How A 5A Is Made
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- Опубліковано 19 тра 2024
- “How A 5A Is Made” is a compilation of our Vic Firth #HowItsMade Series on Instagram which takes you through each step of our drumstick making process.
The Process:
Part 1: 0:17 - The process begins with “green boards” (undried wood cut from a live tree) being cut on site in our sawmill.
Part 2: 0:56 - The wood is dried to exact specifications in our own specially modified kilns.
Part 3: 1:08 - Our carefully dried wood is fed through a cutting head and reduced from a square shape to a dowel.
Part 4: 2:04 - All of our dowels are put on a conveyor belt and inspected for weight and straightness. Any dowel that does not meet the Vic Firth standard is either sanded down for a second attempt or rejected. Then the dowels are inspected by hand for any imperfections: grain, straightness, blemishes.
The inspection results in 1 of 4 outcomes:
1.) A dowel that meets all criteria is categorized as a Vic Firth stick.
2.) A dowel that meets all the physical quality criteria but as cosmetic issues becomes a colored or dipped Vic Firth stick.
3.) A dowel that doesn’t meet the Vic standard but is still considered drumstick quality wood becomes our economy quality drumstick line: NOVA sticks.
4.) A dowel that doesn’t match one these 3 categories is rejected and goes to the boiler.
Part 5: 3:02 - All of our dowels are put through grinding machines to shape our various models of sticks. Grinding with stone molds puts less stress on the wood and is a more consistent process compared to lathing sticks. The first grinder shapes the stick to the perfect size specs and the second grinder shapes the tip and neck of the stick.
Part 6: 4:04 - For our 5A Nylon Tip models, the tips are formed at the grinders so that we can easily mold the Nylon Tip around the stick. The sticks are then put in an injection molding machine where the molten nylon forms to the tip. The tip now becomes part of the stick and can hold up during play. There is no glue involved in our process and therefore the tips won’t come off with impact. Also the uniformity between a 5A Wood Tip and a 5A Nylon Tip are identical to allow for the same balance and feel no matter the tip.
Part 7: 4:45 - All 5A models are printed with the official red and black Vic Firth logo along with the stick model type and size. The logo being printed is etched in a steel plate, ink is poured over the plate and scraped away, leaving only the ink in the etching. Then a silicone rubber pad grabs the logo etching off the steel plate and stamps it onto the stick. There are two separate stamps: one for the red ink portion and the other for the black ink.
Part 8: 5:37- All of our sticks are tested for straightness, sorted by weight and pitch matched to make the perfect pair. If the stick passes our straightness requirements then they are weighted and sorted by increments of 2 grams from light to heavy. After weight sorting, our sticks then go through a pitch matching process in order to tone match each pair. The stick is struck three times and recorded in a program that analyzed the fundamental frequency of each stick. The sticks are then paired by similar frequencies.
Part 9: 6:33 - Sticks of equal weight and pitch are then paired together on a conveyor belt and put into a machine which puts the sticks into sleeves and labels the sleeves with the model and bar-code.
Part 10: 7:25 - Pairs of varying weights from light to heavy are bricked in packs of 12 pairs. The bricks are then shrink wrapped, labeled with a bar-code and placed in a box for shipping.
Part 11: 8:14 - The final step of “How A 5A is Made” is packing and shipping. Our bricks of sticks are boxed up, packed on pallets and shipped out to our warehouse to be distributed all over the world and into your hands!
#HowA5AIsMade #vf5A #MyPerfectPair #HowItsMade
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For more info on our Vic Firth How It’s Made process, visit:
➤Website: www.vicfirth.com
➤Instagram: / vicfirth
➤Facebook: / vicfirth.company
Thank you for not putting music in the background!
or narration
A rarity today!
@daAnder71 Actually either is fine in this case. Non-native speakers often make the mistake of adding or forgetting "the" in English sentences, but in this rare case both are correct.
Are you being sarcastic?
