not breaking sticks!

[Supro]

I dont think i've broken a stick in about 4-5 months!
i play everyday, everage an hour I'd say, and I'm a hard hitter, using Vic Firth... 5B they look like, they are very worn, but i havnt needed to switch them. I dont know if they are amazing sticks, or my technique has gotten a lot better, but I'm saving money thats for sure.
Whats the longest you've used a pair of sticks for?
Usually i go through a pair a month. sometimes two.

[drummguy731]

6 months

[Jred250]

I have never known how long it takes me to break a pair of sticks to be honest. I replace them every 3 practices, and after every gig. I am now taking a break from band life as I prepare to move into my house, and prepare for my son's birth. So I am now using mesh heads. I have replaced my sticks 3 times in about 4 months, not due to damage, just for the comfort lol.

I don't know why I replace them so much. Its just like a force of habit! As soon as the logo starts wearing away, and they get a couple of chips they are done!

[GooseFilms.net]

3 weeks to a month for me. Rim shots eat through the sticks eventually.

I've been forcing myself to hit harder after my last recording experience, so I've made the big switch from VF 8D's to 5B's

[Damo]

I have never known how long it takes me to break a pair of sticks to be honest. I replace them every 3 practices, and after every gig.
Thats about the same for me ^

[Aaron]

Never break any. I've got some I still play and have owned for 5 years [old Phil Collins sigs]. I play about 5 hours a weekend depending on availability of people. I buy about 6 pairs a year.

[sportsfan4427]

about 4 or 5 months

[slim_jim147]

I bought a pair of steeve Gadd sign stick maybe one month after xmas of 2005 and they are not broken!But I play with other stick at school and maybe I need to change them each month or 3 month

[Kainen]

*shrug who knows* I just replace em when I feel like they need replacing. I havent broken a stick in over a year.

[Patrick323]

i don't really keep track, and it somewhat depends on the stick. ill stop using a stick when the tip starts chipping or if it loses its straightness. with sticks like SD1s that I don't use on anything but a pad or snare, i throw them away when the tip wears down to the point where I can't get good rebound out of it.

[Zildjian]

It takes me about 2 weeks to break/ chip the tip. Sometimes a stick go for 3 or 4.

[Moon Flavor]

Probably a little less than once a month.

I got a new pair of vic firth's for christmas though and one stick cracked after my second time playing it. It must have been defective...

[drummguy731]

I also never use the same type of sticks when I practice, I usually change it up.

[Crazy and Stupid]

I haven't broken a stick, or changed sets, in over 2 years now.

[fishbulb]

How do you actually "break" a stick? The tip snaps off or does the whole shaft crack? The tips of the sticks must be so beaten up that they damage your heads and cymbals horribly before a stick can snap in half.

So thinking that way, i have NEVER broken a stick, but i go through them once every two months or so.

[GooseFilms.net]

i got one VF stick that was obvioulsy horrible defective. It took no more than 5 hits and it split in half horizontally at the shoulder.

[drummguy731]

:lol: That sucks GooseFilms

[Sync0pation]

I haven't broken a stick, or changed sets, in over 2 years now.

don't you play live a lot?? I dont see how that's possible...

I break sticks a lot. Most of the time the tip chips, or the shaft will split. If that doesnt happen the stick will crack from rimshots.

[Zildjian_man]

I play with peart sig's and havent broken one for a month. And they are real thin

[MatthewMeredith]

About 4.5 years and counting.

[wesm9787]

i really don't break sticks that often... i think i've broken maybe 2 individual sticks in the past 5 or 6 months or so... like the stick started to split... usually when i hit my ride bell because i hit it with the shoulder of the stick... 1 i think was a vic firth extreme 5A and the other was a vic firth regular 5A... now i have a set a pro mark 5A that i like a lot... they're longer than most 5A's and they don't seem to chip away as easily...

most of the time i use a pair of sticks for maybe a month or 2 though before i have to replace them... depends on how much i play... but i only replace them when the shoulder gets too worn down to use because it feels to weird or when the tips break... i play a lot of rimshots and stuff (i just started discovering the amazingness of rimshots on the toms) so mine usually get pretty dented after the first time i use them... i have no idea what the longest time i've ever gone without breaking one was though... probably a few months i'd say... i use to use 5B's mostly and they lasted longer but i like the feel of 5A's better... i'm always switching between different sticks though

[Crazy and Stupid]

don't you play live a lot?? I dont see how that's possible...
Technique and the kind of music I guess. I'm been using this set of 4 pairs of Dave Weckl sigs for pretty much all of my playing and though they are getting dented like a bitch from rin shots are still structually stable.

