In my previous post on the subject, I showcased a pair of practice sticks designed by Matt Savage, made by an off-brand some fifteen years ago. Since then, Savage has joined the Promark artist roster and re-designed his stick in conjunction with Promark. It looks a lot like the earliest generation of Xymox' "Dead Beat" sticks. When I can get my hands on an original from Xymox I'll take a closer look.
Meanwhile, here's a comparison of two different generations of the "SCOJO" practice stick, as made by Vic Firth and later by Promark/System Blue.
Upper: SCOJO sticks made last year by Promark with guidance from System Blue Percussion.
Lower: SCOJO sticks by vic Firth, made over a decade ago.
Note the subtle differences in size and taper of the stick, and in the size and shape of the rubber tips.
Playing both pairs of sticks, I could feel the differences immediately.
The Vic Firth sticks are heavier, and pitch-matched, with more heaviness at the front end of the stick (which matches up with the feel of his regular signature stick from the same maker and era).
The Promark stick is not pitch-matched (you can hear the difference between sticks). The weight overall is lighter, with a lighter feel up front due to the slightly skinnier taper. I like the feel, but the oversized rubber tips and mismatched pitches are a a bit of a distraction.
I got the Vic Firth model used, and you can see cracks in the rubber tips from age and use.
It will be interesting to see how well the Promark version holds up to use.
No comments:
Post a Comment