I wouldn't mind some Mister Rogers jazz piano and snare with brushes. No music is cool too.
that hammering/pitch matching thing blew my mind. no idea they did that
Same, I don't do drums myself so it never occurred to me that'd be a thing.
Yes they do but one problem I've come across with buying sticks in a store is that people try them out and don't put them back with there proper mate so I'll grab multiple pairs of the same stick I prefer and simply tap one stick against it's mate and if it doesn't have the same pitch I know immediately that someone else mismatched the sticks so I keep checking until I find a pair with equal pitch. Hope this tip helps fellow drummers✌
@@normanwilmoth7404 so cool thanks
@@normanwilmoth7404 I hate this. They perfectly match them only for this to happen. Often times I end up with out of tune sticks because people buy unmatched pairs.
@@normanwilmoth7404 The drum shop employees know this. I’ve been lucky that whenever I purchase sticks in person the employees usually match a pair for me. An advantage of buying online in my experience is that the pairs are mostly matched. And it’s not just the pitch of the stick, it’s also the straightness. Good drum shop employees don’t want to see their fellow drummers playing crooked sticks. Not so much an issue with Vic Firth, Zildjian, Tama and Pro Mark. But Vater and some of the budget brands have to be checked before leaving the store.
Thank you for this industrial drumstick ASMR
Trey Mason I found the sound of this whole process this very soothing. Is that how asmr works?
@@gstate4ever indeed
Industrial drumstick ASMR sounds like a great band name
7:32 is best
Now you're just referencing sound. There's no asmr here! How high are you? Cause, I am, I there us no meridian response, fool!
Im gunna appreciate the hell out of my sticks alot more from now on lol
Sometimes, I purposefully break my sticks for fun. Now, I still will.
ikr :// the machines have to do so much work
No seriously 😭
«a lot».
Hewowrld same
good to know what my sticks have gone through
Yea same
Same
This was the nicest they'll ever be treated lol
and what they'll continue to go through
I've watched this from beginning to end with a smile. For us drummers, this is simply exciting. I wish to take a moment to tell you all at the plant, THANK YOU for a great job! You make our musical art vibrate with quality! Cheers from Montréal (Québec)!
I was smiling through it all also! It’s amazing, the care and attention to detail that is put into our sticks. So happy to use VF’s. I’ll use nothing else
@@jimbeaux89 I've tried other brands-none of them feel right. my current pair is a pair of free nova 5A's i got when testing out an elec kit, definitely would go with vic firth.
PS nova's are vic firth.
@ suzi june
I agree Vater is good but Vic Firth is the only brand I am truly happy with. The ones I play are the Danney Carey signatures, American classic 2B, And American classic 5B nylon tip. They are amazing sticks!
@@yeetfeet1878 vic firth all the way, definitely. want some vf nylon 5a's cos my nova's are unusable.
@@mont.gomerie you should definitely try it out the cymbal definition with the nylon tip is legendary! Also I don’t know I am just not an A guy I use 2B and 5B. 5B is the lightest I will go anything above that is too light for me.
When the sticks are shot into their sorting bins I just hear "Whee!"
🤣
😂
😆
I've been playing for 36 years and there is nothing like sitting down to the kit with a new pair of Vic's!!
Simply the best!!
Vic Firth, THE BEST COMPANY EVER.
I never complained about my pair of American Classic 5A Hickory Drum Sticks. Very nice, both straight, and the same weight.
I thoroughly enjoyed that there was nobody talking during the entirety of this video
Speaks for itself, hue? :-)
The VF 5A is the #1 selling drumstick in the world. It was my choice of stick for a long time. 2 yrs. ago when the Benny Greb model was released, I started using it along with the 5B. I still use 5A's every now and then. I will always stick with Vic!!!
I was a Vic Firth student at the New England Conservatory in the 80's. Some of us worked for Vic while in school at the "factory" in his Dover MA basement. His stick business was growing and we soon moved to a modest warehouse space in Dedham MA. My gig was to pitch pair sticks. We would sit behind two large granite blocks [blank tombstones] dropping single sticks on the blocks to hear each stick's pitch. When two sticks matched, we would bag them and send them on their way. I remember visiting some years later being blown away by automation that utilized old Mac SE computers that would check the pitch AND weight of the stick. The old days of pitch pairing behind granite blocks were gone! What fun to watch how far things have progressed since those early days in Vi'c's basement.