[The Ska Man]

I don't break sticks..

[Druumer89]

How do you actually "break" a stick? The tip snaps off or does the whole shaft crack? The tips of the sticks must be so beaten up that they damage your heads and cymbals horribly before a stick can snap in half.

So thinking that way, i have NEVER broken a stick, but i go through them once every two months or so.

Mine always split straight down the middle.

[CasB]

I haven't broken a stick in a year or so :)

[the_pure_drummer]

Ive never broke a stick since i started drums really. Ive chipped the tips on some sticks bu thats it. I replace mine every 3 months i suppose.

[carlh2003]

Ive never broke a stick since i started drums really. Ive chipped the tips on some sticks bu thats it. I replace mine every 3 months i suppose.

About the same for me.
I'm trying out those Ahead "World's most advanced drumstick" as some guys at work got them for me with my name engraved on the side... I can't really see myself breaking them as the base is metal and the covers are some form of plastic (I think). They keep the cymbals clean and have a 30 day warranty; pretty good if you ask me. My only niggle is that they're a bit heavier than what I'm used to.

I was also given a pair of Johnny Rabb (100% Tennessee Hickory) sticks but as the tips are wooden too, they seem to make really obvious marks on the heads of my toms (as they are transparent), so I've decided not to use them. Does anyone know if this is normal or what?

[fritzz]

the same with me. normally i can use a pair of sticks for about a month, but my last pair I used about 6 months ( also vic firths 5B) so it's really cool.
the longest period I've used one pair of sticks is for about 2 years.

[Tim]

ive only broken 1 vater 5b. they usually just wear down to the point that i just replace them.

[Josiah]

How do you actually "break" a stick? The tip snaps off or does the whole shaft crack? The tips of the sticks must be so beaten up that they damage your heads and cymbals horribly before a stick can snap in half.



Depends on your technique. I rarely have tips chip or break.

Start gettin pretty chewed after a few hours of practice, or a gig. You can see the wood sheddage on the floor there for my practice kit.
This is how mine wear/break -

http://josiahmicheletti.com/sticks.jpg

[Daven]

They usually last me around 2 months each pair. That's if they are the only pair ill use for those two months, if not the sticks can last for ages.

[the_pure_drummer]

I'm trying out those Ahead "World's most advanced drumstick" as some guys at work got them for me with my name engraved on the side... I can't really see myself breaking them as the base is metal and the covers are some form of plastic (I think). They keep the cymbals clean and have a 30 day warranty; pretty good if you ask me. My only niggle is that they're a bit heavier than what I'm used to.

STOP

Do not use aheads they will break your cymbals! Use quality wood sticks not a bit of metal wrapped in plastic. Metal on metal is not good! Just think about common sense dude.

[440561]

If Aheads are metal wrapped in plastic, then its not metal on metal because there is plastic in between. Not that Im on Ahead's side of course.

Stick breakage: My first pair lasted a year and have a crack from the shoulder downwards about 3 inches. I could still use them but the cracked stick has a much higher pitch now :s But I had them when Carl Palmer came to our school (yup :D) and he used them, played for about 5 mins, then signed them :D

I have another pair, Zildjian Travis Barker sigs and they have lasted since last xmas, and are still 100% usable.

However NEVER EVER BUY CHEAP PERFORMANCE PERCUSSION DRUM STICKS. I started with 3 pairs and i broke one from each pair. They all broke in the same place as the first, just below the tips, diagonally downwards and took the top 4 inches clean of the stick...

[Josiah]

If Aheads are metal wrapped in plastic, then its not metal on metal because there is plastic in between. Not that Im on Ahead's side of course.


Haha well 1/32" of the cheapest grade plastic is not going to make much impact difference between metal objects.. esspeccially when 1 has an edge.

