Vater Sweet Ride Wood Tip Hickory Drum Sticks, Pair

I use these exclusively. Vaters' Sweet Ride is an amazing product. I've been playing this size drum stick for a little over 2 years now, it has become my stick of choice. I play Swing Jazz and it's the perfect fit for that genre. The round ball tip pulls out the sweetest sounds out of my Jazz Rides. Hickory for practice and rehearsals, and Sugar Maple for live shows and recording. The Sugar Maple is a softer wood and makes the rides sound darker, but wares out quicker. The Hickory, being a harder wood lasts longer, but brings out a higher pitch from the rides. So when sound is of upmost importance, I reach for the Sugar Maple, other wise the Hickory ones are the work horse. Weight wise, the Hickory is a tad heavier, but not so much that it makes a difference in playing, but I have been playing them for 2 years; 1st timers might notice a bigger difference because their not use to it, but I advise you give them a try, well worth the little learning curve. Both are great sticks for players who play with a lot of "feel" and "dynamics". Heavy hitters need not apply, sorry guys, not for you: if you are a heavy hitter give Vater GS-Gospel a try. I use those for more modern, loud genres of music. But for anything that swings... oh yeah, great stick.

These Sweet Ride sticks are almost identical to the Peter Erskine drumsticks from Vic Firth. The Sweet Rides have a little more beef and feel more durable than the Vic Firth counterpart. I like the balance this design gives. With these sticks, the ride has a very distinct sound compared to something with an acorn tip or a big round tip. As far as durability is concerned, I've only had these for a day, but I believe those playing jazz, funk, or medium sound level music should do fine.If you play drums without mics, then you'll need fatter sticks. I've used these sticks before in the past and was quite happy with them and that seems to have not changed.

Chris Dave uses them, so why not give them a shot? They are excellent for soft control on the ride and all other surfaces of the drum kit. These are my go to sticks for soft trio jazz at the moment.

Best sticks!

Missing 2 pair

I absolutely love these Sweet Ride sticks. I'm not a hard hitter so I can't say how they will work for you RockStars....but for me, they produce just the right amount of volume and can really make a cymbal sing.

I believe that when one is buying a drumstick from a credible company, sticks generally aren't "better" or "worse" then each other, just different. This stick is no different.First off, the feel of the stick is not as light as one may think; the balance is good, but slightly more top heavy then expected.As a result of this top heaviness, this stick, despite the tips minuscule size really draws out the sound of whatever it hits. Cymbals and drums sound full and not thin.The tip, thanks to its bead shape, is INCREDIBLY articulate; However, the shape somewhat limits the tonal possibilities that can be achieved aside from this articulate sound, but the limitation is certainly not a negative.Pleased with the stick, but somewhat disappointed at its durability (mine is currently splintering and the tips have small chips/chunks taken out of them), I was expecting more from a company whose users praise longevity, but I suppose smaller sticks are somewhat more prone to damage versus a larger stick, so don't expect the stick to last forever with a medium/heavy force.As with all wood tipped sticks, they get soft over time and the luster that is the clear stick definition is somewhat lost as a result; but hey its better then thin sounding nylon tips, eh?

Great price, super convenient to buy on Amazon as I go through drum sticks every moth.

I haven't been drumming for very long and like most beginners I was told to use Vic Firth 5A drumsticks. And rightly so as they're a perfect middle ground until you figure out which sticks are right for you.A YouTube channel I follow regularly mentions that he uses Vater Sweetrides as his primary sticks as they have a better feel for playing Jazz.I didn't have any intention of learning Jazz however I was very keen to feel the difference between my Vic Firth's and the Vater Sweetrides I'd heard so much about.I was shocked at how much lighter these are compared to my 5As. It takes a little getting used to (at least for me) but once you use them for a while they will effortlessly glide around the kit and the symbol work I can do with these is very satisfying.I think for now as a beginner I will stick with my 5As until I'm completely comfortable with the basics but I had a really fun time with the Sweetrides and I'm really glad I have them in my drumstick collection.

The best sticks I've had so far, by a large margin.

Perfect stick for jazz or anything mellow. It has a small rounded tip which is great for cymbal work and a light feel around the kit. It's quite thin, so it's quite easy to hold and grip. It has been my go to stick for acoustic or jazz playing.

I absolutely love these Vater sweet ride sticks so much I have only played these for 20 odd years, the shame I had with my order from Amazon was even tho I ordered 2 pairs I only got 1 correct pair and 1 totally different pair of sticks that aren't what I like to play. But unfortunately I had to as I didn't have spares with me.