My favorite sticks

After years of Vater LA 5A (and some 2B) I tried some Promark Firegrain 5B rebound... I might have a new favorite.

I like how they feel, and if they really last they might be worth the few extra bucks; but if they don't last as long as I hope, I'll try the regular ones. Blast beats were way easier than with my normal stick, and I was less fatigued after my last gig.

Haven't used Promark in years because I used to always snap the tips off easily, both hickoryand oak. Stuck with Vater because of how long they last, but the last pack I split one in a fresh pair 20 minutes into a recording session. Must be a dryer batch of hickory 😆
 
Liaztraht said:
After years of Vater LA 5A (and some 2B) I tried some Promark Firegrain 5B rebound... I might have a new favorite.

I like how they feel, and if they really last they might be worth the few extra bucks; but if they don't last as long as I hope, I'll try the regular ones. Blast beats were way easier than with my normal stick, and I was less fatigued after my last gig.

Haven't used Promark in years because I used to always snap the tips off easily, both hickoryand oak. Stuck with Vater because of how long they last, but the last pack I split one in a fresh pair 20 minutes into a recording session. Must be a dryer batch of hickory 😆
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Of all the years of playing, I’ve never tried Vater sticks. Nice, one of my favorites Chris “Daddy” Dave has a signature stick that looks cool, but for my huge hands, his .530’s seem a little thin. I do own, since I’ve been playing, a Vater Bass drum Bomber beater. Won’t even head to the city without it, for sessions. Play on fam, play on !!👍🏽🥁
 
Does anyone here know of a stick that's size wise right in between a 5a and a 5b, WITH a forward weight towards the tip? Promark 747 is close, but no cigar for me. If anyone knows of such a stick, please share.
Thanks!
 
dalekay9ine said:
Does anyone here know of a stick that's size wise right in between a 5a and a 5b, WITH a forward weight towards the tip? Promark 747 is close, but no cigar for me. If anyone knows of such a stick, please share.
Thanks!
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Vater Los Angeles 5A are right between the Promark 5A/747 and 5B in diameter. They sit at. 570 vs PM's .551 and .590 respectively.

They are also forward weighted.
 
I'm kind of going back and forth between Vic Firth extreme 5B and the extreme X55A. Both diameters fit into my hands better and I've been working on a lighter more relaxed grip and manner of playing. Tension has been an issue for me. I don't like a thinner stick that swims around in my hand.
 
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On the practice pad I use VF SD1 General to build strength and endurance. Fat, sharp taper at the tip, heavier, round tip. On the set I tried VF 5a Freestyle. Thin, long taper, regular tip. I like these. I also tried VF SD5 Echo. Definitely different shape. Very light, fast, tiny tip. They are fun to play with but a little light on ride & crash. Yesterday, after re-tuning (about the 1000th time) I tried VF Steve Gadd wire brushes - tips bent up. The drums, toms especially, sounded much better and I seemed to be able to control them better. They are a bit short, so I ordered some Flix Jazz XL. Hope to get the same sound & control with a much longer stick.
 
Suburbankidz said:
I'm kind of going back and forth between Vic Firth extreme 5B and the extreme X55A. Both diameters fit into my hands better and I've been working on a lighter more relaxed grip and manner of playing. Tension issues have been an issue for me. I don't like a thinner stick that swims around in my hand.
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That's one reason I tried the 5B I mentioned a few posts up.

I injured my ulnar nerve a few months back, and while it affects my elbow, pinky, and ring finger, they still get irritated when working a thinner stick

The slightly thicker rear balanced stick and lighter grip helped the irritation while playing.
 
dalekay9ine said:
Does anyone here know of a stick that's size wise right in between a 5a and a 5b, WITH a forward weight towards the tip? Promark 747 is close, but no cigar for me. If anyone knows of such a stick, please share.
Thanks!
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Check out the Vater Josh Freese stick. Diameter of .580, same as the Vic Firth 55A (which they designed to be exactly between their 5a and 5b models), but the Freese stick has more meat and weight in the shoulder/neck area.
 
PhillyJoeFan said:
Of all the years of playing, I’ve never tried Vater sticks. Nice, one of my favorites Chris “Daddy” Dave has a signature stick that looks cool, but for my huge hands, his .530’s seem a little thin. I do own, since I’ve been playing, a Vater Bass drum Bomber beater. Won’t even head to the city without it, for sessions. Play on fam, play on !!👍🏽🥁
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Vater is my very favorite sticks!
 
just picked up a pair of the Pro Mark Tommy Aldridge sig sticks. played with them tonight, and they feel really good...they are deceptively long feeling, have a good forward weight, and the bead makes my ride cymbal sound great. They might creep their way into my arsenal
 
Ive been using 7A's and 8XB's fro a long time. then, my guitar player knows I like John Bonham so he bought me a Bonham stick bagand 6 pairs of his signiture Promuce sticks. I have been using them for about 2 weeks and they are now my favorite sticks. I can play lightly with them when needed and the acorn tips dont chip away as easily as all the other brands i have been using. I broke one stick after 4 gigs, it split while on the ride so it was strange it let go. These sticks are great!
 
gish said:
Check out the Vater Josh Freese stick. Diameter of .580, same as the Vic Firth 55A (which they designed to be exactly between their 5a and 5b models), but the Freese stick has more meat and weight in the shoulder/neck area.
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Nice, thanks for the recommendation!
 
Jasta 11 said:
Ive been using 7A's and 8XB's fro a long time. then, my guitar player knows I like John Bonham so he bought me a Bonham stick bagand 6 pairs of his signiture Promuce sticks. I have been using them for about 2 weeks and they are now my favorite sticks. I can play lightly with them when needed and the acorn tips dont chip away as easily as all the other brands i have been using. I broke one stick after 4 gigs, it split while on the ride so it was strange it let go. These sticks are great!
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Nice never even heard of those, I'll check them out! Thanks!
 
This thread is 19 years old. I guess it's still relevant.
 
moojii said:
I am quite liking the Promark Firegrain 5b at the moment.
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I'm liking them as well, but they still don't last near as long as Vater sticks.

Back to the LA 5A for me.

I need to dig through Vater's line for something similar.
 
I’ve been playing mostly ProMark 5A wood tip over the years and more recently Vic Firth 5A wood acorn tip. I bought a pair of Vic Firth Steve Jordan sticks which I have found are too thin and light for my liking. Also bought a pair of Vater 5A wood tips but am still giving them an audition. And I bought a pair of Vic Firth 5A ball tip but have yet to try them out. I’ll spend some time with the ball tip 5As and see how they compare to the acorn tips. It’s always fun experimenting with new stuff. But admittedly I stay within a pretty narrow range.
 
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