Vic Firth SD2 Bolero Maple -Wood-

I have been playing professionally drums for about 20 years already and In the past 8 or so these are the only sticks I play. The maple makes them pretty light although they are quite fat in diameter so they are definitely not as heavy as a hickory stick this size would be. I like the natural sound of the wood on the drums and the cymbals - the maple is way softer than hickory so if you are looking for a stick which is going to last long while playing heavy and loud music - this one is probably not for you cause is gonna break quickly and the tip is very small so soon you are not going to have any tip left. However, for jazz or styles that are played at softer volumes, I find this stick to be the best thing for me since it is big and fits the hand very well, it is light and is very well balanced - it has that classical-snare-drum feel to it. Another thing that maybe not so good for louder styles - it is relatively short so if you have a huge drum set and you are not very tall, this might be a slight problem...