[pitchfork]

I burned a load of worn out sticks in the summer, I generally keep mine a month then they wear out and aren't much good.
Haven't had to many snappages though, I could probably use the same pair for 2 or 3 months, maybe longer. But I use dave weckyls, quite light sticks.

I've had my 1A's for at least 6 months now, I use them regularly, not worn except for marks (and they are just marks) from rimshotting and stuff.
Definitely some strong old sticks those vater 1a's

[carlh2003]

Do not use aheads they will break your cymbals! Use quality wood sticks not a bit of metal wrapped in plastic. Metal on metal is not good! Just think about common sense dude.

Haha, I rarely use them, but thanks for the heads up. (the big writing wasn't necessary though). I know a few others who've used them for years and they've never had any cymbal damage.. so upon what evidence can you back up your opinion (apart from 'common sense') ?

[the_pure_drummer]

*calls the dude with the big words (josiah)*

ask this guy.

[pitchfork]

Yeah and pretty much every single drummer on this forum knowing through sheer common sense.

Think about it, you hit a lump of metal with a wooden baseball bat the bat will snap before it can significatly damage the metal. However a metal bat with a thin plastic coating is gonna damage the metal before it snaps.

[~(lunch_box)~]

i got one VF stick that was obvioulsy horrible defective. It took no more than 5 hits and it split in half horizontally at the shoulder.

that sucks, i got a really defective VF vega tenor stick this year. after playing for like an hour one spot on the shaft splintered and shattered "inside" the stick-(its kinda hard to explain)- when i pushed on the spot with my finger it gave and felt "soft".
it was pretty gay.

and usually i go through a pair of set sticks every 2 to 3 months- i play with them until till they crack or the tip breaks off.(usually the shaft cracks)

i dont have enough money to replace them just because they are a tiny bit worn.

[Jred250]

I used A-Heads for about 15 gigs, only because I needed to compete with a P.A system and A-Heads were alot heavier. My cymbals never suffered a single mark though. Even still, I think I will stick to my wooden sticks :D

Cymbal companies void the warranty on their cymbals if A-Heads are used. They do it for good reason also.

I may buy two cheap crappy £15 cymbals tommorow and see how many hits each can take. 1 from A-Heads, 1 from Vic Firths.

[pitchfork]

Aheads? Heavy?
Nah you are seriously misconstrued and probably full of ****.

[Jred250]

Aheads? Heavy?
Nah you are seriously misconstrued and probably full of ****.

Well I own two pairs of A-Heads. And needless to say they weigh more than any of my wooden sticks.

As a matter of fact, one Ahead stick probably weighs the same as a pair of wooden sticks.

[FockerTheLopper]

I wouldn't keep a pair of sticks for over a month, you sacrifice sound quality that way(unless you don't play alot with them) I ussually go through 3 pairs in 2 months(rough estimate)

[carlh2003]

My Aheads will remain in their box!

[pitchfork]

Well I own two pairs of A-Heads. And needless to say they weigh more than any of my wooden sticks.

As a matter of fact, one Ahead stick probably weighs the same as a pair of wooden sticks.

I like how you finally learned how the name is written halfway through that and second, why the hell did you buy 2 pairs?
As if owning 1 pair wasn't bad enough.
Shoulda forgotten the sticks altogether and bought a cheap overhead for your kit, you could get a condensor for £50 easy.

And Aheads do weigh the same as normal sticks, i've copped a feel here and there, they seemed to weigh the same as a pair of good 5b's

[carlh2003]

I don't want to argue over the weight of a drumstick, but I can assure you that my Ahead sticks are definitely noticably heavier than a normal pair of wooden sticks.

[Jred250]

I like how you finally learned how the name is written halfway through that and second, why the hell did you buy 2 pairs?
As if owning 1 pair wasn't bad enough.
Shoulda forgotten the sticks altogether and bought a cheap overhead for your kit, you could get a condensor for £50 easy.

And Aheads do weigh the same as normal sticks, i've copped a feel here and there, they seemed to weigh the same as a pair of good 5b's

At the time I was in school. I could barely gather the lunch money to buy a £1.95 packet of 10 ciggarettes! Let alone £50 for an overhead!

