Demo Drummers help us - what drumsticks to buy?

[BodhiWolff]

Okay, so the Best Buy demo play-by-play reviews are absolutely wonderful, and I'm having a blast reading them! However, they are also showing me that a trip to my local music shoppe wouldn't be amiss in the next 3 weeks, to pick up a set of drumsticks.

While I might know my way around a music store, I admit that I know nothing about drumsticks, practice pads, the RockBand drum peripheral "feel", bounce-back, etc.

So, for any of you drummers who have played on the demo, and know what the drum peripheral feels like, why not give us some specific advice (and maybe an explanation about what the lingo means).

Assume we need something for a "slightly dead" drumpad from what we've been reading, which doesn't do a lot of bounceback.

Are all the sticks standard size?

Share the secret knowledge!

[the_sas_man]

I may well be wrong on this one, but don't they supply drum sticks when yolu buy the drums periphial anyway?

I presume they don't give them with the Best Buy demos because people would nick them.

That's what i've been lead to believe anyway.

[BodhiWolff]

They supply drumsticks, but the drummers who have demoed the game talk about picking up *better* drumsticks. They mention that the drumsticks included are perfectly functional, but perhaps not ideal.

I just want to know what real drummers would use if they had their druthers.

[acetabulum]

I usually use 5A from Vater.. pretty slim and ideal. Everyone has their own preference.

Go try different ones out at your music store on an electronic kit with rubber pads. Although, I think the RB drum kit has slightly better bounce. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend anything too wide or you'll lose some of that bounce.

[vtjustinb]

The general sizes of drumsticks for set playing run from 7A -> 5A -> 5B -> 2B from thinnest to thickest. There are a million variations (many professional drummers have signature sticks that vary in length, shape, wood type, tip shape, tip material, and thickness), but those are your basic options.

The RB pads are a little more dead than typical electronic sets, which is to say they rebound less. Think of bouncing a basketball that is partially deflated. The deflation means more of the downward energy gets absorbed at impact, resulting in less returned bounce (the whole "every action has an equal and opposite reaction" effect).

The set comes with 5A-sized sticks that are made of a pretty cost-conscious wood. Personally I would just go to your music store and try out some sticks to see what feels good in your hands--and generally sticking to Vic Firth, Vater, and Pro-Mark will get you a pretty reasonably good drumstick for your buck.

For what it's worth, I'm going to play with 5Bs which are roughly the same length as a 5A but a little thicker. That's mainly because a little heavier stick will help with rebound (more mass means more downward acceleration with less work). I usually play with 5As or 7As for jazz stuff though.

The above poster is right in saying a thinner stick can produce more bounce just because it's lighter and easier to put more acceleration into the stroke resulting in more rebound. It's kind of whether you'd want to make it easier for you to make the bounce, or the drumhead to make the bounce. For me personally I'm going with the later just because I'm used to marching sticks of late (which are nearly twice as thick as 5As and 2" longer) and when I'm rocking out I want to pound some stuff. :P

That's a long-winded way of answering your original question which for me would be get a set of Vic Firth 5Bs. Nylon or Wood-tipped won't make a difference on a rubber pad, whatever feels best to you.

[BodhiWolff]

I *really* appreciate the effort you guys made in the detailed responses. I also appreciate the lesson in the nomenclature, the relation to bounce and weight, etc. Now I know what to look for when I'm testing them out, what variables to change when I know what I want, etc. You even gave brand suggestions for cost effectiveness!

Seriously -- nice work, guys! I hope that other RB fans take advantage of this and, when they're ready, find the sticks that give them the RB experience they're hoping for!

[McDeezy]

I am going to use my 5A Regal Tips.

[geo2n2]

Are the bundled sticks all wood? What would be the best kind to minimize wear on the drumset? Nylon tipped?

[MidwestDrummer]

I actually plan on playing with a set of rutes. The drum peripheral does not have much bounce to it, so i'm hoping rutes might give me a little more. Plus, they'll be quieter to play with too!

[TheRocker]

Head to your guitar center and buy some extra drumsticks or just stick with the bundled ones.

[GnB_237]

i use vic firth drum sticks and i love them :)

[_epacs_]

Hmm I think I'll be picking up a pair of Zildjian 7A's, I'm a big fan of using thinner sticks when drumming.

[BodhiWolff]

To continue the information from another thread ...

regarding noise reduction and drum pads, there are some options. The easiest, and the one pertaining to this thread, are these:

Tama silent tips
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tama-TCP10D-Silent-Tips?sku=440041

Not sure how well they work, but the idea is a little rubber tip to put on your drumstick. That way you get the exact drumstick you want, with a small noise-reducing rubber tip to help cut down on that "tap tap tap" sound that is a little annoying if you can't crank the speakers to eleven.

The second solution, which is an integrated drumstick with head, are meant to simulate drumming on a practice pad already. They're called "deadbeats"
http://store.drumbum.com/skuSTK-26.html

Now, the disadvantage is that you don't get the perfectly customized stick that you want. You get *that* stick. Plus, who knows how springy a drumstick which is meant to simulate drumming on a pad *plus* a practice pad is going to get?

However, they're supposed to be more silent than the Tama silent tips.

///////

personally, I'm going to try to make some rubberized tips for a pair of sticks. I really like the idea of getting the stick and weight I want, and then making them quieter ... somehow.

