As a drummer, you certainly understand the importance of drumsticks to sound, especially for jazz music. A good drumstick produces a lively and soft sound, but it can also enhance your drumming skills, thereby helping you create impressive tunes.
If you are looking for a product that meets the above expectations, the list of best drumsticks for Jazz below is for you.
In-depth Reviews Of The Best Drumsticks For Jazz
With these promising names below, you won’t have to waste time, effort, and money finding a drumstick that best suits your jazz style.
#1. Promark ActiveGrip Forward Drumsticks – Best for Overall
Product’s Highlight
Promark ActiveGrip is made from Hickory wood – a wood long known for its elasticity and sensitivity – the advantages needed in a jazz instrument.
But making the product responsive, Hickory wood material is not enough. The manufacturer also redesigned the Acorn tip.
Combined with that is the heat-activated coating. During a workout or performance, even if your core temperature rises, you’ll still have the response, control, and confidence you’ve always been looking for.
Another commendable advantage of Promark is the balance of weight.
Compared with a wide range of competitors currently on the market, this representative from Promark has the most optimal weight.
Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that this product has always been a leader in responsiveness and the ability to support precise control.
With a host of advantages in terms of responsiveness, precise control, responsiveness, and durability, there is no doubt that the Promark fully deserves to be on the list of Best drumsticks for Jazz that you should not miss.
What We Like
- Classic beauty.
- Weight balance.
- Made from Hickory wood.
- Heat-activated coating.
- Redesigned Acorn tip enhances responsiveness.
Thing To Consider
- The audio output is more suitable for metal music than Jazz.
#2. Vic Firth American Jazz – Best for Performance
Product’s Highlight
Vic Firth American Jazz is not a product suitable for heavy drumming. However, if you’re looking for a drumstick model that can deliver consistent, light jazz performances, you definitely can’t miss this representative from Vic Firth.
It can be confirmed as above because manufacturers focus on improving grip feeling and responsiveness from material to design style.
Considering the material, the manufacturer has favored hickory wood. This wood is known for its good handling and is challenging to crack.
With Vic Firth’s design, hickory wood products have a faster, more consistent response but still don’t lose the lightness you love in jazz music.
Another commendable advantage of this drumstick model is the 5B diameter size. Unlike many competitors of the same size, the manufacturer was brilliant when creating a highlight with a long taper and a narrow neck.
The above impressive highlight makes a difference in aesthetics and can significantly impact your user experience every time you play Jazz with this product from Vic Firth.
What We Like
- Long tapered narrow neck.
- Feels solid in hand.
- Quick response.
- Enduring.
- Lightweight.
Thing To Consider
- Not the best choice for an expansive sound.
#3. Vater Wood Maple Ride – Best for Stability
Product’s Highlight
Are you a person who has a habit of playing jazz music in a particular configuration but still sometimes wants to be creative by changing the volume and melody? Out of various names currently on the market, only Vater Wood Maple Ride Sticks can meet your requirements well.
Making up the incredible power of the product is a series of commendable advantages: suitable design, good grip, more importantly, unmatched quality.
Specifically, the product has a diameter of 7a with a tiny round head with the design. The design features above create outstanding clarity that any jazz drummer will be impressed with.
The feeling of holding is also one of the commendable advantages of this product. You can hardly complain about the experience of practicing and performing jazz music with representatives from Vater.
Last but not least, Vater Sugar Maple scores outstanding durability. With a straight, consistent blade and a Nylon tip that ensures it won’t fall off, you can expect to be with it for years to come.
What We Like
- Minimal round head.
- The grip feels pretty good.
- Straight and consistent.
- Use computer analysis programs to ensure clear timbre.
- Suitable for players who want to create tunes.
Thing To Consider
- Maybe a bit heavy for some players.
#4. Vic Firth Signature Series Erskine Ride – Best for Responsiveness
Product’s Highlight
It is another name from Vic Firth: Peter Erskine Ride Stick. And with a series of advantages below, it is not surprising that the product is part of its Signature Series, fully deserving of the Best drumsticks for Jazz.
One of the most distinctive features of the product is its unique design. Conceptualized and designed by Peter Erskine, this drumstick is a product of great aesthetics that give you more confidence in every performance.
But all the advantages of Peter Erskine Ride Stick do not stop at the beautiful design. The product also enhances the user experience with a long cone tip and a small tip for increased resilience and feedback.
Combined with that is a slightly larger shaft section than the competition. And just a little difference above is enough to give you more strength during a Jazz performance.
What We Like
- Unique design.
- The shaft is slightly larger.
- Good resilience.
- Impressive response.
- Long taper tip, small teardrop tip.
Thing To Consider
- It may not be thin enough as expected by some players.