Why buy two pairs? I wanted to so ''Why Not''?

Just for the record I got my cooking scales out.

Vic Firth (Hickory Sticks) 5A = 3 Grams
A-Heads 5A = 6 Grams

I would take pics but your not worth it.

[raz0r]

At the time I was in school. I could barely gather the lunch money to buy a £1.95 packet of 10 ciggarettes! Let alone £50 for an overhead!

Why buy two pairs? I wanted to so ''Why Not''?

Just for the record I got my cooking scales out.

Vic Firth (Hickory Sticks) 5A = 3 Grams
A-Heads 5A = 6 Grams

I would take pics but your not worth it.

3 Grams for a stick?

Get your scales fixed.

[Josiah]

hahaha ya!

Sticks are weighed in ounces, I think the 2B's I use are 1.45 ounces or something...


Stick weight shouldn't matter. And it doesn't effect volume that much, live anyway you'd be mic'd so they just use hte mics. Slamming gear is pointless, and I refuse to do it.

[maniac0796]

Ummm. I've only broken one stick....

Most of them, the head usually explodes, but i'd been using the 5AX's for about half a year of rim shotting. Huge crack all the way down the stick along the grain...

I was sad, i really liked those sticks. Gonna buy another pair on tuesday...

[Jred250]

hahaha ya!

Sticks are weighed in ounces, I think the 2B's I use are 1.45 ounces or something...


Stick weight shouldn't matter. And it doesn't effect volume that much, live anyway you'd be mic'd so they just use hte mics. Slamming gear is pointless, and I refuse to do it.

I know, My scales appear only to have ''Grams'' They are old cooking scales though lol.

Whatever they are weighed in, the A-Heads are double the weight.

Slamming gear is pointless, But when its the schools kit it doesn't matter. It breaks, the goverment buy a new one lol.

[MeaninglessPhoto]

Ive broken a lot, considering I bought a brick for 12 bucks and they are **** cheap so the quality was **** cheap.

But with good quality sticks, I can go through a pair for about a month, then I replace.

[wesm9787]

hey that's a cool idea... although i imagine it would take a really long time... like you'd be sitting there for about 6 weeks straight just bashing cymbals... "wood... crash... metal... crash... wood... crash... metal... crash..."

edit: sorry i was on the last page... i didn't notice there was another page of crap... i was talking about the guy buying 2 cymbals and testing them to see how long they last with each stick though

[PDD]

How could you go more than a few months? Im not sure, really....im going on a year for 5 pairs of VF 5B's....i just grab random sticks from my stick bag when i play.

[PDD]

At the time I was in school. I could barely gather the lunch money to buy a £1.95 packet of 10 ciggarettes! Let alone £50 for an overhead!

Why buy two pairs? I wanted to so ''Why Not''?

Just for the record I got my cooking scales out.

Vic Firth (Hickory Sticks) 5A = 3 Grams
A-Heads 5A = 6 Grams

I would take pics but your not worth it.

HA! "cooking scales" *coughdrugdealercough*

[Druumer89]

GOD DAMNIT its not A-HEADS. That is very annoying, and they, just like every other stick have a wide range of weights. I used to use them alot until the ****ed up my cymbals, trust me, i know. There are many wood sticks that are much heavy that any Aheads.

For example, any type of marching stick.

[some jive turkey]

I haven't broken a pair of sticks in years. The tips usually wear out before they snap.

[FockerTheLopper]

I haven't broken a pair of sticks in years. The tips usually wear out before they snap.

Same here

[zfzgg]

I've never broken a stick.
I usually replace them about when they get worn. Haha.

[Josiah]

I know, My scales appear only to have ''Grams'' They are old cooking scales though lol.

Whatever they are weighed in, the A-Heads are double the weight.




You musta had some SUPER light sticks, like maple or somethin. Cause I just checked and a 5A ahead is just a touch lighter then my 5B Johnny Rabb or VF.


I've found Ahead sticks to actually have one very good use. And it's to help with checking/correcting tip heights/stick arc on the pad due to the high visability of the tip/stick contrast.

