Vater American Hickory Fatback 3A Drumsticks — Wood Tip
The wood tip Fatback 3A is an American hickory drumstick measuring 16 in with a 0.590 in grip, whose neck and shoulder carry more wood than average. The rounded barrel tip, turned from the shaft itself, pushes volume without the metallic sheen of a hard tip.
What sets it apart
- Rounded barrel tip turned from the shaft's own wood
- 15.0 mm at the grip, 40.6 cm long
- Loaded shoulder and neck, like the whole Fatback line
- High volume, with a less cutting attack than nylon
- No added piece at the tip
- Readable wear: the sound rounds off before the stick gives out
Volume without added brightness
A hard tip produces a point of attack that stands apart from the sound of the instrument. That is an advantage when you have to cut through a wall of guitars, a drawback when the kit needs to sound as one block.
The wood barrel of this Fatback makes the second choice. It moves as much air as its nylon twin, but the top of the spectrum stays tied to the body of the sound. In the studio, as on a well-miked stage, that is often what you want to hear.
A stick that ages with the drummer
The wood tip takes marks. After a few weeks, the barrel flattens slightly, the contact area grows, and the sound gains in width what it loses in definition. Many drummers like exactly this phase and keep the pair until the neck gives out.
It is a way of working that nylon does not allow: its shape does not change, so the sound tells you nothing.
Where it sits in the line
Between the 3A Lite, which takes the design in a thinner size, and the hard-tip Fatback, this version holds the middle ground: the family's durability, the full thickness, and the most natural tone of the three.
Specifications
| Size | 16 in (40.6 cm) long |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 0.590 in (15.0 mm) at the grip |
| Shaft wood | American hickory |
| Tip type | Rounded barrel, solid wood |
What it is for
- Rock on a miked stage
- Studio, when the attack should not stick out
- Drummers who want volume and a warm cymbal sound
- Heavy playing on the toms
- A gradual move away from a hard-tip stick
Compare with other manufacturers
Models of similar thickness at other manufacturers:
| Brand | Similar model | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| Vic Firth | American Classic 5B | Neck thinned in the classic design, teardrop tip |
| Promark | Classic Forward 5B | Longer taper, more flexible response |
| Los Cabos | 5B Red Hickory | Denser heartwood, different character |
| Regal Tip | 5B wood | The company's own tip design |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference from the nylon tip version?
- Only the tip. Wood gives a broader, less cutting sound, nylon a sharper point of attack that gets through a loud band better.
- What does "Fatback" actually refer to?
- The thickness kept at the neck and shoulder, meaning the area just behind the tip. That is what gives the stick its durability and its volume.
- Can I use them on an electronic drum kit?
- Yes, with no particular restriction. A wood tip marks the pads a little less than a hard tip, which is rather an advantage.
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