hot rod sticks

[dickdog]

Does anybody make there own. I have made one set. They worked ok. A lot cheaper then buying them. i wrapped them in hemp string. Trying to come up with the best way

[matthew medeiros]

Does anybody make there own. I have made one set. They worked ok. A lot cheaper then buying them. i wrapped them in hemp string. Trying to come up with the best way

Are these the smaller set of rods "bundeled" together? If thats what I'm thinking, I've used the shrink wrap tubing from electronics, very secure but a little expensive.

[Dinkus]

I used to blast through a pair of Pro Marks in minutes, so went to the dollar store bought the wooden skewers for barbecuing and made my own. Bought 3/8 or 1/2 dowel for the handle then used Elmer's Wood Glue. Taped off a bundle 20 or 30 skewers and glued them to the dowel end. Put the skewer ends in an empty beer bottle to keep them straight. Let glue dry.
Positives, those that held would last over 4 months ( and years) and may only break at the shaft. You can always re-glue. The wood seems to last forever. I still use some that have been around for 4 years. Cheap, cheap, cheap. Maybe $2.00 for material. Saved hundreds on the road. The dowel is re-usable.
Negatives you will not get a true straight match, but you can get pretty close. Some wood dowels take the glue better some didn't, if I built 6 pairs, 3 pairs would work flawlessly for ever, the other 3 would break at the glue joint right away and you'd have to re-glue. No big deal really.
I used stick tape on the handle for better grip and electrical tape at the glue joint to help strengthen the area from my constant rim shots.

Dinkus

[dickdog]

Good one Dinkus. I will try that. Got a dollar store 1/4 mile from my house

[bykrmyk]

I made some years ago that are still holding up fine. I used 1/8" maple dowels I got at home depot. I sprayed them with clear poly then bundled them up using shrink wrap. I put a small cap on the butt end and some o-rings from plumbing to adjust the sound. You can use bamboo skewers too. Bamboo is pretty tough and should hold up a long time. I get my shrink wrap at Frys where it's a little cheaper. You can get it in colors too.

[zimbop]

I have a pair of vic firth dowel sticks. They're actually quite nice for quiet playing. They are not all created equal though. The ones I have use a core of soft mushy material surrounded by a perimeter of dowels. This makes them soft and quiet. I have used others that have dowels inside as well and they're more stout and louder. Those will be my next pair.

[robertm]

I use a pair of Vic Firth Rutes #505. They seem to be fiberglas or tough plastic. They have a nice dynamic range-play soft and it sounds like a hefty pair of brushes. But hit hard and they sound with a good snap, and can be further controlledl by the o-rings around them. One really cool thing is if you reverse them and play with the handles as the striking end they have a much crisper and more satisfying snap than sticks, and just about as loud. Weird, but it works. I've been beating the daylights out of the Rutes for a year and a half and they have next to no wear on them. I guess it's somewhat of a tribute to the cocktail drum I built that the Rutes have marked or fazed it either.

[metrodrum]

We make and sell our own brand - made from Hard rock maple dowels
with a center rod dipped in epoxy, and then wrapped with six more forming
the outer core. The epoxy helps to keep the sticks from disintergrating on
impact. We then wrap with cloth tape to help absorb sweat, and cap the ends.

Reasonable Price - 2 pairs we sell for 15. - (catch is we've only been selling to drummerswho buy our kits, ) But, we'll be releasing them into retail soon, as Pro Drum shop in LAand Just Drums in Toronto are our two newest dealers with Metropolitan.

No reason to pay 15 bucks - DIY.

Matthew@Metropolitan

[dickdog]

I use a pair of Vic Firth Rutes #505. They seem to be fiberglas or tough plastic. They have a nice dynamic range-play soft and it sounds like a hefty pair of brushes. But hit hard and they sound with a good snap, and can be further controlledl by the o-rings around them. One really cool thing is if you reverse them and play with the handles as the striking end they have a much crisper and more satisfying snap than sticks, and just about as loud. Weird, but it works. I've been beating the daylights out of the Rutes for a year and a half and they have next to no wear on them. I guess it's somewhat of a tribute to the cocktail drum I built that the Rutes have marked or fazed it either.

I am off to buy a pair now. Sounds like what I need

[robertm]

Cool! I'd like to know what you think once you get them. Myself, I love 'em.

[dickdog]

They were out of stock at guitar center, so I got a pair of vater wood handle whips. Nice idea, you can turn it around and use the stick end, but one of them feels loose like it is going to fall apart on me. I think I am going to take them back and get something else. Unless I hear something from vater. I email them. I am going to see what they will do about this problem. I love tthe way they play, but hate that loose feel. It's like they did'nt crimp them good enough.

[robertm]

That's what I like about the Rutes 505s. No wood, glued together really tight. The yfeel durable and are.

[dickdog]

Got a call from vater today. They are sending me out a replacement in the mail.Great job vater.

They were out of stock at guitar center, so I got a pair of vater wood handle whips. Nice idea, you can turn it around and use the stick end, but one of them feels loose like it is going to fall apart on me. I think I am going to take them back and get something else. Unless I hear something from vater. I email them. I am going to see what they will do about this problem. I love tthe way they play, but hate that loose feel. It's like they did'nt crimp them good enough.

[n4vgm]

I made my own a couple years back. Handle was made of thin aluminum tent pole. Sticks were shish kabob skewers. Selected the straightest skewers that fit tighly. Got them all set at the right lenght then poured in white glue from the open end just covering the points of the skewers. Left vertical to dry. Finally, used a three inch piece of adheasive(interior) shrink wrap centerd where the tube/skewers meet. Applied heat to shrink. I think the overall lengh was 15+ inches. Not at home at the moment.

Worked awesome! nice sound and bounce. What I really like is the clave sound of the aluminum tube, nice change from wood. I made several sets and actually sold some on consignment at a local music store. Down to one pair now. Will try to add pic.

In may stick bag are these plus set of rods and set of blastix.

Bob