Innovative Percussion makes a concert multi-use stick, the CMS-1, that is intended to offer some versatility to the concert percussionist. I bought a pair hoping the tips would be truly barrel shaped, but was bothered by the point on the top, as well as the rubber gasket at the butt end. What was THAT for?
As you can see, the stick is mostly unremarkable as it comes from the factory.in fact, it was a modified version of IO’s Oaul Rennick signature marching tenor sticks. But I’ve really been getting into barrel-tipped sticks, like the Vic Firth “Leggerio” model or the sticks made by Rick Dior. So I decided to modify this stick to see if I could bring it a little closer to that ideal.
Step 1: remove the stupid rubber gaskets, and replace them with thin copper gaskets made from plumbing pipe. I did the same thing that I’d done for the John Crocken sticks, and with thinner, smaller-diameter pipe it worked really well.
Step 2: re-shape the tip to remove the annoying point on top and flatten it to better resemble the barrel tips found on the Leggerio sticks. This took some time and careful filing and sanding, but it did work out well. When I finished I applied a coating of clear nail polish to the tips, and also to the copper to keep it shiny longer.
The end result? A better stick with a little more weight, better fore/aft balance and one that feels more responsive on drum or pad.
The only drawback? IP used pretty basic hickory to make these sticks. I may sand the entire stick more finely and paint it all over with a thing coat of polyurethane. We’ll see.
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