A variety of materials and alternative sounds
Meinl Stick & Brush offers various Multi-Rods and Brushes. To make it easier to understand each product‘s advantages, we have created an overview in which all materials are explained.
Birch
Multi-Rods with birch dowels are elastic, but also durable. With this kind of wood it’s easy to generate volume and focused attack for a slightly more stick-like sound than other brush types, but of course, birch dowels are still not as loud as a drumstick. This material offers a mid-range volume between drumsticks and brushes.
- elastic and durable
- focused attack
- mid-range volume
Bamboo
Dowels out of bamboo are valued for their durability. Due to their hardness and lighter weight, they have their own characteristic sound, which makes this material perfect for percussive playing techniques as well as a drum kit. Compared to birch dowels, bamboo is harder but also more elastic.
- elastic and durable
- own characteristic sound
- mid-range volume
Hardwood
Multi-Rods with hardwood dowels offer an aggressive sound comparable to a drumstick. The thick, hardwood dowels provide increased attack and volume. Due to their thickness the dowels are extremely durable.
- extremely durable
- increased attack
- great volume
Straw Material
Straw is the softest material Meinl uses for brushes, but when bundled it becomes a solid and stable tool. Since the straw material is very lightweight and flexible, it produces a thick low-end thump at low volumes without the aggressive attack of wood.
This unique blend of sound between brushes and rods allows for a wide range of applications on all types of percussion instruments from cajon to drum kit.
- lightweight and flexible
- thick low-end thump without aggressive attack
- low volume
Nylon
Nylon dowels provide the most flexibility and durability of the materials used in our Stick & Brush line which gives them a unique feel and response. Generally producing a softer attack, nylon bristles can generate good slaps when tightly bundled together making them perfectly suitable on many differnt drum types and percussive instruments. Compared to the metal wires the nylon brushes have a warmer sound.
- most flexible and durable material
- soft attack and good slaps
- warm sound
Metal
Brushes with metal wires produce a significantly audible difference in sound compared to brushes with other materials. While much harder and more dense than wood, metal wires are also much thinner than the wood or nylon dowels. This creates a unique quality for metal wires to be snappy and bright at faster, staccato tempos as well as lush and full sounding at slower, legato tempos.
- flexible and durable
- snappy and crisp slaps
- significant audible difference in sound
