Several months ago, a friend gifted me a small bundle of drum sticks, including a pair of black wenge concert sticks made by Rick Dior. They’re gorgeous, but too light for regular use. So they mostly sit on display.
Still, I wanted to see if a heavier set might be available. So I went to Rick’s website and took a look.
Rick updates his site periodically with a video of the sticks he has on hand. When I checked, he had a beautiful pair made of pecan, with reverse (“Etude” style) tips. I had a little extra cash, so I ordered them.
They arrived today. And they’re fantastic.
At 82 grams per stick, they’re on the heavy side of what I generally like, but so well-balanced and responsive that the extra weight isn’t a burden. The sticks have a slight reverse taper at the back end. I’m not normally a fan of this but with these sticks it seems to help with the balance. The pecan is light in color and very elegant in its simplicity.
Rick Dior has a number of sticks in various weights and thicknesses, made from a variety of exotic and domestic hardwoods. His hand-turned sticks, made one pair at a time, start at $65/pr plus postage, and are worth every penny. He suffered some serious setbacks during the floods last fall, and I don’t know how close he is to being fully up and running. Hopefully, he can return to steady production before too long.
I’ll save up for another set soon.
These play so effortlessly for how heavy they are. YUM.
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