Slight Drum Stick Rant; Customer and Quality

[LRod1707]

I've reached out to a lot of people on this and never had any luck. The closest I got was with Jeff Rich, but I haven't heard back from him since April.

Do you know anyone/company that does it?

Nope! I just made the suggestion based on the fact that he mentioned he has to modify his own off the shelf sticks. I know there are companies that do it but don't know any of them. I've never even considered getting custom made sticks for myself since I'm OK with what's available in stores. I'm sure someone here has Custom made sticks made and should be able to chime in on that.

 

[Heartbeat]

Do you know anyone/company that does it?

I've heard good things about Custom Center Point Turning, but haven't used them myself.

 

[jaymandude]

I've reached out to a lot of people on this and never had any luck. The closest I got was with Jeff Rich, but I haven't heard back from him since April.

Do you know anyone/company that does it?

Maybe the guy in Louisana ? LA Backbeat I think ?

 

[Ajbambino]

I've heard good things about Custom Center Point Turning, but haven't used them myself.

This is awesooooooooooome! I just reached out - thank you!

 

[Ajbambino]

Maybe the guy in Louisana ? LA Backbeat I think ?

I actually reached out to Frank over there a few months ago abut he told me that they don't do it at that point in time. I'll give him another shout though to see if anything's changed. Thanks for reminding me about them!

 

[Pounder]

I like to be sure they're similar in weight and they're straight. That's a nice thing to be able to do if you're in a brick-and-mortar store. Furthermore, if you have a store and you appreciate your customers' business, it seems that you'd want to play up those advantages of customers being able to observe the product closely before buying. That seems like an advantage over online shopping, which would be something to be happy about, instead of whining about. That's just my take on it though!

 

[Stretch Riedle]

Dude, I've been trying to reach regal for the Alex can halen sticks and their handbourine for over 2 years with no luck. Do you have them by any chance???

We carried the Alex Van Halen sticks for many years, but then the one customer who would buy them switched to a different stick and we phased them out.
Stretch

 

[gutenberg]

Today's drummer has too much information and is over-educated. When I was a young drummer, no one cared about how many plys, bearing edges, gram weights, timbre matching, type of wood, etc. As far as sticks go, if they would roll straight and felt the same weight, that's all that mattered. Didn't care about pitch-matching, grain, wood type, forward or back balance, etc. I'd buy Billy Cobham 808s in the late 1970s by the box. What I got is what I used.

 

[Soulfinger]

Today's drummer has too much information and is over-educated. When I was a young drummer, no one cared about how many plys, bearing edges, gram weights, timbre matching, type of wood, etc. As far as sticks go, if they would roll straight and felt the same weight, that's all that mattered. Didn't care about pitch-matching, grain, wood type, forward or back balance, etc. I'd buy Billy Cobham 808s in the late 1970s by the box. What I got is what I used.

 

[LRod1707]

Thought this would be a good thread to post this. Since I'm on a mission seeking Regal Tip's, I decided to stop by a Guitar Center on the way home today. I always pass it but never thought to stop in there and check. I remembered that they had them a couple years ago and figured they might have some leftovers. They didn't!
But what I wanted to post is that I quickly remembered why I can't stand Guitar Center. They had a very nice older man greeting at the door. Other than him, their were 2 employees in there and neither one cared to help. I asked and neither one would look up to my eyes. They had the least care in the world that a customer was in the store and had zero enthusiasm to help and actually serve a customer. Sad!
Over the years I've spent money there but this is the last time I will ever shop at GC. I'd rather pay more elsewhere!!

 

[DavedrumsTX]

After reading the Regal Tip thread, and especially post #58, I knew I had to start a new topic.

I run the drum department at Starving Musician-Santa Cruz. We carry Vic Firth, Regal Tip, Pro Mark, Vater, AMR, Zildjian, Firewood and Los Cabos drum sticks. Not a lot of different models, but a decent variety. (Hell, we could probably do just fine selling Vic Firth 5A Wood tip, and Los Cabos Seconds ONLY!)

So my pet peeve is this: I understand checking sticks out carefully, rolling them on glass, sometimes tapping them by your ear to hear the pitch, visual inspection for grain differences, etc... Ok, I understand WHY you do this. But I came up with one question that I sometimes ask a drummer, and that is... Are your ARMS identical? Same size? Same weight? Equal in every way? Because if they aren't, the stick wouldn't matter so much would it??? And the truth is, very few humans have equal arms. Right-handed people usually have a larger right arm [because we use it more often].

Just my two cents.

Stretch

P.S. If you need Regal Tips, check our website for what is remaining in stock. We ship free on orders over $40.

