.

When they become unbalanced or they just feel off.......they get sent to the penal colony.

They get a second chance though.........my GF uses the old sticks at the school where she works.
 
I'd try nylon, but they don't offer them in many of the less popular style sticks as far as I can tell. Don't they split and fly off sometimes too?
 
Mastiff said:
I'd try nylon, but they don't offer them in many of the less popular style sticks as far as I can tell. Don't they split and fly off sometimes too?
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The only nylon tips that came off were from Vater sticks.......they must have used poor adhesive or something.

But yeah, to answer your question....... they do fly off.

The only sticks that continuously split/cracked/snapped on me were Vater.

I am never going within 100 feet of Vater sticks again.
 
Like another poster has said, until they feel ‘off’. Then they get binned.

I like the feel of a broken in pair of sticks. I always have ‘current‘ sticks and ‘future‘ sticks in my bag with pairs all marked with icons for easy referencing in my stick bag (see below photo) so that I’m always choosing matched pairs when quickly setting up.

When it’s time to switch to new ones I’ll use them in a rehearsal or two to break them in before using them fully.

On the Vater front I am currently trying their version of the 1A. One pair feels great, just like the Vic Firth model.

The other feels ridiculously light and brittle, which is destined for the bin.

6F67CB04-2D5D-419C-AB33-8799FA974845.jpeg
 
Juniper said:
Like another poster has said, until they feel ‘off’. Then they get binned.

I like the feel of a broken in pair of sticks. I always have ‘current‘ sticks and ‘future‘ sticks in my bag with pairs all marked with icons for easy referencing in my stick bag (see below photo) so that I’m always choosing matched pairs when quickly setting up.

When it’s time to switch to new ones I’ll use them in a rehearsal or two to break them in before using them fully.

On the Vater front I am currently trying their version of the 1A. One pair feels great, just like the Vic Firth model.

The other feels ridiculously light and brittle, which is destined for the bin.

View attachment 132085
Click to expand...

Marking the butt of the stick........... that is an absolutely brilliant idea.

I'm sure your coding system is understood by you and you only 😂
 
iCe said:
I use a pair until they start to feel 'off'. Most of the time that is when the neck has seen some wear and the stick starts to feel off-balance.
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For me, this is about 3-5 gigs. I'll also keep 2-3 "used up" pairs in the stick back for stick-drop spares and also to give to kids at non-bar gigs.
 
Benthedrummer said:
Marking the butt of the stick........... that is an absolutely brilliant idea.

I'm sure your coding system is understood by you and you only 😂
Click to expand...
I think I stole it from Anika Nilles and soon realised its benefits. Really is a great way to quickly choose two matching pairs in rushed setups, so I can’t claim credit. Takes a second or two to mark them, when a new matched pair arrives.

The icons are chosen in random simply to match two pairs together, but you soon learn which markings are the ‘go to’ sticks that currently feel ‘the best’
 
Juniper said:
I think I stole it from Anika Nilles and soon realised its benefits. Really is a great way to quickly choose two matching pairs in rushed setups, so I can’t claim credit. Takes a second or two to mark them when a new matched pair arrives.

You soon learn which markings are the ‘go to’ sticks.
Click to expand...

Really good little trick there Juniper.

Thank you for sharing this idea.
 
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