Chipped tips

S

skeletonwitch

Member
Apologies if this should go in the gear section. But I view this as a more general discussion.

I feel like I hit very hard, but I almost never break a stick and I've literally never dented a drum head in 30 years of playing. However, I greatly prefer wood tips and I chip tips fairly quickly.

1. Do you immediately cull a stick with a chipped tip? I sometimes wonder if I'm overdoing it and should just keep using for a while. Does the chip really affect my feel and play? Not sure.
2. What do you do with old sticks? Throw em in the trash or save them in an old cymbal bag for some weird reason like I do? Have a little campfire?
3. I play with Weckl evolution, or just standard vic firth 7a, or 5b depending on what genre I'm playing. Any brand or style of sticks with better tip durability? I feel like the Weckls last the longest for me.
 
chipped tips dull a cymbal like no tomorrow and yes sad when happens and yea throw in a junk box
seems like when you notice then after with the next pair it stops (cross fingers employ voodoo etc..
 
For most local gigs, I use a VF AJ5, a longish-thinnish stick that feels good but is a little lighter, and only available in wood tip. Chipping is an issue even with lighter playing, and I can't recall ever breaking one of those sticks - the tip chips before the stick can crack. If there's one smallish chip, I will continue to use the stick and hope that it's mostly rotated away from that position for the best sound. When there's a second chip and it's more likely to affect the sound, I have to toss the stick. Sometimes a stick last for several gigs, sometimes it chips right away.

But I really like the feel for lighter playing, so I continue to use them.
 
They make great kindling. :)

There are sticks made of wood harder than standard hickory, but they are heavier and have a different sound, if that matters.
 
1. When I notice the tip has sharp corners, I'll toss it out. I haven't notice any damage on my Masterwork cymbals but I did dent drum heads with squared tip drum sticks.

2. You could make a bass drum beater of them! :)

3. I usually play VF A5s but also some cheapish Thomann or Music Store brands.
After a fairly long drum break I notice that the chipping now is a lot less than it used to be.
Must be my hi-hat technique has changed - looking at the chips on the floor, the hi-hat seems to be the biggest destroyer of sticks.
 
skeletonwitch said:
What do you do with old sticks? Throw em in the trash or save them in an old cymbal bag for some weird reason like I do? Have a little campfire?
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We have used them for kindling which works well. Sometimes I save them for a young drummer who has limited funds and is happy to use the culls.
 
skeletonwitch said:
1. Do you immediately cull a stick with a chipped tip?
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I'll use it for groove & rudiment practice, but not for performances.
skeletonwitch said:
2. What do you do with old sticks?
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Once the tip has been thoroughly mashed, it goes on my burn pile.*
skeletonwitch said:
3. I play with Weckl evolution, or just standard vic firth 7a, or 5b depending on what genre I'm playing. Any brand or style of sticks with better tip durability?
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I use Promark 7A, 5A & 5B. The tips on the 7A last longer, probably 'cuz I use them for quiet gigs. I used VF 5A for years and don't think they last any longer than the Promark sticks.

*There's a few sticks in there, somewhere.

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This is why I try to mostly play nylon tipped sticks. I like the consistency and clarity in the cymbal sound. I use wood tips maybe 1/4 of the time.
 
I went to Promark 5B Rebound Nylon, because I was tired of wood tip sticks chipping. Also, I switched because the Carl Palmer signature sticks I used for years went out of production.
 
I tend to use barrel / ball tips on my sticks, and they do chip the tips.
I retire them from the drum set at that point.
If the chip is not overly large, I then take sand paper to the tip and remove the sharp edges. I then use on the e-kit and/or practice pad.
 
I switched to nylon tips to get a bit more cut from my cymbals so the tips are not a problem. Warping and splintering cause the retirement of my sticks now. I prefer the tone from wooden tips but feel nylon serves the band and the wallet better. I use have the butt of the stick for a phatter sound

Not sure what to do with retired sticks. I sometimes give them away to practice rooms to resell to forgetful drummers. I would love to get a lathe and make tiny chess sets

The quality of timbre goes up and down in all makes and models of stick. I have had good mileage from Los Cabos maple sticks but it may be chance. If you get a good set it could be smart to return to where you bought them and by more from the same batch.

When buying, I ask if I can get sticks out and roll them down a glass counter top to check for warps. This gives me the opportunity to check the pitch/weight difference and grain in tips/shoulders.
 
I’ll keep using them at home until I’m sick of the sound. Then eventually split them up and burn them.
I’d still rather use chipped wood tips than nylon tips.
 
I keep several pairs of sticks. Checking the often between songs, I set aside any that are beginning to splinter. If all the wood is still there, I repair by rubbing slightly thinned Elmers Glue All. If some bits are missing, I fill the gap with super glue sand and finish by rubbing in Glue All. It’s my Sunday thing- to make sure all my sticks are ready for the next week. Same thing for hi hat wear. Not necessarily a practical solution for most people, but it does work. The ink is gone on this stick but the tip is still going


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I bought a brick of VF sticks with wood tips and played them for over a year. I find that not only do the tips chip and potentially knock dents in the heads, but I swear I can hear when the tips start to soften and they don't feel or sound right on my cymbals, especially my hats and my ride. I've switched back to nylon tips for good. I like the consistency that nylon provides.
 
Like @bermuda, I like VF AJ5's for most work. I also like the VF Peter Erskine Ride stick with the small tear-drop tip. Two completely different hickory sticks and I enjoy them both.

But when the tips get more than two chips or worse, split out a chunk, I relegate them to the "save for emergency back-up" pile. If a stick totally fails, I can recruit one from the emergency pile to pair with its new brother. But normally, I'll scrap both and grab a new pair. Sticks are cheap. In almost 20 years, I've only ever broken one stick and only very rarely will I split/crack a stick. More often than not, the tips just die from old age.
 
Smoke said:
Like @bermuda, I like VF AJ5's for most work. I also like the VF Peter Erskine Ride stick with the small tear-drop tip. Two completely different hickory sticks and I enjoy them both.

But when the tips get more than two chips or worse, split out a chunk, I relegate them to the "save for emergency back-up" pile. If a stick totally fails, I can recruit one from the emergency pile to pair with its new brother. But normally, I'll scrap both and grab a new pair. Sticks are cheap. In almost 20 years, I've only ever broken one stick and only very rarely will I split/crack a stick. More often than not, the tips just die from old age.
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VF5A's are my go to and they ain't cheap on my side of the pond 😢
I've noticed too that I'm chewing through them much quicker than I used to. Hardly ever break them, just chew through the shoulders - poor HH technique undoubtedly to blame but even so......
 
I play exactly like you...40 years of metal and punk - mostly - and have never dented a head, hurt a cymbal or broken a stick. Knowing how to get volume without bashing via technique has helped a lot!!! Also knowing how to hit, and position cymbals helps too. And using the right kind of cymbal. My "punk rock basher" crash cymbal is NOT a 19" K Custom Dark etc. etc. (I use a 90's era 16" A Rock Crash for that)

i have recently been using VF 3A's ,and the beads stay in tact for a few months. when one starts to go, that stick gets relegated to my left hand. Yes, I am OCD enough that I have left and right hand sticks!! once the entire stick gets beavered down to unusable, they go in to the fire pit/place.
 
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