How often do you break a stick?
Gavin Says:
That's a tricky question, and it depends who I'm playing with and how long and hard the show is. For instance with Porcupine Tree - I was using Vic Firth's SD1 Maple (which I really love) but I was breaking around 8-10 sticks per show. Plus I was denting the Remo Emperors a lot.
My buddy Marco Soccoli (from Vic Firth) suggested that I move up to a Hickory stick (the Rock model) with more of an acorn shaped bead. Now I break maybe 2-3 sticks a night and the heads don't get so damaged. Other artists I've played with where I've used Vic Firth 5A Extreme and they've lasted all night. Depends how hard you're playing.