Drum Stick Finishes

I wanted to see if anyone had
ever had problems, with the
lacquer finishes of certain
sticks. Please let me know
what you have found, if any-
thing. I'm looking into this.

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i can't get on with sticks with any sort of coating...

i used to use the evolution stick but as soon as my hands started sweating the stick was no good....

same with the buddy rich stick that i like for a while.....

i love the look of the laquers but dont know how people can use them....how can these drummers not sweat when they are playing?? Thomas sweats alot and he still has a laquered stick???

i know use shedders....great stick.

I've switched back and forth between VF 5A and 5B's ever since I began playing, but I recently switched to the Weckl Evolution stick. I really like it, it feels lighter than a 5A and has better rebound. I haven't had any problems with it becoming too slippery, though I have had with other lacquered sticks. Maybe you just get used to them after awhile?

I tend to get sweaty hands when I play, so I can't use sticks that have a slippery finish on them...I used to use to Weckl Evolutions aswell, but once my hands started sweating, it was impossible to play...

I've tried the Steve Gadd signature stick, and my hands didn't glide of the stick. Maybe because I don't sweat. Meny likes the sticks, but the lacquer is a problem for someone.

Now I play with B-Stick (danish brand), and Vic Firth AJ2 and AJ3. These sticks (or other without lacquer!) are on a way easyer to play with.

The Gadd signature is also pretty heavy!!

its amazing...i used use 5A's and 5B's for a while....i used to look at say 2B's and think...man how does anybody play with sticks like that....let alone virgils stick and so on.

now i use shedders which seem to be the biggest stick on the market....well biggest available one anyway. and now i go back and i pick up anything below a 2B and im like....CHOPSTICKS!!

obviously i'll use a lighter stick for softer music....but for genreral playing and technique...the bigger the stick the better!!

shouldn't your hands be stickier when it sweats and slippery when dry?

I agree about the lacquered sticks being too slippery. I bought a dozen pair of the Evolution right when they came out. It's a great design--much better than the VF 5A, or any 5A, for that matter. (I've still got about 5 pair left to use up!)

I wrote to VF via their website and said, "Why don't you offer the same stick in the standard color and wax finish?" Their reply was basically, "We recommend the VF 5A if you prefer the wax finish."

HUH??? [img]eek.gif[/img]

If the 5A is just as good as the Evolution, I'm sure Dave would be using it...so there must be "some" difference!

I've been on the quest for the perfect stick for a few years, and I just can't find it. I think the two best stick designs are the Evolution and Virgil's Aassault. I wish they would make a stick between a 5A and 5B weight, with exactly the proportions of the Assault.

I've been using the Zildjian Super 5B and occasionally the Vater Smitty Smith and Copeland models lately.

Weckl's old stick is pretty cool, but not crazy about the color and finish. The white coat finishes (Buddy Rich model, Jack DeJohnette model) don't seem to be as bad as the lacquer finish.

I'll tell you the real reason
for posting this. I have cuts
on my index and middle finger
that became infected, when I
used Nu-Skyn. I stopped that
immediately but the cuts will
not heal (over a year).

I was wondering. The smell on
my fingers, after using the VF
OH's is always present after I
use them. I have decided to not
use them for an extended period,
switching to the less desirable
(too light) Vater 'Fusion's',
just to see if they heal.

I will let you know.

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<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 28, 2004 06:57 PM: Message edited by: peter c ]</font>

Stick(s) that I use quite often are Regal Tip 9A. I use this stick mostly for light to med. hard playing, which in turn I use the Vinnie Colaiuta sig. sticks for full-out harder playing. I've read in past that players are not into the Regal Tip texture. I've grown to like the feel of the Regal Tip 9A and I haven't had problems with the sticks slipping either! But then again......the Vinnie sig. stick don't slip and feels good too!

huh, I love the VF coating on the colored sticks.

Thomas' stick is really really well designed IMO and feels great. By far the best feeling big stick for me.

Problem is, they sound like ass on cymbals to my ear. Big sticks=great on drums, crap on cymbals. Just brings out the gonginess/chunkiness I hate.

Fav stick right now is some kind of custom beefed up 5B from Silverfox who are turning out some of the best sticks I've ever played. If I had those with the white coating on Thomas' stick they'd be perfect.

Ya I find the the shiny ones are very slippery when you get going, especially the Gadd signature stick. I totally tore up my hand with blisters when I first tried the Weckl evolution stick also.

Hi Peter, I am JP, read all posts frequently but never replied. Great forum and say Hi to everyone. What I do with my VF 5a is taking a knife and scraping the lacquer of the butt of the stick. There is still a little bit on the stick, giving me the feel of a lacquered stick but can sweat without loosing my sticks in high temparature situations. Give it a try. Personally hate non lacquered or fiber sticks. JP

Quote:

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Originally posted by peter c:
I have cuts on my index and middle finger...the cuts will not heal (over a year).

---

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't want to be an alarmist or anything, but have you had your blood sugar checked? Poor healing can be an indicator of high blood sugar.

Two things:

Peter, if you haven't already, consult your doctor. I don't have any idea why those cuts haven't healed but it could me something minor a doctor can prescribe something for.

It really makes no difference whatsoever to me what the lacquer on the stick I use is like. I don't drop sticks and the lacquer makes no difference whatsoever to my playing. I've never noticed what it's like on the several models I switch between.

Stick size is a different issue. I can play with a variety of sizes of sticks but anything under a 5B takes getting used to. Obviously, I prefer large sticks. As noted, they can give a crap cymbal sound with the wrong - too thin - cymbals. I have a Dark K Dry ride that prefers a large stick so I'm okay until I change ride cymbals.

Brad

Brad, what sticks are you using? Thomas' and Virgil's are my favorite large sticks so far. Shedder is too much for me. If I could get Lang's shrunk ever so slightly it'd be perfect.

The only small sticks I like and use a lot are the Erskine Ride sticks. The balance is different somehow so they don't feel small.

Otherwise, I hover a bit above a 5b typically.

I wish I could get the guys at
Grover to back up the promises
I have gotten these last couple
of years, Derek.

Neil keeps telling me he's going
to get things right, with their
Ultra-Tips but he never did. I
gave up, though I think they had
an idea.

The Omar's are the closest thing
but I know what you're saying a-
bout the large tips. They just
clunk the cymbals. Omar's are
almost small enough but I like
heavier sticks, myself.

Have you tried VF Harvey Mason's?
If they only had a nylon tip but
it looks like, even then, I'd still
have to deal with this finish thing.

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Thanks for the concern, guys.

Guess what(?)...

I played the Vater Fusion(s) all day,
yesterday and my hands look and feel
really good. I'm going to stay on this
for a little while and see what happens.

I will let you know.

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Hi , there is a new product out there for this problem check here : http://www.h3drumscience.com/pages/837921/index.htm .

I received my package today , i'll let you know more in fews day of testing so .

Well, guess what(?).

I laid off the VF Omars and switched
to Vater and Regal Tips.

MY FINGERS HAVE GENERATED A NEW AND
HEALTHY LAYER OF SKIN FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN OVER 1.5 YEARS.

Pretty interesting, don't you think
and I have been playing too and not
without a whack either! This is for
real! I am very happy with the new
development. NO MORE BAND-AIDS!

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I prefer maple sticks. It seems when i sweat that the stick absorbs some of it and makes the stick nice and sticky.

I would not mind using the
different-density maples but
I can't get them with a small,
round nylon or synthetic tip.

Right now, I am using the Q3K's
from Regal Tip and Vater Fusions
sticks. I wish Regal Tip would
make a smaller tip for that
model. I might write them.

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