Nylon tips for jazz... thoughts ?

krautfox

krautfox

Member
Hey everyone,

Here's a subject that seems pretty taboo : using nylon tips in a jazz setting. All of my jazz drummer friends only swear by wooden tips and scream blasphemy if anyone even mentions nylon tips. I actually find them pretty interesting, especially with jazz cymbals that are generally on the dark side. I find the more defined attack mixed with the dark wash really nice. Plus, I have noticed players like Greg Hutchinson, Kendrick Scott or Philip Maniez (terrific french jazz drummer/composer) use nylon tips, and their sound is amazing !

So do you find it interesting as well, or only swear by wooden tips when in a jazz setting ?
 
My Dad was a jazz drummer in the 40's through the 80's. He loved nylon tips. They gave him a nice lively, crisp, clean, consistent ride cymbal sound.
Tell your jazz drummer friends to get with the program or learn to play the tuba!

Nylon tips are all I use. I hate wood tip sticks because they only sound ok until the clear coat wares off the tip.
And the wooden tips fall apart too easily.

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"So do you find it interesting as well or only swear by wooden tips when in a jazz setting?"

Swearing by anything in any setting is nothing more than a statement of opinion. Tips aren't genre specific, nor are drums or cymbals. Use whatever allows you to achieve the effect you're after. That discovery will vary from drummer to drummer. ​
 
Portland drummer Ron Steen-- great jazz drummer, very much in a Billy Higgins type of approach, uses them. He's been running jam sessions around town for ~ 40 years, played with Bobby Hutcherson and Joe Henderson and a lot of other people. He gets a lot of screen time during the Dexter Lake Club scene in Animal House. For a long time he used fiberglass Pearl drums and Paiste 602 and Sound Creation cymbals, plus the nylon tip Regals, while generally being a light player. It's not a pretty sound, but it does cut. That's the idea-- it's about being heard.
 
Hollywood Jim said:
Tell your jazz drummer friends to get with the program or learn to play the tuba!

Nylon tips are all I use. I hate wood tip sticks because they only sound ok until the clear coat wares off the tip.
And the wooden tips fall apart too easily.

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Haha agreed !

And I'm starting to play more and more nylon tips for that exact reason. Really satisfied with the consistent sound and feel of nylon :)
 
Nylon tips can vary a great deal in character. Not all are bright and cutting. The AHEAD sticks I use, for instance, have a softer nylon tip that has a lot less ping than other models. Just as with wood tips, shape and size are important factors too.
 
I don’t personally like nylon tips, but if you like them that’s all that matters. If anything, I’m a naturally loud player. So when I’m playing jazz, the last thing I want are sticks that will make my playing cut through even more than it already is.

But sticks are like shoes; you’ve got to find what works for you.
 
The revered jazz drummer Jake Hanna used nylon tip sticks and his cymbals sounded wonderful .
I atypically use a wood tip stick, either a small barrel shape bead or acorn tip . Now for darker cymbals where the stick definition is very integrated with the wash a nylon tip can separate the stick sound from these thinner darker cymbals .
I bought a 20” Zildjian Canadian K when they first came out in the 70’s . It was a very washy ride cymbal when played with wood tip sticks , even at lower to mid volumes . I was frustrated with this ride and was considering selling it but tried it with some nylon tip sticks and bang ! There it was that stick definition I was looking for .
 
And again, at the kit, the nylon tip sounds different than from in the audience. More in your face. I think a nylon tip sounds just fine out front. They are if anything, consistent, which is important to some.

Wooden tips are great if they would last.

I like both tips for what they individually bring to to table. It's not just the cymbal, it's the combination of the cymbal, the stick and the player.

Can't forget the room too.
 
I'm one of those "whatever serves the music and serves you" kind of guys, but I typically buy nylon tip sticks only for my practice sticks. I rarely (if ever) break sticks, but I chip wood tips all the time. I hate having to move on to another pair just because half the tip is gone but the rest of the stick looks brand new.

But for rock, jazz, and anything else I might play, I really prefer the sound of wood tip sticks.
 
When I find a ride cymbal I really like, I only want to use wood tips. I much prefer that sound. Peace and goodwill.
 
Drumolator said:
When I find a ride cymbal I really like, I only want to use wood tips. I much prefer that sound. Peace and goodwill.
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There is one thing, for sure, that I discovered. When you go hunting for cymbals, you must test the sound of the cymbal with the sticks that you intend to use with the cymbal. Even crash cymbals can sound different with different sticks.

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krautfox said:
So do you find it interesting as well, or only swear by wooden tips when in a jazz setting ?
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I'd use whichever tips the producer tells me to. The producer is the one who decides where the cymbals need to sit in the mix relative to the other instruments. Often times, when the drummer has to make the choice, they are doing so on behalf of the producer.

I would speculate that genre's that were developed prior to the advent of nylon-tips are generally perceived to be wood-tip-dominated by virtue of that aforementioned bias.
 
KamaK said:
I'd use whichever tips the producer tells me to. The producer is the one who decides where the cymbals need to sit in the mix relative to the other instruments. Often times, when the drummer has to make the choice, they are doing so on behalf of the producer.
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Yes I agree. Whenever I play I ALWAYS play with the equipment and with the style that the producer wants.
I've been waiting 65 years for the producer to show up and tell me what he wants..............

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I prefer small ball-tip nylon tips for jazz. They bounce beautifully with just the right clear, light tone. And the sound is consistent.
 
I use both, wooden and nylon tips. It just depends on what sound works better with a certain cymbal and the music that I am supposed to accompany. Sometimes, I want more clarity and brightness, more cut, want the ride being "more pronounced" in the mix. Sometimes I want the ride to sit above the music, not being burrowed, below the other instruments. Then I use sticks with a nylon-tip. Sometimes you want to sit "in the background", providing warm, smooth and mellow sounds, then I go for the wood-tip.

People who state that you should not use nylon-tips for jazz, are the same kind of music-nazis like those who pretend that you have to play traditional grip as a jazzer. *cough*
 
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