Shape shifting nylon tip after use on practice pad and drum set

striker

striker

Silver Member
I use nylon round tip sticks. I prefer nylon tips because of the sound, the feel, and they do not splinter easily like some wood tips.
The other day I was practicing a rudimental phrase at a relatively fast speed, and the feel was different than before. So, I felt something has changed. At lower speeds I could not feel any change.

Anyhow, this is not a new discovery. I finally figured out that the issue is the shape of the nylon tip. It changes after extended use.
Here are the before and after pictures of the tip.

Before
1719251241050.png


After
1719251288478.png
 
striker said:
I use nylon round tip sticks. I prefer nylon tips because of the sound, the feel, and they do not splinter easily like some wood tips.
The other day I was practicing a rudimental phrase at a relatively fast speed, and the feel was different than before. So, I felt something has changed. At lower speeds I could not feel any change.

Anyhow, this is not a new discovery. I finally figured out that the issue is the shape of the nylon tip. It changes after extended use.
Here are the before and after pictures of the tip.

Before
View attachment 147877


After
View attachment 147878
Click to expand...
Looks like you’ve been smashing the bpms again @striker ! Great work mate! :D (y)
Tired Too Much GIF
 
Looks like some fairly soft nylon.

What brand are those? Is that a relatively new "feature"? I'm just curious if it's a typical decline of product quality...
 
I wonder if it is wear or deformation? I've seen wood tips wear like that, especially on mesh heads. I haven't used nylon for a long time, so I'm not sure if it wears the same way or not.
 
Here is a pair of hickory ball tips that look about the same as yours. They end up looking like barrel tips. I have to say, they don't effect my playing and I can't feel any difference, but then I've spent a lot of time trying not to let things like sticks effect my playing.
 

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The nylon tips that adapt to your search history
 
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Al Strange said:
Looks like you’ve been smashing the bpms again @striker ! Great work mate! :D (y)
Tired Too Much GIF
Click to expand...

Thanks. However, in reality those higher BPM's have smashed me and not the other way around!

On a serious note, I noticed that at higher BPM's issues like this and also issues like hand technique immediately show themselves. That helps to make a note of them and correct them.
 
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Pro Mark used to have ball tip nylons maybe still do;
those weren't Pro Mark right..
 
brady said:
Looks like some fairly soft nylon.

What brand are those? Is that a relatively new "feature"? I'm just curious if it's a typical decline of product quality...
Click to expand...

That stick has been in constant use for a year. It is a Vater stick, but I have no complaints about the quality. I do not know if other brands fare better after constant use for such a long time. I am still using that old stick for slower BPM's and the new ball tip for higher BPM's.
 
jda said:
Pro Mark used to have ball tip nylons maybe still do;
those weren't Pro Mark right..
Click to expand...
Thanks. As I said in a previous post, I have no complaints about the quality.
I will check ProMark and see if they also have 5A style ball tip offerings.
 
own 707 ball, 739 oval, 808 ball,
hickory
707 in particular

Search results for: 'pro mark american hickory 707 nylon drumsticks'

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call to make sure- says discontinued but still has a Price
Probably discontinued Like all good things old 😁

707 001.JPG707 002.JPG707 003.JPG
 
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It could be that ALL nylon tips change shape after a while, but because I use the ball tip the change in shape is more pronounced.
 
Stroman said:
I wonder if it is wear or deformation? I've seen wood tips wear like that, especially on mesh heads. I haven't used nylon for a long time, so I'm not sure if it wears the same way or not.
Click to expand...
I don't recommend using wood tips on mesh heads because they start to splinter (mesh heads act like sand paper against wood) and eventually they will tear the mesh heads. Same for felt bass beaters on mesh heads, they chew through them very quicky, use a patch on those. Of course this is not advice specific to you Stroman, just in general to anyone using mesh heads.
 
I've used ProMark 808 for 25 years, moved to 707 about 7 years ago, both with nylon tips, and have never had that issue- and I don't break sticks, but rather, play them until they're so thin/splintered that they feel like a different stick. I've just recently picked up some Vater Fusion and Power 5A sticks in nylon (because ProMark discontinued those models with nylon tips- boooo!), but haven't played them much yet.
 
Stroman said:
Here is a pair of hickory ball tips that look about the same as yours. They end up looking like barrel tips. I have to say, they don't effect my playing and I can't feel any difference, but then I've spent a lot of time trying not to let things like sticks effect my playing.
Click to expand...

It appears that the wood tips change shape sooner than nylon tips. These are my Vic Firth Hickory American Sound 5A ball tip sticks (on the left) after two months of use.

1753115435385.png
 
Interesting re: the wood on mesh. So far....my sticks on mesh are still smooth.....no splintering.....but good to know about a nylon tip on mesh Sir. Thanks.
 
The ball tip is still my favorite. I am not a hard hitter and so far I have not dented any of the drum heads - not yet.
Having said that, since these ball tips morph into a more barrel shape after some use, then I may as well experiment with a barrel shaped tip.
 
striker said:
The ball tip is still my favorite. I am not a hard hitter and so far I have not dented any of the drum heads - not yet.
Having said that, since these ball tips morph into a more barrel shape after some use, then I may as well experiment with a barrel shaped tip.
Click to expand...
This statement is exactly why I've been looking at other tips. I really like ball tips and have used the same sticks for 15+ years now, I typically go through maybe 2 pairs a year +/-. They don't break, they just wear out and I toss them because I have gotten my money's worth. But I have noticed the tips will "flatten" like your's pretty quickly and I still use them for months. So in theory most of my time playing is NOT actually with ball tips and more of a barrel tip anyway.
 
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