Man, I have a trunk full of vintage sticks and brushes that I've accumulated over the years of buying drum sets. Some are NOS in the plastic bag, but most are pretty beat. Maybe it's time to start selling them for 1K per pair on ebay? Laughing H
-Bill
I've gotten some pretty neat old sticks with some of the drums and sets I've purchased, too...mostly ones that came with my Juvenile drum collection.
I bid on some old Premier rosewood sticks from someone in Scotland once and I thought I had them until the price suddenly jumped to over $100.00!!! They were nice, though...just too rich for my budget!
Jeeze... now I have to chime in here! :-D
I have collected every model Buddy Rich stick made for Buddy from 1950 through 1980 which covers.. ( in order of endorsement/use by Buddy ) .. WFL... Rogers... Slingerland... Cappella.. Ludwig. Buddy played Cappella sticks for many years as they were made to his specs by the Cappella Company which was located in NJ back in the day. The sticks Buddy is holding on the cover of the 1972 album "Stick It" are Cappella's. This being 1972, Buddy was still in his endorsement agreement with Slingerland, but preferred the Cappella's and played them for quite a while until returning to... Ludwig, and for the THIRD time at that! Anyway,
All these sticks are NOS with just about all of them still in their plastic bags. Buddy being Buddy, some of these sticks are interesting in their design, specifically the WFL and Rogers BR model which Buddy wanted "scalloped" to fit his fulcrum. Those had to be sanded by hand to that particular shape, one pair at a time. After signing on with Slingerland in 1968, Buddy abandoned the "scalloped" fulcrum feature. A bunch of these sticks are rare and hard to find as they are all specifically BR models. I have seen the Rogers Buddy Rich model sticks sell for $150.00 per pair with regularity! Course it helps if the sticks are NOS which all of mine are. Lastly,
Buddy's Ludwig stick from 1978 through 1982 was designated a 15A, but it was in reality a BR model stick as it had a unique shoulder/tip design, unlike any of his other model sticks which were actually pretty similar.
Tommyp
Tommy,
Are the Vic Firth Signature Buddy Rich sticks anything like the ones you have in your collection? I've always liked that stick, but without the white paint.
BBK
BBK!...
Good question!, and one that I get asked all the time... well ... more of a "did Buddy EVER ACTUALLY PLAY the Vic Firth BR stick?" Did you happen to notice that this particular stick was conspicuously absent from my collection? LOL! Reason for that is...
I'm not sure WHERE Vic Firth.. ( or whomever does their design/development ) .. came up with THAT stick as being a Buddy Rich model as it's not even close to ANY of the sticks Buddy ever played. Before I go any further let me add that I am not in any way knocking this model as a viable stick as it does seem that a lot of guys like 'em!, but again, they're not anywhere NEAR an actual BR model stick. Here are the comparisons:
Length. This is pretty much the only area that is actually correct to a BR model stick irrespective of manufacturer.
Weight. WAY too heavy.
Shoulder/tip. Very similar to the 1978 Ludwig Buddy Rich 15A actually!, but again too thick/heavy.
Overall size. TOO LARGE. Buddy's model sticks are what I would categorize as a cross between a standard 7A and a 5A with a few slight tweaks in shoulder/tip.
Whereas the Firth BR model stick is a neat collectible as a "collectible", it's not anywhere near an actual Buddy Rich model stick that Buddy ever played. All this said...
I also have an article in the works on Buddy's sticks covering some of what I have mentioned here, and with pics showing all the differences.. ( however slight ) .. in his sticks over the years.
Nice to hear from you Gary!
Tommyp
I kinda figured they weren't "official". Thanks for the input. I hear Mark has been bending your ear lately. I saw the 7-line he has, it's a beauty. Of course, when he came over I showed him the new lady (Slingerland Jet) He was cursing me (in a good way) over that deal. :D
I just picked up 2 pair of Rogers 9As at a music store. Paid $3.99 each. They guy said they got them when they had bought stock from another music store that went out of business. He said they might be from the 60s.
Anyone have info on them?
Thanks.
