There are drummers who think nylon-tipped sticks are better for electric drums. Wooden heads can splinter over time. This can damage the mesh heads of the drum pads. However, this has never happened to me. I've been using my favorite wooden-tipped sticks for years - for both acoustic and electric drums.
Left: Sticks with nylon tips, right sticks with traditional wooden tip.
How do the various sticks on the market differ?
First of all, let's list the distinguishing features of the sticks on the market. The available sticks differ in the following parameters:
Materials
Wood (sorted by heaviness, with Birch being the heaviest)
Birch
Oak
Hickory
Maple
Metal
Tip
Wood
Nylon
Rubber (for silent play)
Tip form
Tear Drop
Acorn
Ball
Oval
Length
Long
middle
short
Diameter (in the parenthesis the designation that is usually written on the sticks)
thin (7), light weights for e.g. Jazz
medium (5), ordinary sticks for e.g. Rock / Pop
thick (2), very durable, for rock / metal
Application
S for e.g.: loud applications on the street
B for Bands, Marching bands
A for orchestra applications
The most common formats are
5A
5B (classic beginner stick)
2B
7A
So you see: the combination possibilities are endless.
What is crucial for the e-drum?
From my point of view, the only thing that really matters here is the material of the tip: wood or nylon. As I said, many prefer nylon tips for the e-drum because here there is no danger of splintered wood damaging the mesh heads. Side note: one of the big advantages of nylon tips on the acoustic set, by the way, is that cymbal hits are much more defined with more "ping" sound on the ride and hi-hat; this advantage is not of concern on the electric drums. On the other hand, the disadvantage of the nylon tips is that the plastic heads can sometimes fly off when played harder.
Special sticks for e-drums?
Yes, there are drumsticks designed specifically for e-drums, such as this one: (*)
Does that work? To be honest, the only thing that helps here is trying. In the course of my career, I have already tried x sticks. There's no getting around trying them out.
Conclusion
Conclusion from my point of view: in the course of time, every drummer finds the perfect drumsticks for him. Whether they have a nylon tip or a wooden head, what kind of wood, diameter or length doesn't really matter for the e-drum. Therefore: use your favorite sticks for the e-drumset, no matter with which head.
(*) The links marked with an asterisk (*) are so-called affiliate links. If you click on such an affiliate link and buy through this link, I get a commission from the respective online store or provider. For you the price does not change.
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