Have any of y'all noticed how much heavier the new logo versions of Pro Mark's sticks have gotten? I just picked up a new logo pair of 5a nylons the other day, and they are ridiculously heavier than the previous version. Plus, they changed the tip shape, so the stick is completely different. WTF Pro Mark? I mean, these things hardly have a taper on them; like 2", which makes them very front heavy, completely changing the playability of the stick. These things are heavier than the older (5+ years ago version) 5b's, and 747's, which is ridiculous. Picked up some newer 5b's, and they're as heavy as the old 2b version. And, of course the new 2b's feel like cudgels, and seriously pit up drum heads due to the forward weight. I like the heavier weights for louder styles, but when I wanna play lighter styles I don't want a stick that is loud that I have to seriously hold back on to reduce the volume, hence the 5a's. So, is the 7a the new 5a or what? Pro Mark has really messed up all my favorite models with this change over, so it looks like I'll have to move to Vic Firth for the lighter sticks. I'm still trying to find a good 2b replacement, which has been much more difficult.
Here's why I think they did this- when they changed the manufacturing process over to the grinding process (from the prior lathing process), the sticks became much more brittle/prone to splitting, a lot like old Vic Firths and Zildjians. I can attest to this, because all of the versions I had right before the switch to the new logo broke a lot faster than the older versions of 5 years ago,(except for the 5a's, which I'm a lot easier on, but I've been using the same pair for 3 years, which is their problem with it probably,lol). So to counteract that they made ALL the tapers much shorter to avoid the quicker breakage. The new 2b's DID hold up better, but one of them still managed to split right on the end, although it didn't outright break, it's now a dead sounding stick, so I can't use it. Don't get me wrong- these new sticks are some of the best looking/finished sticks I've seen, but these changes I just can't deal with.
This is always what I fear will happen when a company gets taken over by another- that acquiring company will drastically change everything just to put their "mark" on the product, or for the sake of change, because the old way is just "out dated". Will the same thing happen to Vic Firth? We'll see I guess.
Here's why I think they did this- when they changed the manufacturing process over to the grinding process (from the prior lathing process), the sticks became much more brittle/prone to splitting, a lot like old Vic Firths and Zildjians. I can attest to this, because all of the versions I had right before the switch to the new logo broke a lot faster than the older versions of 5 years ago,(except for the 5a's, which I'm a lot easier on, but I've been using the same pair for 3 years, which is their problem with it probably,lol). So to counteract that they made ALL the tapers much shorter to avoid the quicker breakage. The new 2b's DID hold up better, but one of them still managed to split right on the end, although it didn't outright break, it's now a dead sounding stick, so I can't use it. Don't get me wrong- these new sticks are some of the best looking/finished sticks I've seen, but these changes I just can't deal with.
This is always what I fear will happen when a company gets taken over by another- that acquiring company will drastically change everything just to put their "mark" on the product, or for the sake of change, because the old way is just "out dated". Will the same thing happen to Vic Firth? We'll see I guess.
Increasing weights with Pro Mark
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