5 Best Hot Rods Drumsticks

Best Hot Rods Drumsticks

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It’s a good idea to have a range of different drumsticks in your stick bag. Hot rods and rute sticks are great options to consider.

They provide a softer sound from the drums, and unlike brushes, drum rods allow you to play the drums the same way you would with sticks.

There are lots of hot rods from different brands. Most of them are fairly different from each other, making it hard to choose which multi rod drumsticks to get. So, here’s a list of some of the best ones to help you make a well-informed buying decision.

What are the Best Hot Rod Sticks?

Image Recommended ProductsProduct Features Price
Best wooden rods
Promark Hot Rods
  • 16” length
  • Birch dowels
  • Short plastic grip
Best versatile rods
Meinl Stick & Brush Bamboo Multi-sticks
  • 16” length
  • Made from bamboo
  • 2 control rings
Best loud rods
Vater VSPS Splash Sticks
  • 16” length
  • 19 birch dowels
  • Extended rubber grip
Best durable rods
Vic Firth Rute X Poly Synthetic
  • 16.25” length
  • Hickory handles
  • Synthetic dowels
Best brush rods
Vater Monster Brush
  • 15.8” length
  • Polymer strands
  • 2 control rings

How I Tested and Selected the Best Hot Rods

I’ve been a huge fan of hot rods for many years due to how they sound on the drums. I’ve always preferred them to brushes, as they maintain a lot more attack from your strokes. 

First and foremost, I focused on playability and comfort to ensure they felt great to play on the drums.

I played various patterns around the drums, and I assessed how they felt when striking different surfaces, including drumheads, cymbals, and percussion accessories like a cowbell. 

Durability was a key factor in my evaluation. I thoroughly checked the construction materials and overall build quality to make sure the hot rod sticks could handle practice sessions and live performances without losing their integrity.

I also tested each hot rod stick across different music genres to see how well they adapted to various sonic contexts, considering factors like tone range and responsiveness to different playing techniques.

Hot Rods Drumsticks Reviews

Best wooden rods

Promark Hot Rods

A classic pair of hot rods that are light and thin to reduce your drumming volume significantly. They feel great to use, and they sound excellent on the kit.
Durability
4.0
Feel
4.5
Versatility
4.0
Value
4.0

    Promark Hot Rods Review

    The Promark Hot Rods are the most standard hot rod drumsticks on this list. Interestingly, Promark was the first stick company to introduce rute sticks for the drum kit. These hot rods have all that history behind them.

    They have several birch dowels, which are thin wooden sticks that are wrapped tightly together to give you slappy drum tones. 

    I love how much attack from the drums I get when using these, making these sticks great for keeping up the intensity when you’re playing.

    I thought they were quite thin compared to most hot rods out there, making them easier to play fast patterns. They also kept the volume down even more thanks to the thin body.

    Overall, they’re a fantastic pair of sticks, ready to take on any gig. I’d say that they’re the most conventional kind of hot rods available, so they’re one of the most reliable options to get. 

    However, the wooden dowels can break quite easily if you play too aggressively, so always be sure to keep that in mind when playing with various dynamics around the drum kit.

    Pros

    • Offers a good amount of attack
    • Thin and great for fast playing
    • One of the first-ever pairs of hot rods

    Cons

    • The birch wood dowels break if you play too aggressively
    Best versatile rods

    Meinl Stick & Brush Bamboo Multisticks

    Hot rods made from bamboo that have two control rings to allow you to alter how they feel and sound. While they’re originally intended for cajons, they work brilliantly on drum sets.
    Durability
    4.0
    Feel
    4.5
    Versatility
    4.5
    Value
    4.0

      Meinl Stick & Brush Bamboo Multisticks Review

      These drum rods are intended to be played on cajons. However, I thought that they gave an excellent sound when used on a drum set. The Meinl Multi-sticks are made of bamboo sticks, which brings out a fairly sharp tone from the drums.

      They’re fairly similar to the previous pair of rods but they have a few added additions. They have two control rings that you can shift up or down to change the tightness of the rods. The tighter they are, the more attack they’ll bring out of the drums.

      You can make them tight by pushing the control rings towards the end. They’ll get a bit loose if you pull those control rings back. 

      There’s also a small bit of center wrap, boosting the amount of rebound that you get from the rods. 

      Since there’s a good amount of rebound, I find that I’m easily able to play double strokes and any other hand patterns that require great finger control.

      Again, the wooden dowels can break easily if you’re not careful. With these being bamboo, they may be even less durable than the birch ones from the Promark rods. 

      Pros

      • Control rings let you choose how the sticks feel and sound
      • Great amount of rebound
      • Made for cajons, but sound great on drums

      Cons

      • Bamboo wood breaks over time
      Best loud rods

      Vater VSPS Splash Sticks

      One of the thickest sets of hot rods available. They’re a lot louder than most, and the extended rubber grip offers more room to hold them in various ways.
      Durability
      4.5
      Feel
      4.0
      Versatility
      4.0
      Value
      4.0

        Vater VSPS Splash Sticks Review

        Vater is a drumstick brand that is quite well-known for making unique auxiliary drumsticks. These Vater VSPS Splash Sticks are one of the options on their long list of products.