Thanks again to everybody who shared their technical drumstick information in this thread. I still appreciate their efforts very much.

[Transbrak]

I don't know too much about drums but I have messed around with some kits before. It seems to me that the sticks at best buy were kinda cheap feeling , I can't describe it really but felt more like a toy than I would like, is it just me and my inexperience or would those sticks be perfectly fine.

[dlisapussy]

I think he's asking for what drumsticks we should use, since its practice pads compared to a real drumset.

I don't think he's asking for our preferences. I would use thin, light sticks. Fat and heavy sticks could rough up your set. You know what I'm sayin?

[mattitude]

If the "thonk thonk thonk" of hitting the drumpads ends up being too distracting for me, I'll probably seek out some rubber-tipped sticks.

[parastroke7]

Stick size is a matter of preference, like many other things. If a lot of you have never played drums before, then the first pair of sticks you pick up ARE going to be your preference. I'll narrow it down.

Small : Promark 5A's

Medium : Promark 747's

Bigger than medium : Promark 5B's.

Hint* You probobly don't want to get nylon tips, either. Common sense dictates that it would only make more noise.

If it's not too terribly obvious, I like Promark sticks. Out of all the sticks I've ever used, they hold up the longest.

[Frontline]

The sticks at Best Buy were very cheap, but for a non drummer, they will work just fine. Like the previous poster stated, the pads are very 'dead'. When the game comes out I will be using Zildjian 5A nylon tips. The same I use for all my set drumming. It will be interesting though to see what it's like with other sizes of sticks. Maybe even try out some different types of Corps Masters. See if I can get a little more rebound out of it.

[WillDrum4Food]

For that last couple of years, my "brand-of-choice" has been the Vic Firth Dave Weckl Signature Edition sticks. Nylon-tipped.

I've been using them on a sweet Roland TD-6V set so I'm already pretty accustomed to rubber pads. :D

Can't wait to use them on the RB drumkit.

[vtjustinb]

I actually plan on playing with a set of rutes. The drum peripheral does not have much bounce to it, so i'm hoping rutes might give me a little more. Plus, they'll be quieter to play with too!

I wonder if that'll create enough impact to register notes? Plus you'd feel like you're playing MTV unplugged which might be cool. :P

[vtjustinb]

Stick size is a matter of preference, like many other things. If a lot of you have never played drums before, then the first pair of sticks you pick up ARE going to be your preference. I'll narrow it down.

Small : Promark 5A's

Medium : Promark 747's

Bigger than medium : Promark 5B's.

Hint* You probobly don't want to get nylon tips, either. Common sense dictates that it would only make more noise.

If it's not too terribly obvious, I like Promark sticks. Out of all the sticks I've ever used, they hold up the longest.

On tour our DCI line was sponsored by Pro-Mark, and while I had always loved their set sticks the marching sticks were a bag. I guess that kind of left a sour taste in my mouth for Pro-Mark.

But I get a Vic-Firth sticks with a 60% discount, so that's kind of a no-brianer. :P

[DoctorSpaghetti]

I haven't been to a best buy demo, but I'm guessing that the type of sticks that are bundled are super cheap arse are like some weird compacted Styrofoam type of a deal, super cheap and suck. My recommendation, especially if you are not an experience drummer (which I assume you aren't, asking for advice on sticks) is to go with some Vic Firth SD2 Boleros. I got a pair myself, but I use them mostly for pad practicing cuz they are made of maple (to make them really light) so they would get broken easily on a real drum set, particularly cymbals. What makes them so appealing to beginners is the fact that they are pretty big. If you haven't had professional lessons where they teach you how to hold a drum stick properly, this is a great thing to gorilla grip :D . Also, you may want to try some rock sticks (any brand). They are basically Boleros (big), but they are made out of the traditional hickory, so they have some real weight to them.

But really what it comes down to is your own personal preference. Just go down to your local Guitar Center (or any music store really) and test out their sticks in person (you can take them out of their sleeves, they aren't wrapped in plastic or anything).

Hope this helped

[chaopolis]

...but I'm guessing that the type of sticks that are bundled are super cheap arse are like some weird compacted Styrofoam type of a deal, super cheap and suck.

No, the sticks are wooden... they just feel like they're gonna break easily.

[DoctorSpaghetti]

Stick size is a matter of preference, like many other things. If a lot of you have never played drums before, then the first pair of sticks you pick up ARE going to be your preference.

Uh...no? I started with rock sticks, now I use some plain old 5As. Generally speaking, your first set you get you have no farkin idea what you are looking for, so you'll probably just get the biased opinion of someone that works at the shop.

Now, granted, your first set may be your preferred stick initially, but once you get to the point where you are doing stuff beyond rolls and flams, you will most likely find that what you got doesn't quite fit your needs. That is, unless you actually got the right stick from the get-go, but thats very unlikely. My drum instructor, who's been playing for 18 years, is still experimenting with sticks.

[DoctorSpaghetti]

No, the sticks are wooden... they just feel like they're gonna break easily.

Sure they are wood? I know they aren't Styrofoam, I think its actually like saw dust or something thats hard pressed or something like that. Either way, cheap, I guess that's the important part

[quadrophenickid]

X5A's.........