#5. Vater Super Tip Hickory – Best for Endurance
Product’s Highlight
Officially appearing in 1991, after decades of development, Vater now refers to a brand specializing in providing quality products that undergo rigorous testing. And Vater Super is no exception.
Super Jazz’s quality control process starts right from the material selection step.
American Hickory has to go through a rigorous selection process, ensuring the criteria for moisture, straightness, and grain structure.
Thanks to the above process, Vater has selected the highest quality wood materials to make the soul of the drumstick. As a result, it is not surprising that the product is one of today’s most durable options.
Not only impressing with durability, with Super Jazz, Vater once again affirms the quality of the product with its excellent timbre, comfortable grip, and impressive responsiveness.
What We Like
- Jazz grip.
- The material undergoes strict control.
- The nylon tips do not fall or crack during use.
- Impressive color.
- The length is slightly increased compared to the standard size.
Thing To Consider
- The weight is not suitable for some players.
#6. ProMark Elvin Jones JZ Hickory – Best for Classic Style
Product’s Highlight
From the first contact, one of the most vital impressions that ProMark Elvin Jones JZ gives users is the classic feeling suitable for jazz fans.
But to be the best drumsticks for Jazz, an impressive classical design is not enough. Understanding this, the manufacturer has equipped this drumstick model with a series of essential features to help improve sound quality.
One of those critical features is ProMatch’s proprietary manufacturing process. With this process, Elvin Jones JZ is confident to be one of the few products with reasonable consistency in weight and length.
The design and wood materials that ProMark uses are an essential reason for the remarkable resilience and responsiveness that you will surely appreciate.
What We Like
- High-quality American Hickory wood material.
- Proprietary ProMatch manufacturing process.
- Increased consistency in weight.
- Long thin neck.
- The classic beauty is quite impressive.
Thing To Consider
- The size is a little bit longer than the standard 7a.
Buying Guide for Drumsticks
If you are having trouble finding the best drumsticks for Jazz, it’s time for you to make a decision based on the following factors.
Stick Size
The size of the awl will be indicated by a letter and a number. The higher the number, the thinner the drill, and vice versa.
For jazz clubs, you can consider two sizes, 5A and 7A.
First, the product has a size of 5A, which is very suitable for beginners because of its versatility, ideal for many different genres of music, including Jazz.
Meanwhile, the 7A awl is lighter and much thinner than the 5A size. The 7A club feels more fluent and suitable for professional users thanks to this feature.
However, when choosing this type of awl, you need to face the risk that the product may crack easily.
Stick Material
As you can see in the product review above, hickory wood is the most common material for making drumsticks.
With the special love of manufacturers for this material, it is impossible not to mention the solid material, durability, and good responsiveness.
In addition to Hickory wood, many Jazz players love products made from maple wood. With lightweight characteristics, this wood offers the versatility that any jazz player is always looking for.
If you have to choose a durable material, the answer is oak because you can hardly complain about this material’s rigidity and minimal energy consumption.
Tip Material
In the drumstick industry, manufacturers often use wood or nylon to form the head of the drumstick. Each type of material has its attraction.
Specifically, wood is a material that can create powerful and rich sounds. Meanwhile, nylon promises to generate vivid, sharp cymbals.
Obviously, with the above advantages, drum head quality is entirely subjective.
So, to have a satisfying experience with your choice, you need to experiment with different shapes and materials before making your final decision.
Tip Shape
It is difficult to determine the exact number of tip types at present. It’s even harder to ask you to point out how changes in the tip can affect the sound.
If you do not have too much experience in choosing in this area, you can look for products with teardrop tips.
The reason is quite simple: products with the above design are pretty famous and serve your music playing needs. More importantly, the teardrop shape is versatile and comfortable – advantages you’ll need in a jazz drumstick model.
FAQs
What are 7A drumsticks used for?
7A club is always the first choice of jazz artists and marching bands. Because of its light and thin advantages, a product of this size is suitable for the gentle music style that Jazz artists like you always pursue.
Are 5A or 5B drumsticks better?
The answer is 5B because compared to 5A, 5B is a bit thicker. The difference in thickness makes the sound more robust and more impressive.
Which drumstick is the best?
Some models of drumsticks that top drummers have trusted include Vic Firth American Classic 5A, Promark Hickory Junior Wood Tip, and Vater Manhattan 7A.
What drumsticks are used by famous drummers?
Vic Firth American Classic 5B is one of the most famous drumstick models. Because this product always accompanies a series of famous drummers in the world, especially drummers who play rock music.
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Conclusion
As you have seen, finding the best drumsticks for Jazz is not an easy task. With thousands of options available on the market, it will be difficult for you to determine the right product for the musical style you always pursue.
However, with the suggestions above, you certainly have a clear direction on the product you should choose. Indeed, with the help of this list, you will find a product that meets every expectation.
