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AHEAD drumsticks - your opinions?


trephine

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I love them for no greater reason than the anti-vibration technology. Now I don't use any other brand of stick (although I do use brushes and bundle sticks), no matter what kind of music I'm playing. Showtunes, jazz, blues, metal, I use Ahead for em all.

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I bought some when they first came out and loved them, they lasted for about four years which was great. However when they eventually gave out and I bought another set, the sleeves on them lasted about two days which sucked; I've not used them since.

 

Ever since I re-assessed my grip and loosened it a little, the anti-vibration technology doesn't make as much difference as it used to.

 

They're great for heavy hitters who get through sticks quickly, but then you have to consider that if the stick is metal then your cymbals are gonna be taking even more of a beating.

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I have a pair of the Tommy Lee studio models and I have mixed feelings....first they are too long for me, almost 17 in...but they do cut down on the vibration pretty well...I broke them within 30 days of buying them so AHEAD sent me a new pair and told me to get a different size next time cuz they won't replace them for me again...which I thought was kinda odd. So I'm on my second pair and so far I have put 2 pairs of sleeves on them. They wear out after about 3 shows. I don't use them all the time though, just once in a while. I need to switch to 5B I think..they are shorter

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eh. they dont have enough rebound. its not a real feeling at all and the worst part is, you have to replace the plastic sleves often enough to ensure that the aluminum shaft of the stick wont hit your cymbals because once the bare metal is exposed and struck, that makes a weak spot for the stick to break very quickly. and if you loose one (say one of your adoring fans who dont know the sticks arent cheapo woodys sees you drop a stick at a performance and decides to grab it and run off with it) then you haev to pay 30 bucks again to get a new set.

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I have been using the same pair of Ahead 5B Rock sticks for over a year. I changed the sleeves twice. They paid for themsleves very quickly considering i was spending $79.00 every 5-6 months for a dozen wood sticks (Vater 1A's). I paid $29.95 for this pair of Ahead sticks and i still have them.

 

I can understand people flipping out seeing a price of $29.00 for a pair of drumsticks. But when you consider they will outlast a pair of wooden sticks 10 times over (As long as you don't do alot of Rimshots) and they come with a pair of replacement sleeves as well., its actually very reasonable.

 

Ahead will replace sticks under warranty ONCE. The reason being is in 99.9% of breakages its because of rimshots. Thats why they won't keep giving you new sticks. If you rareley do rimshots and when you do, you don't hit hard you will NEVER break a pair of Aheads. If you are a rimshot monster, stick to wood sticks.

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I had a pair of Tommy Lees and I broke them. I liked the softer feel hitting the drums, but to me they felt {censored} on cymbals. They seemed to kill the volume using the shoulder of the stick. I also found replacing the sleeves a nuisance, heating them with a hairdryer, etc.... I went out and bought a box of promark 2b's and I was happy again.:D

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I played on some the other day, and I hated them. I'm in search of a nylon-tip stick that lasts forever, and I figured they might be the ones I was looking for. They were way too thick, way too heavy, and didn't feel that solid at all. I wouldn't recommend them at all.

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Originally posted by GlassJawTriplet

I played on some the other day, and I hated them. I'm in search of a nylon-tip stick that lasts forever, and I figured they might be the ones I was looking for. They were way too thick, way too heavy, and didn't feel that solid at all. I wouldn't recommend them at all.

 

 

Well, they did take me a week or two to get used to, but I ended up loving them.

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I'm not crazy about them. I don't go through tons of sticks either, though.

 

My philosophy is that if you beat on something, eventually something involved in the impact process will break. I'm happy having a peice of wood be the "weak link" in that chain. Much cheaper than broken cymbals or wrists. :D

 

Here's a similar, but completely different example: years ago ski boots were made of leather were lower cut, and offered much less ankle support than the hi cut, hi tech boots they use today. With the old equipment, most leg injuries that happened were breaks in the lower leg or ankle. Now, by encasing the entire lower leg in firm plastic, most leg injuries have moved up to the knee area. Anyone who's had a bad knee injury knows that a clean break in the lower leg can often be easier to recover from than a blown out knee.

 

Like anything else in drumming...if it works for you use it...personal preference rules above all else as long as it helps you get the job done.

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I loved mine for the time that I had them. I play death metal, I'm a hard hitter, I had zero problems with my cymbals breaking. Changing sleeves was a pain but it wasn't that big a deal. I ended up buying some wooden sticks for a show a while back and realized just how heavy the Aheads were though (I have Matt Sorum Signature) and so I picked up some graphite sticks that I liked quite a bit, but I somehow managed to break one of those during a show so... I dunno. I've managed to break 3 Aheads (No rimshots) and 1 graphite stick... but I can manage to get through a 45 minute show with a set of V.F. 7A's :confused: I guess they're all gonna break sooner or later.

 

Try em and see how ya like em is the best advice I have.

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