how long do your sticks last?

butter · #1 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 09:24 AM

lately ive been breaking alot of sticks and it made me wonder how long sticks are supposed to last.
obviously it depends on the kind of music you play, the sticks you use, how hard you hit, etc.
i play metal/hardcore, use vic firth 5A sticks, and i dont consider myself a hard hitter. i usually go through about 2 pairs of sticks a month.

so how long do sticks last for you?
include the factors i mentioned above and anything else you think is a contributing factor.

**Der Trommler** · #2 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 09:53 AM

I have had Hickory sticks last a minute or two, or a day or two and on rare occasion even go a few weeks. I switched to Japanese Oak many years ago and they seem to go a minimum of 2 months and I have had one pair for as many years as I can remember.

They are a bit heavier than Hickory but they feel sturdier.

Gus · #3 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 01:31 PM

last pair (now I'm using half) lasted about 2 weeks, I don't think I was playing that much either, The company makes money from having sticks break!

butter · #4 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 03:02 PM

haha thats a good point. id buy them for more if they lasted though.

Infero Exicution · #5 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 05:52 PM

Dude,
I've been playing for 4 years
and (other than my cousins...)
I haven't broke NOT 1 PAIR OF STICKS!!!!!

I don't know how or why!
I play metal too!!

Pretty pathetic, huh?

Gus · #6 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infero Exicution

Dude,
I've been playing for 4 years
and (other than my cousins...)
I haven't broke NOT 1 PAIR OF STICKS!!!!!

I don't know how or why!
I play metal too!!

Pretty pathetic, huh?

Im still using my I guess 30th pair (or a sort of low number).
I guess I usually last a month or less...
I only started to break sticks two years ago.

Vicz · #7 (**permalink**) 06-16-2009, 02:16 AM

I never calculate how often I break a drumstick actually, but my last stick (Vic Firth Akira Jimbo signature) hasn't been replaced for, I think...1 or 2 years.
Don't know why, but I think I broke more oftenly when I used Zildjian, compared to after I switched to Vic Firth

**Tainojim** · #8 (**permalink**) 06-16-2009, 09:53 AM

Have you tried the Aheads yet? Seems like you are hitting the rims or the edges of your cymbals. Maybe you need louder cymbals. Just kidding about the louder cymbals.

I've worn wooden sticks down, but never broke one. Well maybe chipped a few but that's it.

The Aheads are pricey but they do give you that louder and harder sound. The tips and sleeves are replaceable. These sticks have a dye cast metal rod inside of them.

That Japanese wood is very durable.

The original question the this thread was, "How Long Do Sticks Last?"
Answer: "Until They Break".

DrMapex · #9 (**permalink**) 06-16-2009, 01:04 PM

I used to use Zildjian dips sticks or Vic Firth but they used to break a lot with my style of playing (I'd go through a set a week or so). I tried carbon fibre sticks for a while, but they were even more brittle.

I made the switch to 5a ProMark Millenium II Shira Kashi Oak sticks about 6 months ago and they're fantastic, the wood is very very strong, being japanese, and the stick will tend to fray from rimshots long before it will break.

I strongly reccommend them to any metalhead - Chris Adler uses them (similar ones anyway), I use them and I'm thrash/groove/death metal.

Take care,

DrMapex