Stick Experimentation Disease?

I'm generally content to play with whatever is at hand, which is usually a 5B-ish stick of some sort. However, I just ordered a pair of the VF 5As with the round bead. I want to give those a try, for some reason.

I remember years ago, pre-internet, when I lived in the boondocks and a trip to the music store was a big deal. I'd use all kinds of weird combos. Different sizes, different makes and woods, whatever. I even remember cutting off the end of a broken stick and sanding the nub because I was short of sticks. I made them all work, and I guess that's why I'm not too picky now.
 
Tried some Vater Fatback 3A sticks recently, they're my new jam. :)
 
This is exactly where I ended up. You lose some durability, but they still last a long while for medium volume stuff. I'm afraid things would get expensive if I was playing more gigs where I need to really lay into it.

I used hickory 5B's and even 2B's for a while when i was in a rock band, but when i played my Masters kit i felt those sticks in combination with how i play killed the tone of the kit. Had a few maple 5B's lying around and decided to give them a go and bam, sounded amazing again! Also really like how the stick sound is on the cymbals. They might not be as durable as hickory sticks, but feel and sound takes precedence :)
 
I have this bad.
So bad that I did an Excel spreadsheet of all the sticks that fit the weight, length, material and diameter I like along with the brands that I want.
I have it whittled down to about 3 brands and 4 weights/lengths/diameter and woods.

Someone help me... :LOL:
 
I have this bad.
So bad that I did an Excel spreadsheet of all the sticks that fit the weight, length, material and diameter I like along with the brands that I want.
I have it whittled down to about 3 brands and 4 weights/lengths/diameter and woods.

Someone help me... :LOL:
Oh lawdy, that is a bad case!! ?
 
My method is just to use the sticks of the guys whose playing I respect the most. So Weckl, Jojo, Erskine, Beaufort, and Vinnie. Not surprisingly, that tends to work out. Turns out those dudes are pretty good at designing sticks that work well for their styles. I especially enjoy the Weckl sticks. Those are my desert island sticks. Since I do a lot of low-volume gigs, I also use the VF Echo sticks, which are AWESOME if you can get used to their weird balance.
 
My method is just to use the sticks of the guys whose playing I respect the most. So Weckl, Jojo, Erskine, Beaufort, and Vinnie. Not surprisingly, that tends to work out. Turns out those dudes are pretty good at designing sticks that work well for their styles. I especially enjoy the Weckl sticks. Those are my desert island sticks. Since I do a lot of low-volume gigs, I also use the VF Echo sticks, which are AWESOME if you can get used to their weird balance.

funny, cause I started out that way back in the day, but I could not find an "idol" stick that I liked...Peart, Nicko McBrain, Gadd...all had just one element that really through me off. The Erskine sticks came the closest for my jazz stuff...

I did the same with bass guitars...was stoked to find versions like a lot of my idols, and then played them and was like ...ewww...really? How does he play this? Rickenbacker 4001's were the biggest disappointment b/c Geddy and Chris Squire played them
 
funny, cause I started out that way back in the day, but I could not find an "idol" stick that I liked...Peart, Nicko McBrain, Gadd...all had just one element that really through me off. The Erskine sticks came the closest for my jazz stuff...

I did the same with bass guitars...was stoked to find versions like a lot of my idols, and then played them and was like ...ewww...really? How does he play this? Rickenbacker 4001's were the biggest disappointment b/c Geddy and Chris Squire played them

The Gadd sticks just don’t work for me, I have no idea why my method fails in his case. Haven’t tried the Pearl sticks, but he’s not an idol of mine anyway.
 
I like 5A, 5B, and 7A. My favorites are signature sticks, right now-see how long it last LOL. I like the Gadd sticks and brushes, and Buddy Rich sticks are my go to right now. You can go crazy over sticks, heads, rims, etc-we've all likely done some form or fashion of it. I've just bought new tom heads for both my kits-and now I'm thinking about trying Remo black dots for a change. Fess up LOL.
 
I'll admit to having this.
I have my sticks made by Leroy Aaron Rhodes (he's on Facebook).
His quality is second to none. The wood is superior, and the finish is fantastic, and the pricing is great.

He can make anything. I'm not kidding.

I have several models of sloped neck/integrated tip sticks.
Great bounce, feel, tip sizes, neck sizes, etc... he does different diameter double butt sticks for me as well.
I also like the length shorter (tipped sticks are 15.5", and double butt are 15").

He also has a superior replica of the Ludwig 2A stick.

He can do the grooved sticks, the ribbed sticks and the old style "bulb" in the grip stick....
He even has patterns for those "Hornet" sticks that were out for a while.
 
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