Thanks for sharing. Cool story.
I was going to say that I remember seeing a short documentary many years ago where the sticks were pitch just like you describe. When I saw the automated version I was slightly confused for a split second. I also knew that the sticks were matched, also, by weight. I didn't know that the sticks could vary so much in their weight. 51 grams for some and 53 grams for some and other weights for others. Very cool. 👍🏻🤙🏻
I had a more romantic version in my head. Something along the lines of little elves standing behind tiny lathes hand crafting each one with Snow White overseeing them. Buzz Kill!
That's more like what happens in the Paiste factory~ They do soo much by hand over there.
this still bangs tho, so relaxing to watch
Why am i watching this? I use 5B
Why am I watching this, I play guitar
Why am I watching this? I use 2B
Me too!! Is that a whole different factory? Like Twix
Why am I watching this again I don't even play Vic Firth anymore I play Zildjian now because it feels better to me 🤔🤔🤔
Why am I watching this? I’m blind
Guess I'll never complain about spending $12 for a pair of sticks ever again! 🤯
Yes, I know a Zildjian rep that toured the Vic Firth factory and he said that after the tour he's surprised they're not $100 a pair.
@@chrisdiel706 It looks like a lot, but with such a high volume and high efficiency, the bigger setup lowers costs by a frick ton!
I wonder if the price will go up with the cost of lumber going up?
I will that’s still retarted💀
I just paid $18 dollars for one pair ...
Amazing. You just converted a Vater player to a Vic Firth player.
Every inconsistency I've had with Vater and Promark is addressed and eliminated during Vic Firth production.
Thank you.
I'm not an employee, paid sponsor or sponsored player, I'm a Real Drummer who has been paying Hard Earned Cash for years on sticks that I'm not quite happy with and glued on nylon tips that fly off or shatter !!!!!!
I too used to use Vader and promark once you play on Vic firth you'll never go back
I agree. I picked up a pair of Dave Weckl signature sticks just on a whim and they were the best sticks I've ever held in my hands. So I decided to switch to Vic Firth and never looked back. And never will either. They are simply amazing. Never had a bad pair.
I love how you can hear exactly when they start to sound more like drumsticks than pieces of wood.
5a was my first pair of sticks. Still have those around. 5a is always ok to play. Covers a lot of styles.
I still have the beat-up Vic Firth 5A pair that I got when I first started drumming 11 years ago. You really can't go wrong with those!
That sound of the hickory dowels is satisfying to my ears. 😁
I had no idea the processes that it takes to create something that we (drummers) take for granted. That was mesmerizing!
Been playing Vic Firth for over 30 years. Really cool to see the automation for precision, but even better to see the "human" involvement - visual inspection, touch and feel... To create "The Perfect Pair"
As a Promark guy for decades, I loved to watch this video.
I'd say Promark and Vic make the best sticks on the market. I liked the Vater Fusions myself.
Forever the hugest fan of ALL Vic Firth sticks. I primarily use both the 5A and 5A extreme. Wood and nylon tips for both. I also use 7A. Also the Steve Gadd and Dave Weckl models. ALL of those sticks help me with every musical situation I face. With Vic Firth you're not only investing in true quality, you're investing in a phenomenal legacy. After trying other brands in the past, I can honestly say I don't picture myself ever using another kind of drum stick. For as long as Vic Firth is around, that is where I will always purchase my drum sticks.
I’m a 73 year old multi-instrumentalist and there is nothing like the feel of a fresh pair of sticks, and guitar strings
Smoothest, most Balanced Drumsticks in the Market! 🔥🤘🏼🥁🤘🏼🔥
Lots of quality control and fine tuning to make those sticks... Fascinating technology
Vic Firth 7A right here. Never switching.
