Vic Firth introduces the John Mapes Signature Snare and Tenor Sticks and the Ian Grom Signature Keyboard Mallets to its Corpsmaster line. Mapes has utilized Vic Firth’s sticks for years. While he found sticks that produced the sound he desired, he sometimes felt there was something lacking in the feel of the sticks. “Combining the desired sound and the feel became the focus of a product I knew could be a great addition to the Vic Firth catalog,” Mapes said in a press release.
Constructed of hickory, the John Mapes Snare Stick is primarily focused on creating a comfortable feel for percussionists by balancing the diameter and length of the shaft—coupled with a fast taper that levels off before the tip.
Mapes’ Tenor Stick was inspired by the current trend among tenor players to use snare sticks. The Tenor Stick places special attention on the full shape of the tip, built from black nylon, to increase its surface area and make it more durable. Mapes believes this sets his sticks apart, stating that “with a nice, bigger, round tip, you’re going to get a lot more depth of sound … especially versus a snare stick.”
Also new at Vic Firth is a line of keyboard mallets from Ian Grom. While his new mallets feature eight models—three for vibraphone and five for marimba—they all feature a rubber core to ensure uniformity. “They’re all mallets where you can play active material across multiple ranges of the keyboard while at the same time maintaining a consistent dark sound because the core is the same throughout all of the keyboard mallets,” Grom says.
Visit vicfirth.com for more details.
