Peripatetic wrote:

gio wrote:

Rotten Tanx wrote:Is there some other kind of stick I could get, made from a different kind of wood?

oak.

i would think maple would be stronger than hickory, but i've busted maple sticks on the 3rd hit... think it's more important to inspect them 'til your find a good pair, without 'seams' in them (i don't know what they're actually called, but like a lengthwise hairline that could split...). Promark sticks have been pretty sturdy, in my limited experience.

Oak are definitely stronger than hickory but they kill my wrists. I used Oak sticks from 1995 until about 3 months ago and finally decided to try hickory again because they seem to have a little more give and are a little easier on my wrists. When I started trying different hickory sticks, the Vaters were by far the best. They last as long if not longer than any oak stick I've ever played. I don't know why, they just do.

I'm not trying to discount what you said gio, I just wanted to rave about the Vater sticks a little more (and no, I don't work for them).

that's good advice... never knew oak was harder on the wrists. i've only been playing for a few months, and I do experience some wrist problems because my form sucks.

I've played guitar for about five years now. I always was never really that great at it. I had my friend (who is a wonderful drummer and I'm going to use this thread to plug his band... http://www.myspace.com/24hourfrontdesk) teach me a few beats. I picked it up very quickly but since I moved to Florida and have no drums, I haven't played in a long time. I fell in love for what was about four months. I should be moving home soon and have a readily avaliable drum kit, though. I just have to pay Kevin off for one of those guitars.

But anyway, thanks for starting this thread.

btw rotten trax, what´s that electronic drumkit you bought?

Germ War wrote:Oh, and I'd stay the fuck away from Zildjian sticks if I were you, unless you're trying to make firewood. Awful, awful drumstick manufacturer.

This is so true. In my quest to switch from oak to hickory I tried a couple pairs of Zildjian sticks for the first time ever.

Total fucking crap.

Saturday wrote:btw rotten trax, what´s that electronic drumkit you bought?

Yamaha DTExplorer. The cheapest good digital kit you can get (in england anyway, there's a german company that makes good ones too).

The more expensive model is the same exact kit but with a few more novelty sounds.

The Roland kit is more expensive because it has a mesh snare but it doesnt have any built in tracks for you to play to. They get olf very fast anyway.

Rotten Tanx wrote:

Saturday wrote:btw rotten trax, what´s that electronic drumkit you bought?

Yamaha DTExplorer. The cheapest good digital kit you can get (in england anyway, there's a german company that makes good ones too).

The more expensive model is the same exact kit but with a few more novelty sounds.

The Roland kit is more expensive because it has a mesh snare but it doesnt have any built in tracks for you to play to. They get olf very fast anyway.

thanks. it´s still damn expensive. i could never have a REAL drumkit to play at home. ew.

what i've learned about drums:

hit the drums hard, go easy on the cymbals. the hi-hat did not rape your sister, as mixerman once wrote. i used to break sticks like a chainsmoker, why? i hit the drums fucking hard with bad form (pro mark 2B's). 1 year later, i hit the drums fucking hard with better form=maybe one stick per practice(vic firth 5B's).

also, you know how some people cannot play a guitar solo to save their life, well that applies to me in the exaggerated fills department. i am annoyed by overplaying, so i don't and that is something to get over because you want to be awesome all the time like animal or keith moon. a lot of live music i have seen is ruined by over playing or wanking, this applies to all instruments and voices

i hate nylon tips on sticks, they make cymbals sound bad to my ears. i hate muffler rings, they make drums sound stupid to my ears. i hate it when a drummer constantly plays the snare with rimshots, this wrecks my nerves and makes my hair hurt. please never play a china cymbal, this is the most awful thing people try to employ into music. i am an opinionated usage nerd. listen to ac/dc everyday.

Saturday wrote:

Rotten Tanx wrote:

Saturday wrote:btw rotten trax, what´s that electronic drumkit you bought?

Yamaha DTExplorer. The cheapest good digital kit you can get (in england anyway, there's a german company that makes good ones too).

The more expensive model is the same exact kit but with a few more novelty sounds.

The Roland kit is more expensive because it has a mesh snare but it doesnt have any built in tracks for you to play to. They get olf very fast anyway.

thanks. it´s still damn expensive. i could never have a REAL drumkit to play at home. ew.

My friend has a kit in her apartment with these mute pads things on it... t it's probably not as quiet as an electronic set, but she can still practice in a residential settting and it's an alternative to an electronic kit.

My experience with oak and maple sticks is that they don't give much warning prior to failure, and when they do fail, they do so in a dramatic fashion. Like "the bass player is going to lose an eye if I keep playing these things" fashion.

Hickory breaks, of course, but generally (generally) does so over a predictable period of time.

(Anything that follows should not be taken as gospel. I can't verify a lot about what I am writing in the next paragraph. But I did break $1200 worth of sticks in 2003. So I have seen a few drumsticks.)

Usually Vater or Vic Firth had the best quality hickory, assuming it's their best stuff. Apparently Vic Firth and Vater have three grades of hickory that are determined at the factory, but there are no brand markings that separate the grades. In my experience, the heavier, denser hickory is going to have more durability than lighter hickory. The densest wood is darker, but that's not a hard and fast rule. Big box music stores tend to get the low grade sticks and specialty drum shops tend to get the good stuff. Once you get used to the good stuff, you can recognize the low grade crap the second you put the stick into your hand.

I've also found that getting larger diameter sticks doesn't help life significantly, unless you make a big jump. I played 2Bs for about a month, but I blew through them as fast as 5As, so I went back because I preferred the feel of 5As.

hiredgeek wrote:what i've learned about drums:

hit the drums hard, go easy on the cymbals. the hi-hat did not rape your sister, as mixerman once wrote. i used to break sticks like a chainsmoker, why? i hit the drums fucking hard with bad form (pro mark 2B's). 1 year later, i hit the drums fucking hard with better form=maybe one stick per practice(vic firth 5B's).

also, you know how some people cannot play a guitar solo to save their life, well that applies to me in the exaggerated fills department. i am annoyed by overplaying, so i don't and that is something to get over because you want to be awesome all the time like animal or keith moon. a lot of live music i have seen is ruined by over playing or wanking, this applies to all instruments and voices

i hate nylon tips on sticks, they make cymbals sound bad to my ears. i hate muffler rings, they make drums sound stupid to my ears. i hate it when a drummer constantly plays the snare with rimshots, this wrecks my nerves and makes my hair hurt. please never play a china cymbal, this is the most awful thing people try to employ into music. i am an opinionated usage nerd. listen to ac/dc everyday.

What about a trash cymbal? I've seen one but never heard the theory behind it. Is it just old cymbals put together to make an ugly sound? To be used as a crash or a ride?

Incidentally, although digital kits are quiet they are never silent. I cant play mine after about 10pm, even if I used earphones. Try sitting on your bed and stamping your foot on the floor a few hundred times and see if anyone minds.