Stretch, great question. Are my arms identical? No, but I am working to make make my arms identical!

Seriously, quality control on sticks used to be very inconsistent many years back and you would get sticks called “bananas”. They were bowed and an experienced player would know it. You would also find one stick that was significantly heavier and the imbalance would be felt.

You have to remember that all trees are not consistent and that you will always have some inconsistencies. However, I always look for a general weight proximity and straightness of the stick.

I rarely find these issues today and don’t generally test them anymore. In fact, I order a gross at a time.

The only company I am going to stop ordering is Vater. I love their stick designs and models, but they are very inconsistent. I am sticking with Vic Firth and ProMark.

Thank you for tolerating stick testing drummers!

Peace!

 

[Deafmoon]

Again...totally unsure why this is coming to my personal mailbox to answer on a thread that looks to be 8 years old!!!! What's up with this site? Okay, someone sent it to me...you want consistency from tip to butt end with the exact weight and balance consistent across the entire model? Meinl. Those Bavarians are the most meticulous in the world!

 

[LRod1707]

Again...totally unsure why this is coming to my personal mailbox to answer on a thread that looks to be 8 years old!!!! What's up with this site? Okay, someone sent it to me...you want consistency from tip to butt end with the exact weight and balance consistent across the entire model? Meinl. Those Bavarians are the most meticulous in the world!

I'd say the neighbors you have just north of you are making them just as good as the Bavarians. Los Cabos in Canada makes a pretty perfect stick! Shame they still are pretty limited on sizes though. I'm sure at some point as they grow they will change that though.

 

[Peterk256]

As a shop owner myself, I do respect people's ways when going about buying products but I would like to add something to what Stretch said that kind of ties to it. I have a customer who always comes and buys a pair of VF5As and a pair of VF5Bs. He uses the 5B on his left hand, the 5A on his right hand. We talked about this with him as I was puzzled at first. He said his weak hand (left) could use all the help it could get from the heft of the 5Bs and he said he was more comfortable doing ghost notes with the heavier stick. He also said his fills sounded more even as the weight of the 5B compensated for his lack of power on his left hand.
So, different strokes...

Similarly, some drummers play the snare (left hand) using the butt end such as Hal Blaine and Steve Ferrone. Balance goes out the window. I used to do that but stopped because I thought is was "bad technique". Guess it isn't.

 

[Tanabata]

It's not uncommon to see Keltner using two totally different sticks. I do it too. Works great.

There are times one has to play legit rolls and very fine work on various surfaces. I'm not going to be stuck in that situation with a warped stick, or a pair of sticks that don't match pitch-wise.

This is nothing new. When I was a kid I studied with the principal at NYC Ballet, how to select sticks is one of the first things he taught me.

Years ago, the drums shops in NYC had a wall of cubby-holes filled with different models of sticks. They had an flat area and a pad or two, and you'd grab the whole batch of the model sticks you wanted, roll 'em out till you had a bunch of straight ones, then start matching them up, then put the rest back and pay for what you wanted. That's how it was. Totally normal.

You wonder why going to a drum shop today is such a miserable experience? There's one reason, along with the free advice you're apt to get from the counter people, and the kids beating the snot out of everything all around you.

Maybe the guy in Louisana ? LA Backbeat I think ?

I love LA Backbeat sticks.

 

[Dumpy]

I remember endlessly rolling drum sticks on the counter to pick 12 pair as a youngster. Boy am I glad those days are gone. I use whatever I get. And yes- no plastic definitely helps!

 

[mlayton]

After reading the Regal Tip thread, and especially post #58, I knew I had to start a new topic.

I run the drum department at Starving Musician-Santa Cruz. We carry Vic Firth, Regal Tip, Pro Mark, Vater, AMR, Zildjian, Firewood and Los Cabos drum sticks. Not a lot of different models, but a decent variety. (Hell, we could probably do just fine selling Vic Firth 5A Wood tip, and Los Cabos Seconds ONLY!)

So my pet peeve is this: I understand checking sticks out carefully, rolling them on glass, sometimes tapping them by your ear to hear the pitch, visual inspection for grain differences, etc... Ok, I understand WHY you do this. But I came up with one question that I sometimes ask a drummer, and that is... Are your ARMS identical? Same size? Same weight? Equal in every way? Because if they aren't, the stick wouldn't matter so much would it??? And the truth is, very few humans have equal arms. Right-handed people usually have a larger right arm [because we use it more often].

Just my two cents.

Stretch

P.S. If you need Regal Tips, check our website for what is remaining in stock. We ship free on orders over $40.

You make a great point Stretch. Trying to add consistency (matching sticks) to something that isn't consistent (our limbs) probably doesn't accomplish too much.

Mike