[gyutae]

What do you guys think about longer drumsticks? I've played with drumsticks about 16-17" which is a lot longer than your standard drum stick and had some mixed feelings.

Although you get a lot more reach and don't have to move your arms as high to hit cymbals, they can get a bit cumbersome around the drums. I've had a lot more mi****s playing with longer sticks than with standard sticks.

Also, when playing with longer sticks and then switching back to short sticks, it takes a while to adjust. I wouldn't recommend doing this in the middle of a gig. I did this once and ended up missing a cymbal and dropping the stick.

Any thoughts?

[Russ]

It all boils down to personal preference.
Some people like the longer sticks because they give a longer reach. But at the same time, they are heavier and may be cumbersome like you said.

I would never use the longer sticks for rudimentary snare drum work as I go for speed and the extra length would add no benefit.

[mouse]

Different strokes for different folks. Phil Collins uses 14" sticks. I am same height and body build as Mr Genesis, but i use the long Vater 1A's 16 1/2 " or Vater Power 5A are good too.
I like the extra reach, balance point and weight power. These sticks are thinner than say a 2B or 5B, this compromise has been main advantage for me. Thin long or short fat, use what works best for yourself. probally find long fat are going to be cumbersome unless that is what you want .....heh heh broomsticks.

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[pantera]

The longest stick's I've seen are the Regal Tip Alex Van Halen signature series, close to 18".

I've found from jamming and practicing at home I don't much like sticks that are longer than average, I also don't like ones with larger tips and thick shoulders.

At the last 2 jam sessions I brought along my main sticks (Pro-Mark 747 Japan Oak) and for a couple of songs tried longer ones (Regal Tip and Vic Firth) and some Vater's with larger tips. Neither worked.

The longer ones slowed me down when doing very fast snare work and fills around the kit and I found the sticks would hit at times from the extra length. The larger tip ones felt out of balance, too front heavy and were only good for a solid, consistent loud rock groove as long as you didn't have to move around the kit much.

I found now that I have some experience I much prefer the standard 5A around 16" long with a tear drop or oval tip.

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