The couple pairs of Vic Firth 5A I own mean more to me now. I loved watching this! I’ve gained a new appreciation for the work that goes into making these! Thank you!
WOW. No wonder Vic Firth sticks are always AWESOME.
I really liked how they weighed and tapped the sticks to make sure you get a perfect pair!
Crickey! I didn't know the world needed so many drumsticks.
I had the immense honor of getting a tour of the plant in Maine and got to see all of these processes and machines. Ironically, photography was not permitted. Most of the machines in use were actually custom built or heavily modified for the purpose of making these fine sticks. Really amazing to see it all done.
The most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen! I love my X55A and 85A Freestyle so much more! Thank you Vic!! 💯🙌🏾
Its like those rain relaxation tapes for drummers & machine heads.
As a lifelong drummer, Vic Firth 5A is my "weapon of choice."
Remember the old days when you bought sticks, the shop would put out handfulls to roll on a flat surface and you'd pick out the ones that didn't wobble and seemed to match in weight. Vic Firth, and I imagine most modern drumstick manufacturers, are already doing that in the factory.
Watching this makes my happy. Drumsticks made out of real wood by real people.
tommipommii well.. no, the people are literally just there to press “go” and move them
@@Benjamin-bj6xj but there's still people there
HUGO BOSS they didn’t make the stick though
HUGO BOSS the machines made it
Miles Leonard Reed
indeed
I never realized how much work was out into a pair of sticks
It truly shows how much they care about drums
the way they pop out into the bins is super funny to me lol
The logo part is the most satisfying. Along side the clink!!
I had the pleasure of meeting Vic Firth about 17 years ago. He was a great guy and really enjoyed our music. I exclusively play vic firth implements and recommend them to all my students. I've used other brands in the past but nothing plays like a Vic Firth. Their quality control is amazing too.
Great cinematography. I can almost smell the sawdust
ASMR video for Vic Firth lovers! No words needed!
Nice seeing ppl who can actually work n take pride in it as well
I've tried many brands and Vic Firth is my hands down favorite.
So much time and care for something that will be used to beat the crap out of a drum 😂
Really great quality control. Years ago, I would take maybe 10 pairs of sticks, roll the and pitch test them to find one or two good pair. I never do that anymore with Vic Firth. Just grab the model and check out.
That may just be the most satisfying thing I've ever watched. Also, Vic Firth's are the best.
...I'm kind of partial to Vater
I basically held hands with all of these heroes!
Vic’s all the way. The pairing is awesome!
Man, the sound of all of those sticks clanking together is hypnotic. It's crazy how musical drumsticks can sound all on their own.
seeing the vic firth logo on a drumstick beautiful
Being a Forester and a drummer, this is extremely satisfying viewing. Wood is the ultimate renewable product 👍
I live here in Maine where Vic has their factory. I'm proud to play Vic Firth 5A's as they are consistently the best. The acorn tip, diameter, weight and quality control are so much better than any brand i've tried. I have used Zildjian sticks in the past and love them too, but their 5A is bit too beefy for my taste. A four pack brick of Vics will keep going for a while. Funny how I tried a lot of brands and styles of sticks and went back to good old classic Vic 5A's. You can't beat 'em!
AMAZING! The Vic Firth 5A is arguably the best drumstick ever made!
This is oddly soothing. The sound of each step of production.
Great video! Thanks for letting us listen the natural music of drumstick making, really appreciated!
My favorite stick and after seeing all the work that goes into making them, I appreciate them even more!
Amazing. What a perfection. Thank you all vicfirth team
Such ASMR, So relaxing to watch
Okay, so after one-third of the video I was like "yeah, that looks like a drumstick to me". didn't expect so many more steps to come, much appreciated.
I love you Vic Firth.
Thank you for always being with me in my music life.
I like how they are sorted by sound too. That way the pair have the same "clack" when they hit each other.
Best Stick's In The World...Thank You VF...
