Vic Firth

«The Perfect Pair»
Hey, that’s the Vic Firth Logo.
There was a time when one had to spend an entire day pulling drum sticks out of a display case and painstakingly roll them across the glass counter at the drum shop to find a pair that wasn’t warped. Once several straight pairs were established, the next step was to find a surface to slap out some rudiments on until you found a pair that felt good together.
This was always a labor of love. Ask any drummer. Still, it was labor, and one didn’t always have time to do the QC that should have been done at the factory.
Fast forward to the other day when I found myself at guitar center looking for a bass drum pedal because I had left my only one at the practice studio like a genius and didn’t have one to use to practice at home. After finding the pedal, and a decent cymbal, I noticed the Vic Firth drumstick display, almost as an afterthought.
Hmmmm, what’s this. Why are all these sticks paired up and lovingly put together into little cardboard holders? How nice and clean! It’s a display with a variety of their signature series sticks! They have all been warp tested, balanced, and even pitch-​paired.
I’ve been using Vic Firth Harvey Mason signature series sticks for years but they were out. In fact the guitar center dude had never even heard of Harvey Mason. ACK! So I decided to go for the Dave Weckl signature series instead.
I lovingly brought them home and laid them down on my kit. Such a lovely golden color. So organic against the rubberiness of the electronic pads. (I have my acoustic kit out but it’s too loud to play).
I popped on my iPod and headphones and gave them a go. Immediately I could feel the difference. These were just better tools for me. Sorry Harvey!
The thing is that Vic Firth is not playing around. I stuck with the HM series for so long because the quality has always been consistent, and this has been proven again to me with this new pair. But even beyond that, I couldn’t fathom how a different stick could make such a difference, and Vic Firth has so many varieties, that are so well made, well, they just deserve some kudos! There’s no way someone couldn’t find their perfect stick match.
And it’s so damn easy now because of pre-​selection process, and the cardboard band that holds the sticks slides right off so that you can still roll em, and tap out a paradiddle or two — hey, it’s your duty to! But at least you won’t need an hour, a basket, and a square foot of counter space to get a decent pair.
And, they have a great website too. Check out some great clips of your favorite drummers.
and a picture of my coffee table ;)