Half the twin

k3ng

Silver Member
What on earth do you do with the other stick that isn't broken?

Obviously when you break sticks you only break 1. And they're a pair. So what do you do with the unbroken one? Pair it up with a new one from a new pair? Throw it out with the broken one? I can't imagine pairing it up with a new stick. You'd be carrying one old and beaten up one and a new one. I don't have the heart to throw it out either.

Any interesting unique uses for leftover pairs?
 
I d usually put it aside as a spare, so when you break the next one you already have a pre-used stick to match what you re playing with. Eventually they all end up breaking though... : (
 
I like to buy a batch of several pairs and just dump them in the good old stick bag. I don't worry about "timbre matching" or anything like that -- even though all sticks have a different pitch, playing with two different "tunings" doesn't have a crippling effect on my playing or sound.

I categorise my sticks into two groups: the ones with broken beads and the ones with intact beads. The broken sticks can be used for practice, rehearsals, top 40 gigs and jams, while the intact sticks are mostly used for studio sessions gigs where details are important. I don't separate new sticks from old ones and I pick up a pair pretty randomly, so they all go through moderate use cyclically. I can discard sticks that are broken beyond use knowing that there are always "new" sticks to choose from.
 
I like to buy a batch of several pairs and just dump them in the good old stick bag. I don't worry about "timbre matching" or anything like that -- even though all sticks have a different pitch, playing with two different "tunings" doesn't have a crippling effect on my playing or sound.

I categorise my sticks into two groups: the ones with broken beads and the ones with intact beads. The broken sticks can be used for practice, rehearsals, top 40 gigs and jams, while the intact sticks are mostly used for studio sessions gigs where details are important. I don't separate new sticks from old ones and I pick up a pair pretty randomly, so they all go through moderate use cyclically. I can discard sticks that are broken beyond use knowing that there are always "new" sticks to choose from.

Well I considered doing that but don't you worry about the stick wear? Like maybe using a nice smooth stick next to a really beaten up chipped shaft one?
 
Well I considered doing that but don't you worry about the stick wear? Like maybe using a nice smooth stick next to a really beaten up chipped shaft one?

I never suffer from stick wear, so my advice might not work for everyone. My tips tend to chip to a level of uselessness far before I start getting any noticable wear on the shafts. Back in the day I did use to chew through sticks, but even then I didn't find it difficult to play with mis-matched sticks.
 
Yes, if the wear isn't catastrophic then it doesn't usually make too much of a difference...I must admit that I tend to keep brand new sticks together until I've used them for a while. I normally save the stick from a broken pair, and then when I have two or I break another one at a gig then I'll pick up the already-used one.
 
I never suffer from stick wear, so my advice might not work for everyone. My tips tend to chip to a level of uselessness far before I start getting any noticable wear on the shafts. Back in the day I did use to chew through sticks, but even then I didn't find it difficult to play with mis-matched sticks.



I'm the same way, I just keep em in the stick bag for a ready stick for when I break another. Every so often I stock up on a half dozen pair and throw em in the bag, so my new are mixed with my old and I never know what I'm gonna grab.... "Life is like a drumstick bag, you never know what you're gonna get"..lol (Pathetic Forest Gump quip)

Plus with the price of heating oil, the broken ones make a nice alternative to oil heat.
 
I buy them a box at a time, the box lasts me a year at least, I just don't break them. they wear out, get rubbery and loose their tonality. I really don't worry about matched pairs. The Vic Firth stick are close enough for me even out of the matched pairs.
 
The only stick that I have ever broken is a Hardimon marching stick.

I currently have the other stick just lying around my drum room.


I usually retire my sticks once they get worn.
And by worn i mean the bead gets broken which is long before the shaft is close to breaking.
 
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