How long do you keep sticks?

I stop using them after I can feel a crack or split in them. I usually keep them around as a giveaway on the off chance that someone wants one. Now that I'm using wood-tipped sticks, I have to keep an eye on the tips to make sure that they aren't chipping/sharpening and knock dents in my heads. I prefer nylon tips, but I hit an amazing sale at LIDC on some wood-tipped Vic Firth sticks last year. I've been using them and have been enjoying them.
 
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.

Glad I'm not the only one who labels sticks. Lol. I mark each pair with matching letters.
 
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’

I mark the butt ends also , except no icons . I color code them.
With 3 daughters and my wife there’s plenty of nail polish around for this purpose. I’ve used permanent color markers also .

I use nylon on the kit and wood tip on my marcher . Any chips in the wood tip for marcher they get replaced but this rarely happens . I’ve used the same 4 pair for years as there’s never really any tip or shoulder damage at all . The nylon tips for the kit get replaced if the tip comes off , if I can find it it gets glued back on or…. When there’s a split anywhere on the stick . I prolong a pairs use by switching the right ( hats) and left ( snare) sticks to spread the snare hand stick damage from rim shots between both prolonging the life of the
“ pair “.
 
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I use nylon tips, and have never had a tip come off in 30 years of gigging.

A pair of sticks lasts me around 100 gigs, generally one year. By then they’re feeling a little dry and lighter than new, perhaps 1mm thinner at the shoulder.
I keep the better one as a spare and use the worn one in the garden somewhere.
 
I am going to have to keep my last pair of Regals forever, I absolutely CANNOT bear to lose them now that the company went under. Nobody makes sticks in this size and my system is used to the feeling of them- hands, wrists etc. Honestly do not know what to do if I can't find any on Ebay once my last pair breaks apart.
 
As soon as the tip splinters, I burn it. Here's a couple in the fire:

IMG_8438.jpg
Nobody makes sticks in this size and my system is used to the feeling of them- hands, wrists etc. Honestly do not know what to do if I can't find any on Ebay once my last pair breaks apart.
Just a thought, but Eric Moore is now producing sticks and some have unique sizes.

 
Why is it that nylon tips are less popular? Seems like a fine solution to the chipped tip problem. Too pingy on the ride?
 
Why is it that nylon tips are less popular? Seems like a fine solution to the chipped tip problem. Too pingy on the ride?
it could be that; could also be a weight/ feel. Maybe if they were impregnated color "brown" to match rest of stick they'd be accepted even more.
Now there's an idea..
I think there was a stick where the nylon tips were brown.. for those that feel the white is distracting lol
 
Why is it that nylon tips are less popular? Seems like a fine solution to the chipped tip problem. Too pingy on the ride?
The ping on cymbals is *much* brighter. The softer woody sound of a wood tip is eliminated, but the tip lasts forever.
 
it could be that; could also be a weight/ feel. Maybe if they were impregnated color "brown" to match rest of stick they'd be accepted even more.
Now there's an idea..
I think there was a stick where the nylon tips were brown.. for those that feel the white is distracting lol
Correct ! I used them long ago but forget if they were regal tip or pro mark 🤔. Was definitely one or the other .
They weren’t the same color as the stick though . They were like a chocolate brown and seemed somewhat softer or more pliable than the white nylon.

Edit: Now that I think of it I’m pretty sure they were pro mark .
 
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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 😂

yeah...we always did that in marching band so that people's sticks didn't get mixed up

I use Vic Firth 3A's for everything

a pair of sticks will last me about a year in my metal bands. They shred mostly right around the middle due to rim shots. The beads never chip or shred though. Once they start feeling like they are going to break, they go to the fire pit wood pile

for my jazz/country band, I have sticks that are 5-6 years old. Those don't get shredded as much
 
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
I learned about marking the butt end from being at a clinic with Todd Sucherman, when he was illustrating how he could feel the difference in weight between sticks. And him describing how he would mark certain ones based on that weight. (I certainly can't detect that minor a difference!)

To answer the OP question, I play them till they break, or if they begin to feel mushy, as others have noted. (Nylon tips here.) I had one do that just this past weekend. I looked at the foolish thing between songs, and couldn't see any cracks or breaks, but it simply felt awful. Nice to know it wasn't just me.
 
I don't mean how long in time, but how much damage do you tolerate before you toss them?
I use 5A or 3A (between 5A and 5B). I rarely break sticks; they get whittled thinner over time until they sound weak, like smaller than 7As.

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?
Nylon tips. Used ProMark for 30+ years because they guaranteed the tips didn't come off- and to be fair, they haven't, although I have a couple of pairs now that the tips freely spin, which is disconcerning- but they've discontinued my preferred models, so I'm on the hunt for something similar. I'll probably go with Vater Fusion, but I'm a bit stocked up currently.

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.
I've had nylon tips fly off some ProMark sticks, but that was several years before the aforementioned guarantee began. It's also been over 30 years since I've broken a stick- a Vater 3A split nearly in two.

The nylon tips for the kit get replaced if the tip comes off , if I can find it it gets glued back on or…. When there’s a split anywhere on the stick . I prolong a pairs use by switching the right ( hats) and left ( snare) sticks to spread the snare hand stick damage from rim shots between both prolonging the life of the
“ pair “.
Re: glue- what sort? I tried that early on with the aforementioned ProMarks, with regular super glue, but it never lasted long. Re: switching- same, except it's for chipping from edges of hats/crashes. (This doesn't happen quickly- I don't strike at an extreme angle. Good technique. /humblebrag, lol)
 
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I used to toss a stick in the reject bin once the tip chipped. Now that I'm having a hard time finding my regular sticks I'm a lot more likely to play a stick to death. Just last week I went through my reject bin and pulled out all of the "new good enough" for practice sticks. I'm still sitting on three brand new pairs for gigs but I've got to find a new substitute because this wondering IF I can get new pairs from Vic Firth is really working my nerves.
 
yeah...we always did that in marching band so that people's sticks didn't get mixed up

I use Vic Firth 3A's for everything

a pair of sticks will last me about a year in my metal bands. They shred mostly right around the middle due to rim shots. The beads never chip or shred though. Once they start feeling like they are going to break, they go to the fire pit wood pile

for my jazz/country band, I have sticks that are 5-6 years old. Those don't get shredded as much

You are a VF 3A user too??!!

OMG........that's so awesome 😎

Me too 😊

If you use them, then that's the best endorsement ever mate.

They are just wonderful, wonderful sticks.
 
In the old days, I used to have plastic tips fly off all the time, but they seem to be much better now.
I use mostly small ball wood tips now, but don't keep them a day over 50 years. :p
 
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