Ok my first review is of some of the new Vic Firth signature model sticks.
Vic Firth Thomas Lang (16 1/8" L .655" W)
Ok I used to use sticks about this thickness made by Vater but found they tired my hands out really quickly, Not so with these sticks. At first the sticks reminded me of some 2Bs, short and beefy but as you played with them, the weight seemed like the sticks were more of a 5A. The oversized tear drop tip is great for cymbal clarity and making yourself heard. The downside is the white paint on these sticks gets over your cymbals and can prove difficult to remove sometimes. This would make an excellent practice pad stick due to the top heavy end providing excellent rebound.
Vic Firth Scott Phillips (16 11/64"L .605"W)
I thought it was a bit odd of Vic Firth to give the drummer from Creed a signature stick but i reviwed it anyway. Theres nothing super special about this stick really, its a slightly beefed up 5B thats been shortened a bit. Its got a decent amout of rebound and decent cymbal sound, good rim shot sound as well. In reality i see no point in paying the extra for the signautre, just buy a 5B.
Vic Firth Danny Carey (16 1/2"L .695" At Butt, .630" at neck W)
This was a very different stick when i first saw it, it didnt look anything like Dannys old Trueline signature stick, the only thing linking them is they had some sort of extra chunk of wood for better grip. So i sat down at my kit with these sticks and found that they werent as i was expecting, bottom heavy, thanks to the tapered butt end the sticks were relatively balanced with neither end being heavier, The grip was unfortunately too small for my hands and i found my hand slipping off the edge of the grip and onto the shaft. The sticks didnt work for traditional grip either. The tip gave excellent cymbal clarity and good rebound, producing a very exact sound from the toms, exactly what Danny needs. All in all a good stick for Danny Carey followers.
That wraps up these reviews, post your comments or suggestions for what you want reviewed and ill do my best to get the product for review.