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One of the most common questions we receive runs along the lines of: “Why are your sticks so short / thin? A fair question, that. Our sole purpose at Bopworks is to make sticks for jazz drummers, or any drummer for that matter, needing a light stick. To us, this means producing high quality hickory sticks that duplicate the original 50’s and 60’s sticks. In fact, our ”Birdland” model is an exact duplicate of a 60’s “signature” model. We’re simply making stick models that haven’t been made for decades. We think drummers need a choice of original Jazz sizes, not what marketing departments say are Jazz sizes. Were all the old drumsticks that small? Well, yeah. … Now, the street or marching sticks were very similar to what’s out there today, both in thickness and length, going up to 17”or so. The orchestra or dance models, however, were generally less than 16” in length with a proportionate diameter. Models like the Krupa, Rich, and Belson models clocked in at 16” or close to it. Remember, sticks could be made in any size or length regardless of the decade, so it’s not like these guys had to use light sticks. For your edification, we’ve placed some sample stick sizes over the years in our “Vintage ad” page.
Well, the current large companies view the Jazz market place as to small to bother with in terms of producing the types of sticks we make. A glance through any drum publication can tell you where the target market is. To be sure, the “big guys” make great high quality Jazz sticks that are suited for contemporary demands and many drummers are quite happy with the selection of hickory and maple models available. Our contention is although the “classic” Jazz drummers, although demographically small compared to the Rock market, are extremely passionate about their stick and cymbal sounds. So there… Are you going to make maple sticks? Not likely. The “big guys” already make a great selection and we don’t feel we have anything to add in that department. We feel hickory has the best feel and is most traditional wood for our sticks. Most of the vintage sticks were hickory. What’s the deal on the signature models? First off and most importantly, all jazz drummers, including those on our upcoming line of signature sticks, need to be honored and kept our hearts as long as there are people playing this instrument. Providing authentic recreations is our way of enabling this to happen. Young drummers need to know who these guys were and what they did to advance Jazz and drumming- at least in our humble opinion. We are reproducing the each signature model stick exactly, down to the tip shape. The only thing different is the finish, which is done with contemporary methods instead of varnish or lacquer. Famous drummer’s stick models sometimes changed as time went on. How do you decide what version to use? Aha! Good question. The choice of model in most cases is determined by the decade of the drummer’s height of popularity. Of course, this wouldn’t work on say, a Buddy Rich stick because: A.) His popularity never really waned, B.) his preference in sticks and drum companies changed throughout the years, and C.) We don’t make a Buddy Rich model. So, these sticks will allow me to play exactly like the drummer whose model I’m using? Probably not… but it will give you an idea on how these guys got some of their cymbal sounds. That’s not a bad start. Click here to see a comparison chart of the vintage stick sizes |