Guides
Articles written from the STICK FINDER database. Every figure in them is computed at build time from the 2,110 drumsticks on file, so the articles change when the data does.
- Sizes, measuredWhat does “5A” mean on drumsticks?We measured every drumstick in the database whose model name says 5A: 353 sticks from 32 brands, running from 12.7 to 15.1 mm in diameter. There is no 5A standard — here is what the numbers actually look like, including where 5A overlaps 5B and 7A.
- Materials, measuredWhat does the wood change on a drumstick?What the wood actually changes on a drumstick, measured across 2,110 sticks: the material breakdown, and published weights for hickory and maple sold under the same brand and size name. Diameter barely moves with the wood — weight does.
- Your first pairHow to choose your first pair of drumsticksStart in the middle: ⌀14.0–15.1 mm by 400–413 mm. That band holds 45% of the 1,800 drumset sticks on file and 43% of 2,311 documented professional choices. No specific model is recommended — here is why.
- Find the closest pairDrumstick equivalents: what to buy when your usual pair is goneYour usual pair, at another brand. For 30 popular drumsticks we computed the closest models from every other maker across 1,800 drumset sticks, with the diameter and length differences shown so you can check the match yourself.
- Both ends of the dataDrumsticks at the extremesThe thinnest, thickest, longest, shortest, heaviest and lightest drumsticks in a 2,110-stick database, drawn to one scale. Plus a slenderness ratio (length ÷ diameter): the median is 27.8, and the top of the list reaches 49.9.
- Counting the rostersWhat drumsticks do professionals actually use?Counted from makers' own artist rosters: 1,864 drummers, 2,316 stick choices, and the 20 most-used models. How professional use differs from the catalogue, what country and genre do and do not explain, and why 67% of the data comes from one roster.