Out of all the sizes of drumsticks in the market, 5A vs 5B drumsticks are one of the most used and compared sizes of drumsticks. As a drummer, choosing the most suitable drumstick is very crucial since that decides the sound that the drums will produce.
Every drummer’s preference may differ as per their personal comfort with the drumsticks and their playing style. Most drummers start of their drumming journey with 5A and 5B drumsticks. While some may move on with some advanced drumsticks, many will stick to it for their advanced drum playing journey too.
About 5A Drumsticks
Also known as the Standard Sticks, 5A drumsticks are the most popular ones in the market for its standard and fit-for-everyone size. It is a size which can be easily found in any drums shop. Generally, the size of a 5A drumstick is around 16” with a thickness of around 0.565”. But it may slightly differ as per the brand you purchase for the stick. It is a versatile stick which can be used in playing any kind of music as it can be played soft as well as hard to produce varying tones.
About 5B Drumsticks
The 5B drumsticks are also of 6” in size and its thickness is around 5.595”. It majorly produces a louder tone on the drums. The thickness of these sticks aid in producing loud powerful tones without much force because of the thickness of the stick. It is less popular compared to the 5A drumstick but many drummers like playing with a thicker stick. Hence, they prefer 5B stick over 5A ones. If you are a drummer willing to play rock and metal tones, then these are the perfect sticks for you.
Also Read: Best Electronic Drum Kits
5A vs 5B Drumsticks: Difference Between 5A and 5B Drumsticks
The most basic difference between the 5A and 5B drumsticks is their thickness. 5B drumsticks are thicker then 5A ones which aids the drummer in producing louder tones without much power used. But other than that difference, below mentioned clear differentiations will help you in choosing the most suitable drumsticks for you. Let’s delve into them one by one.
1. Different Types of Wood Used for Drumsticks
Drumsticks can be made of different types of woods and other materials, and each of these materials have their own unique properties. One of the most commonly used woods for producing drumsticks is Hickory. It is a hard wood that can withstand heavy drums use. This wood’s stick is easy to control and hence it is relatively more comfortable for drummers.
Maple wood is also one of the popular woods used for producing drumsticks. It is comparatively lighter than hickory wood. When the drummer wants to produces lighter sound, they use drumsticks made from maple wood.
Oak wood drumsticks are also one of the popularly used drumsticks. These are heavier than both hickory and maple wood sticks. They are generally used for producing tones with density.
Other than wood, drumsticks can also be produced with other materials like aluminium, carbon, plastic, and fiber. The sticks with these materials generate more rebound and are more durable compared to the wood sticks.
So, before deciding on 5B vs 5A drumsticks, first decide on the kind of drumstick material you are willing to purchase.
2. 5A and 5B Drumsticks Size and Playability
The comfort you get while playing drums depends on the type, size, material of drumsticks you use. Though the size of both 5A and 5B drumsticks is the same (6”), its playability, thickness, weight, material, tone, and comfort differs.
The 5 series sticks are the commonly used sticks worldwide for its standard size, thickness and versatility. The 5A sticks are comparatively more balanced in terms of its size and weight which makes it appropriate in playing light as well as hard tones. Whereas the 5B sticks are less versatile and heavy making them more playable for drummer who want to generate hard rock and metal tones.
3. Drumming Techniques and Grip Styles
As per your preferred drumming technique and gripping style as well, your compatibility with the sticks can be decided which eventually helps you in selecting the most suitable stick for you. Out of the 4 types of grip styles, you can grip 5A and 5B drumsticks in both traditional and matched grips to produce wide musical style range tones with a balanced grip.
Over that, 5A drumsticks can be played with a French grip as well to generate more intricate and light musical tones as it offers more control and precision to your fingers. And 5B drumsticks can generate more heavier musical tone with German grip that leverages more power while playing.
So, traditional, and matched grip can be used on both drumsticks but to produce intricate sound, you can use 5A stick with French grip and to produce heavier sound, you can use 5B stick with German grip.
Also Read: How to Learn Drums as a Beginners?
Conclusion
Though being part of the same series (5 series) of drumsticks and having same sizes, 5A vs 5B sticks have features that make them unique and completely different from each other. On one hand the 5A drumstick is lighter balanced stick that produces intricate sound using traditional, matched and French grip, is a standard stick used by beginners. And on the other hand, the 5B drumstick is heavier as well as durable stick that produces rock and metal music with power and volume using matched and German grip. You can select the one most compatible and suitable to you.