drumsticks, mallets and brushes for a KISS fan

December 18, 2007 8:51 AM

I'd like to spend $100 buying my teenage cousin some drumsticks. He loves Green Day and KISS, and already asked for these. I'll get him some of those, but thought instead of just buying him tons it might be cool to pick up a pair of mallets/brushes as well? Can anyone recommend some higher-end brushes/mallets for a fan of that Eric Singer series?

The other option is to pick up a couple pairs of the Eric Singer sticks and then to get some reeeally high-end sticks, because he's a kid and will think that's cool - but it doesn't look like they even sell drumsticks that cost more than $20 or so...

Any other suggestions welcome too.

posted by Marquis to shopping (9 comments total)

$100 for drum sticks is a lot. My drummer only has like 5 sets of sticks total. If your cousin is gigging, then that might make sense.

I'd look into maybe a set of brushes (not many used on Kiss and Green Day albums), and then a gift certificate for the balance.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:02 AM on December 18, 2007

Depending on how he plays, many sets of the same sticks might be the most appreciated option.
Many of the drummers I've played with (mostly playing punk/metal) go through sticks like kleenex. If they know of a specific stick they prefer they'll stock up on those whenever they can afford it.
posted by gally99 at 9:02 AM on December 18, 2007

Find out what size sticks he prefers. 5A 7A etc... Drummers can be quite picky when it comes to weights and feels.
posted by Dub at 9:15 AM on December 18, 2007

"high-end sticks" are rare and not very practical. They're little pieces of wood and they break easily and often! Go for quantity over quality.

That said, something like this is cool for those power-ballads when you need to make a big swell sound on the cymbals.

Here's a pretty standard set of brushes, though they won't get much use in a typical rock band. More useful for the acoustic songs are multi-rod sticks, which give you a quieter, muted sound, but still relatively close to what you get with normal sticks (unlike brushes, which change the sound of the kit completely and are more typically used in jazz).

You could get him a stick bag if he doesn't already have one, and put all the sticks and stuff inside.
posted by PercussivePaul at 9:19 AM on December 18, 2007

Every self respecting rock drummer needs a cowbell.
posted by InfidelZombie at 9:35 AM on December 18, 2007

A drummer in an old band swore by these: Ahead Lars Ulrich LT Aluminum Drum Sticks. They're coated aluminum and basically indestructible. However, of course they play different than wood, so YMMV.

(I, on the other hand, stock up on cheap wood ones.)
posted by General Malaise at 9:40 AM on December 18, 2007

Another vote for multi-rod sticks here -- they are very versatile. We've dealt with AMR before, the vendor that PercussivePaul links to -- the owner handmakes his sticks, and is a super-nice on-the-ball guy. The last time we bought in bulk he even threw in a pair for free as a bonus. We like the heavy sticks best, but as Dub said every drummer has different preferences, so maybe get him a pair of each, see what he really likes, and follow up with a few more pairs later of his favorite kind.
posted by melissa may at 10:34 AM on December 18, 2007

Drummer since childhood here. It might be cool to give him some reallly nice sticks, but the fact is that sticks are meant to be abused and eventually break. I'm not sure how to tie in the KISS part, but several pairs of whatever he uses now plus maybe a pair each of some other sizes around his usual (those you linked to are 2B's, so maybe a pair each of 5A and 5B). If he is not already using brushes and mallets, any pair will do and Vic Firth is a good brand. Get retractable brushes and a medium mallet (felt heads are more durable than yarn). At the end of the day, though, one of the coolest things I could have ever gotten was a stick bag to put all of this stuff in.
posted by rhizome at 10:38 AM on December 18, 2007

If you are looking to spend that much money, a nice leather stick bag will be something he will use and enjoy for the rest of his drumming life.
posted by markblasco at 9:06 PM on December 19, 2007