Joey Castillo is floating my boat at the minute:
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Review - Vater Los Angeles 5A
Review - Vater Los Angeles 5A
This review is going to be slightly biased as I've been using Vater drum sticks for years. It's not to say that I haven't dabbled elsewhere, such as Vic Firth, Pro Mark and even... Travis Barker signature sticks...
Vater drum sticks have been producing high quality drum sticks since the late 80's and have built a great reputation for themselves, claiming a "straighter, more consistent and higher quality stick than all other leading drumstick manufacturers". With a strong selection of endorsees they are one of the biggest and most used stick manufacturer. I'm going to be reviewing one of their most popular sticks; the Los Angeles 5A
Build.
The Los Angeles 5A is an american hickory stick with a length of 16" and a diameter of .570". Its a fairly standard acorn tip design that is slightly heavier towards the tip, offering slightly more attack from the stick. Although not much information about Vater's "famous finish" it's fairly light to the touch and doesn't appear to have much of a varnish.
Playing.
Although a standard stick, I was surprised by how it performed live. The extra weight at the end of the stick really added some extra punch, without being overly top heavy. The "famous Vater finish" was also a great surprise, as the stick never slipped even with some profuse sweating on my part. I've found with many sticks that the finish really hinders performance if it has too much varnish but this was just right.
Like I said at the beginning of this review, I've been using these sticks for years now, from rock, pop, metal and jazz. Within those years I've only broken one from the original brick, of course they have had some normal damage but still the durability of these sticks are incredible.
Verdict.
The extra weight, non slip finish and fantastic durability make these sticks a great all rounder and would be perfect for almost any playing situation. It's always fairly tough to pick a drum product with so many great companies about, but this for me ticks every box and should be given a try by anyone wanting a change.
This review is going to be slightly biased as I've been using Vater drum sticks for years. It's not to say that I haven't dabbled elsewhere, such as Vic Firth, Pro Mark and even... Travis Barker signature sticks...
Vater drum sticks have been producing high quality drum sticks since the late 80's and have built a great reputation for themselves, claiming a "straighter, more consistent and higher quality stick than all other leading drumstick manufacturers". With a strong selection of endorsees they are one of the biggest and most used stick manufacturer. I'm going to be reviewing one of their most popular sticks; the Los Angeles 5A
Build.
The Los Angeles 5A is an american hickory stick with a length of 16" and a diameter of .570". Its a fairly standard acorn tip design that is slightly heavier towards the tip, offering slightly more attack from the stick. Although not much information about Vater's "famous finish" it's fairly light to the touch and doesn't appear to have much of a varnish.
Playing.
Although a standard stick, I was surprised by how it performed live. The extra weight at the end of the stick really added some extra punch, without being overly top heavy. The "famous Vater finish" was also a great surprise, as the stick never slipped even with some profuse sweating on my part. I've found with many sticks that the finish really hinders performance if it has too much varnish but this was just right.
Like I said at the beginning of this review, I've been using these sticks for years now, from rock, pop, metal and jazz. Within those years I've only broken one from the original brick, of course they have had some normal damage but still the durability of these sticks are incredible.
Verdict.
The extra weight, non slip finish and fantastic durability make these sticks a great all rounder and would be perfect for almost any playing situation. It's always fairly tough to pick a drum product with so many great companies about, but this for me ticks every box and should be given a try by anyone wanting a change.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Monday, 6 February 2012
Travis Barker is not the devil...
I have real beef with drummers and the age old argument that Travis Barker is both a bad drummer and a bad influence...
Yes his main band Blink 182 is a rather terrible example of music, his posture can at times be rather "odd" and his televised media success can be annoying...
BUT...
...if a drummer picks up the sticks and wants to play drums because of him then that's a good thing in my book. There are some drummers out in the public giving bad advice and no one bats an eye lid. Such as my letter to a drumming magazine regarding a certain thrash drummers advice that warming up is for losers...
Anyway these entries are meant to be quick so I won't rant...
Travis Barker is not the devil!
Yes his main band Blink 182 is a rather terrible example of music, his posture can at times be rather "odd" and his televised media success can be annoying...
BUT...
...if a drummer picks up the sticks and wants to play drums because of him then that's a good thing in my book. There are some drummers out in the public giving bad advice and no one bats an eye lid. Such as my letter to a drumming magazine regarding a certain thrash drummers advice that warming up is for losers...
Anyway these entries are meant to be quick so I won't rant...
Travis Barker is not the devil!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)