Thank you this is my choice of sticks and they never fail !!🔥🔥🙏🏽
I've worn them in two, broken them, threw them, and never had a nylon tip come off. Thank you men and women of Vic Firth for your fine product. 👍
thank you for taking this time for showing how you talented and be blessed
5A's changed my life! This is awesome.
After watching this video, I love my drumsticks even more and want to feel and enjoy the tone of the sticks themselves. Thanks Vicfirth! From Japan!
i watched 3 Elia Wood live drum cam vids (nine times over two years) and then the algorithm took over. i gave a like.
That gang ripsaw...
I love Vic Firth sticks! My fave is VF extreme 5A my favourite go to stick for over 12 years! Excellence at its finest!
Nothing more exciting for than choosing, buying and then playing with a brand new pair of drumsticks!!!
My favorite sticks. Great and excited video to know how the "piece of wood" that you use is made like a jewelry.
THIS video was as satisfying as a first cup of coffee.
Thank you VIC FIRTH for your OUTSTANDING product.
🤘🏻❤🥁🥁🥁🥁❤
Love the swing of the pitch matching beater at 6:07
The time they put into the sticks we play is just amazing hats off to those men and women.
Vic Firth are the best sticks.
I love Vic Firth drumsticks and Zildjian cymbals. I grew up with those brands.
Love ‘em. I’m a Thomas Lang model player myself and Vic is on top of the game!!🤘🏻🤘🏻
Awesome video!! I've always considered the Vic Firth 5A to be the standard in drumsticks, it's so cool to see how much care goes into making them. Love to see how one of my favorite pairs of sticks is made!! (5A is my go-to but I also like the 55A, 5B, 2B and 85A.)
That was truly incredible. What a meticulous process!
Not a word spoken.
LOVE IT!
god how i love a no nonsense video sometimes
No kidding I was looking at my sticks the other day and ONLY THOUGHT IN MY HEAD, “I wonder how these are made” and sure enough this video comes in my feed. Crazy. I’ve played Vic Firth 2BN for over 20 years now. Thanks.
That’s awesome you guys show the manufacturing process so in depth. The mill I used to work for is scared to death of anything being recorded of the process.
This Typ of Sticks i play for 14 years now in all of my Bands and they never let me down. Great quality, perfect handle, very durable. Thank you Vic Firth :-)
WOW!!! That is very impressive to see the level of detail and quality checks that happen at every step!!!
I remember getting some Vic Firth Sticks when I could not buy what I was previously using. At first they felt a little different but I quickly recognized there was something else going on and that every pair felt great and consisitent. The reliability of that quality has me always buying this brand for over twenty years.
Thanks. Couldnt wait to get to the pitch pairing part.
I especially liked seeing the metric scale at 7:03 in the production of this icon of American Culture :).
The Vic Firth Double Glaze is a life saver.
I had been playing Regal Tip since 1994, and for the last couple years it looks like they're done.
I started looking for new sticks and was happy to find out Vic Firth had the Double Glaze line. I was able to go back to something I played previous to Regal Tip! This means that I went back to a very famaliar feeling stick. Turns out I prefer the Vis Firth design. The Tip has more definition, and the they just plain feel better to play.
Vic Firth 5A, best drumsticks in the world
Love your black edition rough sticks the best
That was a whole lot of craftsmanship right there! I hope the workers are feeling proud of what they are doing for the drummers all around the world.
Thanks VF! Your sticks and videos have never disappointed me, not even once!!!
Greetings from Korea.
This is why I never throw out my broken drumsticks. Each pair that breaks is special
Have you found a use for them afterwards? Apart from using them as dowels for random things? I hate throwing away wood.
SpikeFlea. I just keep em in a drawer and reminisce about when they still were on 1 piece
WICKED!!!
Keep up the AMAZING WORK.
Greetings from Cabo Verde Islands.
Cheers
Thank you for sharing - excellent production.
Best pair of sticks! Thanks for the insight! Amazing!
No terrible music, No commentary. Just a video of how my favorite drum sticks are made.
Great video! Show, don't tell. This is visual storytelling at its best. I love how much hands-on quality control goes into each stick. And made in the USA! I will buy no other.