Phenomenal go-to sticks
- Posted by
- Josh Dek
- Date Posted
- 05/28/2020
I've been using IP1 sticks for 7 full years and will continue to swear by them going into college band. The weight of the stick is a little heavier than comparable sticks (such as the SD1) and the center of mass is a little further towards the butt of the stick. This is hard to get used to initially, but eventually results in a stick that feels solid in your hand and is very easy to control during articulate passages & at most dynamics found in concert music. It dents easier than a harder wood like persimmon but the low cost & high density of these sticks mean they last surprisingly long & are easy to replace.
Their one major shortcoming is roll passages. The barrel shape lowers rebound & makes smooth rolls harder to sustain. An SD1 or Tim Genis signature does a lot better on double stroke & buzz rolls.
Overall, the IP1 is a great stick for articulate passages and will encompass a majority of repertoire for both beginners and experienced players
Better than the SD1? Questionable
- Posted by
- anonymous
- Date Posted
- 06/12/2011
Well not a terrible stick, I find the IP1 to actually be inferior to the SD1, the old standard that Innovative seems to be trying to one-up for a few reasons: 1) the weight of the IP1 is set back, making multiple bounce rolls, especially those at low volume levels, more difficult; overall, this kind of weighting is particularly unsatisfactory for beginning and intermediate-level snare drum players. Also, contrary to the description, the IP1 also doesn't seem particularly dense; 2) the tip is flattened rather than round, another feature that seems to reduce rebound (though I am not an expert snare drum player and cannot say this with absolute certainty); 3) the particular pair I bought was possibly defective--after a couple months of pretty light use, one stick snapped cleanly in half when being used with appropriate technique, in an appropriate situation. This could also have just been the result of the wood, which doesn't seem to be particularly dense, as I mentioned. Other than that, this stick works best in general concert playing--it seems to dent easily, so be wary of using it on any sharp surfaces (drum rims, cow bell, etc.).