[carlh2003]

I was also given a pair of Johnny Rabb (100% Tennessee Hickory) sticks but as the tips are wooden too, they seem to make really obvious marks on the heads of my toms (as they are transparent), so I've decided not to use them. Does anyone know if this is normal or what?

Is this normal? They seem to mark the cymbals a lot too.

[zfzgg]

Yes, that is perfectly normal.

After not cleaning your cymbals for a couple of years, you'll stop noticing stick marks:D

[maniac0796]

I've thought of one use for Aheads. Chucking them at your lead guitarist when he doesn't shut up.

[Josiah]

Is this normal? They seem to mark the cymbals a lot too.

Yup. Sticks leave marks. The size/shape of the mark is a good indicator of how you are striking the drum as well.

[carlh2003]

Ah cool, yeah that's a good point.
They don't seem to be marking too bad actually, I've just started using them again (instead of my other crazy sticks). I also bought a pair of vic firth sticks too.

[Jred250]

You musta had some SUPER light sticks, like maple or somethin. Cause I just checked and a 5A ahead is just a touch lighter then my 5B Johnny Rabb or VF.


I've found Ahead sticks to actually have one very good use. And it's to help with checking/correcting tip heights/stick arc on the pad due to the high visability of the tip/stick contrast.

They are Hickory. I must admit though. Although the length is the same. The thickness towards the nib of the stick is considerably thinner on the Vic Firth.

Anyway, disscussing the weight of aheads/wooden sticks is a little pointless! So we shall just leave it at that. Two ahead owners have said they are heavier, two other users have said they are not. We will leave this as inconclusive, and get back on topic.

[pitchfork]

At the time I was in school. I could barely gather the lunch money to buy a £1.95 packet of 10 ciggarettes! Let alone £50 for an overhead!
You had £50 for 2 pairs of aheads though

[Loser]

What's with people focusing negative emotions on Aheads? They're objects. At least focus it on people who make them or something.

[pitchfork]

I'm negative about him wasting his money, he could've bought a mic instead of aheads if he needed more volume.
The fact he bought two pairs (not one but two) of aheads coming to 40 or 50 quid, then moaned he didn't have enough money for a packet of fags back then is kinda contradicting.

And anyways, introduce me to the people who make aheads and i'll kill them with their own sticks and make it look like suicide.

[Talos]

Ive only ever broke one stick and that was a Zildjian one. Need I say anymore? :p


I replace them regularly though, when you play and you find that whole edge of the snare drum is littered with wood chippings, you know theyre not gonna last much longer. But I use Lang Sigs, they rock!

[Loser]

And anyways, introduce me to the people who make aheads and i'll kill them with their own sticks and make it look like suicide.

I make Aheads.

[Talos]

And anyways, introduce me to the people who make aheads and i'll kill them with their own sticks and make it look like suicide.

Why? I think the idea behind them was really good, it was just the execution that was poor. The idea of making sticks that are harder than wooden sticks, but using metal was a bad idea I guess. But then again, what else can you use?

[carlh2003]

Rubber

[Talos]

^ Blisters. Zildjian put rubber coating on some of their sticks, they turnt out to be absolutely terrible and everyone ended up ripping the rubber off lol. Thats what I did anyway.

[carlh2003]

Haha. I'm one of those people who'd pick at things. Like my nails, or some random piece of flappy rubber on a remote control or something.

[pitchfork]

rubber with some sort of sleeve?

I make Aheads.
Yeah I heard they had a sledgehammer factory in michigan.

[Loser]

I don't live in Michigan.

[Jred250]

You had £50 for 2 pairs of aheads though

I could have bought a Mic. And then had no sticks to play with! And I didn't buy the drumsticks. I asked for them as an early christmas present. Christ! Your worse than my mother!!!

And to be honest £50 for a mic? No chance. I live in a roman fortress, the cheapest mics I can get here are like £200+ Plus, I wasn't familiar with e-bay/online shopping then.

[CaptainWaits]

I can never play with Vic Firth's, I break them way to quickly. My most succesful sticks have been Vater's and Ayotte's. I've never broken an Ayotte stick before, I've just had to throw them out because they get way to worn. So yeh, Ayotte's are my favorite sticks to use.