Hey folks,
Sorry for coming into this thread late, been on the road. To address a few things.
YES, I switched brands to Ahead. This switch was actually made last September (2021) when I couldn't get my order from Regal Tip.
My last order with them was for something like 50 pair of my custom 5BX in late April/early May 2021. The same stick I had been using for the last 20 years. Over the course of several months I was given different excuses as to why my order hadn't been filled. in June I received a message saying the stamp to print the sticks was damaged and they had been waiting for a new one. Then in August I got a DM on Instagram saying my sticks were scheduled to be printed the following day.
It was a this same time I was preparing to head out on the road for about 6 weeks. I called Ahead because I have a good relationship with them, and they are a Regal Tip distributor. I asked if they had anything in stock and they were nice enough to come let me raid the warehouse in an effort to get a few pair for the tour. I cleaned them out of every 5BX and 7B they had. They also tossed me a few pair of their own sticks to take, as the stock they had with RT was low and wouldn't have lasted me 6 weeks of touring.
Being a distributor they knew of the hardships artists were going through getting product, because they too had the same supply issues. While I was on tour they made a polite "open door" offer to come on board with them. Basically saying, if I wanted to switch they could provide me with "XYZ" and should RT come back, I could go back to them with no and feelings.
After the tour wrapped I tried one more time to reach out to RT and find out why it had been 5 months since my order went in. The message I got back from Carol's niece was that she and others all quit, and she spilled the tea on a lot of family drama. Drama I will not repeat here.
It was at this time I also discovered a podcast in which Carol Calato was a guest. She was on some show talking business as usual, acting like they are still the number one stick company out there. No mention of people not being able to get product for over a year! I thought, this must be an old episode? Nope! I was published only two weeks prior in early October!!
This is what did it for me. I felt very betrayed. I emailed Carol (again) and told her I just got off the road and used another brand of sticks, and asked if I should take my business elsewhere. I got no reply... I then contacted Ahead and asked if the offer was still on the table.
So, while I didn't go public with my official endorsement of Ahead until recently, I have be in fact with them for a year now. I waiting to go public because I was still hearing rumors and whispers about Regal. That and Ahead was spending time developing a custom "Living Dead Drummer" model for me, and I wanted to make a big show of it. Let the world know, "Hey! I'm with Ahead, and here is my new model!"
The whispers I've heard in the last few months are mainly about the company being sold. This comes from other drummers, some of them higher profile RT artists, and some of them other guys I've shared bills with. While playing a festival in Philly a few months ago, I notice some RT selves behind the drums while I was staging, and asked the drummer before me where he got them. He said from the company, and that they were producing sticks again, but they weren't like they were before.... Idk what that means....
They did change machinery, and retool the factory, but this was done in 2019. So the machine sales people are hearing of, is their old machines they replaced. As far as I know it's not the new ones. I have played both pre and post machinery change versions of the sticks. They are the same. The only difference I could tell is that the new ones are more consistent and have a cleaner cut. The used to use back-knife lathes, and they changed to grinders. Same machines used by Vic Firth.
I have had zero contact with anyone directly involved with the company since October 2021, and my contact with them that year was very sparse and very difficult. Lots of unanswered messages, texts, and emails that have never been responded to.
Hope that clears things up a little.
