I review products independently and only recommend products I would use myself. If you purchase through a link, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Drum brushes create a softer sound than drumsticks, which makes them perfect for certain genres of music, such as jazz, blues, and country music.
They can be used to create a variety of sounds and produce unique textures on the drum kit. They are also relatively inexpensive, making them a great option for your stick bag.
Brushes are often used in jazz music, but they are also used in ballads and many other types of popular music. The great thing about drum brushes is that they produce a tone that is completely different from conventional drumsticks.
This guide will look at the best drum drum brushes for jazz music. I’ve compared performance, durability, build quality, and cost to give you my top recommendations.
What are the Best Drum Brushs?
| Image | Recommended ProductsProduct | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
BEST
|
|
||
PREMIUM
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
BUDGET
|
|
How I Tested and Selected the Best Drum Brushes
I’ve played plenty of corporate gigs over the years where jazz brushes have been an essential tool.
I own a few of my own pairs, but I also love trying out different ones in music stores to see how they perform.
When checking out all these pairs of brushes, I wanted to see how alternate designs compare against each other.
I made sure to test their performance, focusing on how the handles felt in my hands, and I evaluated each pair’s brush response and articulation on the snare drum.
Because comfort during extended playing is also vital, I considered the grip and weight of the brushes.
Best Drum Brushes Reviews
Vic Firth Steve Gadd Wire Brushes
Vic Firth Steve Gadd Wire Brushes Review
These brilliant Vic Firth Steve Gadd Wire Brushes are, in my opinion, the best drum brushes on the market.
Steve Gadd is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz drummers of all time, and Vic Firth teamed up with Gadd to create the perfect drum brushes that offer unchallenged playability, feel, durability and value.
Steve Gadd and Vic Firth have created the best drum brushes by incorporating a unique design element by angling the wires to offer maximum glide and playability for a superior snare drum sound.
When using these brushes, you can really feel how the wires evenly sweep across the snare drum head and offer a perfectly smooth sound.
These jazz drum brushes feel wonderful to play with, and many drummers favor these as they produce a fantastic sound on the snare drum, toms and cymbals alike.
I also like the retractable pulling mechanism of these drum brushes. They feature a third crimp that allows you to choose from a wider adjustment of settings, for different lengths of the wires.
Overall these are my favorite drum brushes, and I particularly love the tips of the wires are flared so they don’t dig into the snare head. They are silky smooth to play with, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from the legend that is Steve Gadd!
Pro Mark Telescoping Wire Brushes
Pro Mark Telescoping Wire Brushes Review
The Pro Mark Telescoping Wire Brushes are brilliantly designed with a slightly lighter gauge of wire to provide optimal playability for a variety of softer styles of music.
The handle is solid and feels comfortable to hold. I found these to be lighter than most drum brushes I’ve played with, which makes them feel a little more responsive and agile.
The lighter-gauged wire has a fan that isn’t too wide, which allows these brushes to provide a nice staccato and a quicker response from cymbals and drumheads.
These really are excellent percussion brushes, and they feel fantastic to play. I also enjoyed the design of the pull-ring that retracts the wires.
These are simply great quality drum brushes that are perfect for all manners of jazz.
Providing a very musical sound, they really allow a snare drum to sing with ultra-smooth notes. These drum brushes are utilized by many drumming professionals around the world to help offer reliable and consistently great sounds.
If you are looking for the best drum brushes that are both robust and feature a slightly lighter wire gauge, these will allow you to play with greater feel and also provide brighter, smoother, and snappier snare sounds.
Vic Firth Heritage Wire Brushes
Vic Firth Heritage Wire Brushes Review
Up next we have the Vic Firth Heritage Wire Brushes that feature lightweight gauge wires for supreme balance and playability.
These brushes have a comfortable rubber handle for a precise grip and they are perfectly balanced. The wire brushes are firm and sound great on snare drums and jazz ride cymbals.
The Vic Firth Heritage wire brushes feature retractable wires with 5″ of fan spread for a beautiful swish sound.
When trying these brushes out, they created a range of subtle dynamics and textures for different genres of soft music whilst being super comfortable and easy to hold.
I personally really love the design of these jazz drum brushes, and they are great fun to play with. The lightweight wires offer a fast response to help produce exciting and dynamic performances for softer styles of music.
