ProMark Hot Rods Drum Sticks - H-Rods Dowel Drumsticks - Quiet, For Small Performances - 5B, .550" Diameter - 16" Length - 1 Pair

Exactly as advertised. Perfect for a softer, yet crisp sound. Will probably use them most during church Praise Band performances.

New and improved! ProMark added a heavy duty rubber "ball" end on the handle side, which could be used as a beater also. MUCH BETTER DOWEL QUALITY THAN THE CHEAP ONES YOU FIND AT 3/$18.99.

Saw these used in a Bluegrass Video on Youtube, so, I looked at the reviews and chose these. After receiving them, pulled up a few videos online to play along to and they worked as advertised. I even tried them out on my Cajon, but, the bigger ones would work for that. These even have a nice feel and sound on my hi-hat. Purchased them so I would be able to play and practice more quietly.

Ok yes these tend to splinter and break with use, especially if you are a heavy hitter, but that's just what sticks do. I use these during practice so I don't overpower my bandmates in our small space and I can't say enough about them. I typically play much like I would using my 5Bs, but I do hit a bit softer to prolong the life of the rods. They bounce pretty close to how a solid stick would, and don't require much more effort than youd normally use. I've also used HotRods, and prefer these by far. They break much less since the dowels are thicker, and I feel like I have more volume/tone control. Overall a great stick to use for times you need to play quieter but don't want to sacrafice feel and speed.

i have not tried several brands/models of bundled sticks. this review will help someone thinking about trying bundles sticks for the first time. if bundles sticks are your thing...well i'm not an aficionado. these "sticks" are both longer and heavier then most traditional solid sticks. they are wider to grip (which i like) so you can use more of your hand. they don't rebound nearly as well as solid sticks. this has a few effects. 1) you can't do rolls as well. 2) because they take their time getting off the head (dampening resonance)they are quieter. much quieter then solid sticks. this is why most people get them i think. 3) the stick attack is much more pronounced then with solid sticks. they are also not nearly as durable as solids sticks. after enough rim shots and crashes the dowels break one by one. so if you are a heavy hitter bring extras. however, since most people are trying to take down the volume with these and hitting light, this is less of an issue. even though they break easy, are less nimble, and cost more i still have to have a pair in my stick bag. they feel and sound very different then reg sticks. they are a good way to bring down volume without hitting softly. on some material i like the way they sound better then sticks.

I purchased the Cool Rods to use at some Christmas parties I got called to play with a couple old pals. These were small parties - about 40 to 100 guests. No dance floor. All they wanted was low-volume background music; a mix of Christmas tunes, jazz, classic party tunes, etc. Keeping the volume down was essential. Our keyboard player left his rig at home and used the club's absolutely gorgeous 100 year old Steinway & Sons piano. Bass player used an acoustic upright. I used brushes for some songs and the Cool Rods when I needed a little more volume. Only thing amplified were vocals. The Cool Rods were perfect. I have Hot Rods and could have used those but I was definitely better off using the Cool Rods for such a low volume gig.

At first I wasn’t sure how to get a good sound out of them and they sat unused. I started using them to just soften the noise while fumbling through new fills and got to really like them. They sound best after they loosen up a little. Now I rotate them into the set list for different sounds and aesthetics. They’re not very durable on the cymbal edges but that’s pretty obvious just by looking at them.

I just started playing with a couple of guitarists that play a lot of acoustic music. But even when playing their electric guitars they keep their volume way too low.....that in itself is quite surprising. Anyway, I tried playing quietly with regular sticks (too loud) and brushes (too quiet). These HotRods fit the situation perfectly. The red version is pretty close in size to my usual 5B sticks. I can not comment on their durability or longevity as I have only used them for 4 sessions. I suspect they wouldn't hold up well if you wanted to play death/speed metal quietly but then who would.