        The biggest unique thing about these cool rods compared to other multi rod drumsticks is that they have an extended rubber grip. It’s much longer than the standard rubber grip, giving you more room to hold it.

        It’s a great pair of rods for drummers who like to hold their sticks nearer to the center. It also allows you to play softer when holding your sticks like that.

        There aren’t any control rings on these sticks, so I get an open sound with a fair bit of attack. The sticks are also quite thick, so they produce plenty of volume. 

        They’re undoubtedly the loudest rods on this list, so they’re a great option if you still want plenty of volume, even when you switch over from sticks to rods. The lack of control rings just makes them less versatile. 

        Pros

        • Extended rubber grip gives you more room to place your hands
        • Deliver open tones with great attack
        • Plenty of volume thanks to the thickness

        Cons

        • Not everyone will like the extended grip
        Best durable rods

        Vic Firth Rute X Polysynthetic Rods

        A highly durable pair of hot rods due to the dowels being synthetic. The handles are made from hickory, making them feel like you’re holding regular drumsticks.
        Durability
        5.0
        Feel
        4.5
        Versatility
        4.0
        Value
        4.0

          Vic Firth Rute X Polysynthetic Rods Review

          The Vic Firth Rute X Poly Synthetics sticks are a highly unique option on the list. They combine the feel of standard drum sticks with the sound of classic hot rods. 

          The base and shaft of the sticks are hickory, and they feel just as comfortable to hold as standard drumsticks. 

          The main thing I like about these is that they are much easier to adapt to using compared to other hot rods. 

          There are synthetic dowels at the end of each stick that feel and play like rute sticks. They have a control ring that allows you to adjust how much attack and rebound they have. 

          These sticks are slightly more expensive than the others on the list. However, they offer more durability along with a unique design. The synthetic dowels just never seem to break, meaning you can play a bit harder than with pure wooden rods. 

          However, the hickory handles may give in at some point, so they’re not entirely invincible. 

          Pros

          • Feels like using normal drumsticks
          • Highly durable
          • Unique design

          Cons

          • More expensive than other options
          Best brush rods

          Vater Monster Brushes

          A lighter set of hot rods that perform more like brushes than typical rods. You can utilize the control rings to change how much attack they have, but the main benefit is that they blend nicely.
          Durability
          5.0
          Feel
          4.5
          Versatility
          4.5
          Value
          4.0

            Vater Monster Brushes Review

            The Vater Monster Brushes are technically considered to be brushes instead of hot rod sticks. However, they act the same as hot rods when you tighten them with the two control rings.

            They have several polymer strands that give a very warm and light sound when playing the drums. The warmth is thanks to the sheer thickness of these sticks.

            While the other sticks on the list had great attack, I thought that these hot rods were better for blending sounds rather than cutting through a mix after trying them out. 

            It’s great to have the added versatility as you can pull the control rings off to get more of a ‘brush sound’ on the drums.

            If you need a pure replacement for regular sticks to get quieter tones, these wouldn’t be the best pick. I’d rather suggest getting these as a second alternative to use in various musical settings. 

            I just love how they can work as both brushes and hot rods. 

            Pros

            • Very versatile
            • Produces warm sounds from the drums
            • Can also get a brush sound

            Cons

            • They’re quite thick

            Hot Rod Buying Guide

            Stick Material

            The material that the hot rods are made of will determine how they sound. It will also determine how durable they’re going to be. The standard rods are made from birch and have an open attacking tone. 

            Birch rods tend to break the fastest out of all the different types of rods, so be careful not to play too aggressively with them. 

            Plastic rods don’t have as much attack, but they last much longer as you can’t chip away at the plastic. 

            Size

            Most drum rods like the Promark Hot Rods, the Vater VSPS Splash Sticks and the Meinl Stick & Brush Bamboo Multi-sticks are 16” in length. They heavily differ in thickness, though. Some are thick while others are thin. The thicker a pair of hot rods are, the more volume you’re going to get from the drums. However, it will be harder to play fast patterns like you would with a standard pair of wooden drumsticks. 

            Thinner rods will be easier to play with, but they won’t have as much depth in tone. They’ll bring out more high-end from the drums. 

            Control Rings

            Hot rods like the Vater Monster Brush and the Vic Firth Rute X Poly Synthetic have control rings while others don’t. Control rings allow you to adjust the tightness of the rods. This will change how they feel as well as how they sound.

            If you want to have as much versatility as possible, you should get a pair of rods that have control rings. You’ll be able to switch things up whenever you need to. 

            This isn’t to say that rods without control rings are bad, though. They typically sound and feel great as they are. They just don’t have the versatility.

            Final Thoughts

            Hot rods are one of the key parts of a gigging drummer’s stick bag along with drum brushes and mallets. You’re going to need them if you ever play gigs with portable drum sets in coffee shops and restaurants. 

            If you’re playing straightforward tunes, they’re a better option than brushes as they still feel like you’re playing with solid drumsticks. 

            Just make sure to find a pair that you really like as they can sometimes be a hit or miss purchase. Not everyone has the same taste when it comes to hot rods, so choose carefully!

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