Zildjian Professional Retractable Wire Brushes
Zildjian Professional Retractable Wire Brushes Review
This excellent quality set of Zildjian Wire Brushes features a retractable mechanism for easy storage and ease of use. These drum brushes feel comfortable to hold and they simply feel great to play.
These brushes feature a unique hard tap surface behind the brush spread which helps them last much longer than traditional drum brushes, and it’s also better for the longevity of drumheads.
I know a few jazz drummers who perform around my town, and they all swear by this pair, as they don’t need to worry about constantly spending more money to purchase new sets of brushes.
This hard tap surface on the brushes also creates a better sound when striking a drumhead as opposed to traditional drum brushes.
These metal wire brushes feel comfortable to grip, and they are built very well. The retractable pull-out mechanism works great and allows them to be transported and stored easily.
For jazz, ballads, and other softer styles of music, these are some of the best drum brushes that are fun to use and provide a great sound on snare drums and cymbals.
Ahead Switch Wire Brushes
Ahead Switch Wire Brushes Review
Lastly on our list for review, we have these Ahead Switch Wire Brushes that feature a long rubber handle for a comfortable grip and excellent quality wires for a smooth and even playing response on the snare drum.
This is a no-frills set of drum brushes, and they perform great whilst costing significantly less than the premium brands.
I found these medium gauge wires offer the ultimate balance of weight and playability.
The retractable mechanism is smooth and protects the wires whilst in transportation or storage. These Ahead wire brushes feature a precision-engineered alloy core that is lightweight offers a great rebound for energetic playing
Ahead offers excellent quality drumming products and these are some of the best drum brushes available for the money.
They are great to play with and they’re suitable for beginners and seasoned drummers alike.
Drum Brushes Buyer’s Guide
Drum brushes have been used by jazz drummers for over 100 years, since the early 1900s. They were originally called “fly swatters,” Their invention helped drummers play more quietly while achieving a dynamic sound on the snare drum.
The first notable drummers to use drum brushes to play the drums were jazz drummers like Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, and Big Sid Catlett. These drummers mastered the brush and developed their own unique playing styles too.
Drum brushes can be used to create a variety of sounds and add different textures and dynamics to your playing.
From gentle cymbal washes to snare sweeps, taps, and busier grooves, there are a lot of different sounds you can achieve with a set of brushes.
And because they’re so versatile, they’re a great option for beginners who are just starting to experiment with different drum sounds.
Different Types of Drum Brushes
Jazz drum brushes are made with various materials, including plastic, nylon, and metal. The type of brush you choose will depend on the sound you’re going for while you play drums.
When shopping for a set of brushes, you’ll also come across different sizes. The size of the drum brush will determine the amount of contact area with the drumhead, which will affect the sound.
Retractable Wire Brushes
Retractable wire brushes have a metal wire that can be retracted into the brush handle. This makes them more portable and easier to store and allows you to adjust the spread of the fan of the brushes to allow for different sounds.
Fixed Wire Brushes
Fixed wire brushes have a fixed wire that cannot be retracted. They don’t give you the option to adjust how much of the brush hits the drum head. However, they tend to last longer and are more durable than retractable wire brushes.
Nylon and Plastic Drum Brushes
Nylon and plastic drum brushes are the most common type of modern drum brushes, and they produce a louder, more vibrant sound when striking drums and cymbals. However, their sound is duller than steel brushes. They are also more durable than thin steel wires, which are prone to bending and rusting.
Steel Wire Brushes
Steel wire brushes are excellent for achieving the traditional swishing sound heard in jazz music. These are commonly retractable wire brushes with rubber or wooden handles, and they produce a bright and distinctive sound when striking the snare drum or gliding across the drumhead. Steel wire brushes produce a full sound when played on a coated snare drum head.
Drum Brushes FAQs
What Do Drum Brushes Sound Like?
Drum brushes have a softer, more delicate sound than drumsticks. They produce a swooshing sound when played across the drumhead, and this is a very iconic and distinctive sound in jazz music.
How Do You Play Jazz Drums With Brushes?
To play jazz drums with brushes, a jazz drummer uses a different technique than drumsticks. With brushes, you move them in a gliding or circular motion around the snare drum and play more delicately with cymbals. You can also adjust the spread of the fan of the brushes to create different sounds.
