Turns out Meinl got wood. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that. Don’t let that crude indulgent joke give you any illusion on my thoughts on Meinl stepping into the Stick market because they are NOTHING like the slang term for the male genitals. Today we’ll delve into the small but detailed world of Meinl Stick & Brush!
Despite creating some of the most beautiful array of Cymbals & Percussion on the market playing by some of the greatest musicians alive today, Meinl just weren’ t quite completely satisfied. They had an itch, a wooden itch so to speak which resulted in the inception of their new Stick & Brush line. Within contains a boutique selection of drum sticks, multi-rods, brushes and mallets crafted with precision german engineering coming straight out their headquarters. While the range of stick options may be limited, it allows Meinl to develop a clear and focused line carefully crafted to create a consistent product every single time. Now I know what you’re thinking, what could be so different about these drum sticks that sets them apart from all the rest? Quite a bit, actually…
While most stick companies match each pair of sticks by pitch, Meinl match theirs by both pitch AND weight. Meaning, now matter how many pairs you get they’ll ALL feel the same. Gone are the days of tapping a stick off your head to find the correct one for you, Meinl did the head-bashing for you! Figuratively speaking, of course. Within the sticks range they offer SIX variations; Standard, Standard Long, Hybrid, Heavy, Big Apple & Concept. Standard offers the sizes you’d expect; 7A, 5A & 5B – which are16in length with an Acorn tip, the perfect starting point, while Standard Long offers a 16.5in variation for the 5A & 5B for additional reach. Wish there was an inbetween for Standard & Standard Long? Then meet HYBRID. The Hybrid offers 7A, 5A & 5B with a 16.25in Length, longer taper and a special “Hybrid” tip which brings out the darker, smoother qualities of the drums & cymbals allowing the player to sound much more versatile in a wide range of genres. If you’re after a stick with a bit more weight behind it then Heavy may be for you. Offering 5A, 5B & 2B with the same 16.5in length as the Standard Long, The Heavy line is designed for the heavy hitter in you to draw big sound from your drums in ways never quite possible before! Now, lets get into the slightly more unique side of this range…
We’ll start with Big Apple. The Big Apple range consists of two different variations; Bop & Swing. The Bop consists of an oversized Acorn tip which creates full tonality on the drums and woody stick definition on the cymbals. It’s extra long taper generates a very quick rebound making it fantastic for fast music or soloing. The Swing stick on the other hand has an undersized Acorn tip and larger stick diameter than the Bop. This in turn allows it to create incredible articulation and clarity when striking cymbals and lets drummers who prefer a thicker stick really dig in without overpowering their bandmates. Finally we come to the Concept line in which all the sticks are made from Maple. Within consists of the SD1, SD2 & SD4. The SD1 sports a 16.375in Length, it’s the longest stick within the Concept line with a rounded tip making it very easy to control and the perfect “beginner” stick. SD2 sits perfectly in the middle at 16in length with a Barrel tip for less mid-range overtones and a longer taper for faster rebound. Finally the SD4 comes in the shortest of the entire Meinl stick collection at 15.865in length but is the perfect stick for when volume control is essential. It’s thicker shoulder gives the stick a solid feel in your hands allowing you to really control and dial in your strokes. So that’s the lowdown on the new sticks, but Meinl didn’t quite stop there…
They also made a collection of brushes, multi-rods and mallets to offset the collection. Meinl’s multi-rods can be used on all forms of percussion, not just on your drums because they feature both an easy to use grip handle and adjustability rings to achieve the desired amount of dowel spread. Some highlights within are the Birch Standard brushes, Bamboo Brush, Nylon Super-Flex and the Heavy multi-rod to cover all bases. On the opposite side of the spectrum, their wire brushes are a sight to behold. With snappy and crisp slaps combined with lush sweeping tones, they are a must-have in any drummers bag. You can’t go wrong with their standard wire brush, but why not try the Nylon brushes for a different texture. Fancy something inbetween brushes & rods? Husk Brush is what you want. Husk Brushes are made from lightweight straw material bundled together to create the perfect blend of brush slap and rod smack. They offer the standard Husk Brush and a lighter variation. They offer similar variations for Cajons, made specifically for the cajon player looking to draw a bigger sound.
Finally, the mallets are where this range really comes into it’s own. Sometimes there’s a clear different in the quality of Mallets & Sticks from the same brand. Not with Meinl! They developed their mallets for the kit player who needs to add some shimmer to allow switching from stick to mallet feel like a seamless transition. If you’re looking for a generic Mallet, the Medium Mallet is the way to go for the perfect blend of shimmer and softness. For something a touch lighter they offer the Super Soft Mallet which provides incredibly delicate attack, conversely the Hard Mallet offers incredible projection and attack. They offer specific percussion mallets with a felt tip, or Timbale sticks for when you really need to dig in.
So there you have it! Already play Meinl Cymbals? It probably makes sense to give the sticks a go as well. My personal favourite right now is the Hybrid 7A as it allows me to play hard without feeling like I’m swinging clubs around all night. These sticks LAST as well. I’m a fairly hard hitter and after 4 gigs they still look brand new. SERIOUSLY. Get on the hype train and grab some of these sticks from either Leeds or Glasgow. Or if you want them quicker, get them HERE
