Maple Drum Sticks

Personal tastes and preferences are important for every musician. And that goes double when it comes to percussion, which might be the most customizable instrument family ever developed. Choosing each piece of your drum kit is sort of a rite of passage for drummers, and your sticks are naturally included in that. Most of us start out on traditional hickory sticks, but maybe you've been itching for something lighter and faster? If so, try putting some maple drum sticks on your wish list - these may not last quite as long as hickory sticks on average, but in exchange, you get lighter weight and quick, rapid-fire performance that can make short work of complex high-speed rhythms.

Like their mainstream hickory siblings, maple drum sticks are available in a wide range of different sizes and styles. Next to thickness, the most important trait is the stick's tip - especially its shape. A rounder tip tends to sound punchier and sharper on drums, as well as more cutting on the cymbals. Acorn tips, on the other hand, emphasize warmth and fullness. The same spectrum applies to material, with nylon tips on the sharp end and wooden tips on the rich end. This opens the doorway to hybrid tips that balance the warmth of an acorn tip with the brilliance of nylon, for instance, or for specialized sticks that combine similar traits. For an example of that, take a look at the Vic Firth SD7 Whacker drum sticks, which are aimed at jazz drummers and use rounded nylon tips to produce cutting power on the cymbals.

Of course, it goes without saying that everyone's drum stick preferences are unique. So the best way for you to discover the perfect maple drum sticks for your tastes might be to just start browsing and see what the selection has to offer. You could also check out some reviews from other customers to find out what they have to say about all the top-rated and best-selling sticks. Or follow the example of your favorite percussion legend with signature sticks like the PROMARK Jason Bonham Signature drum sticks. The choice is yours, and no matter how you like your drum sticks, there's bound to be a maple set that hits the mark.