DIY Hot Rod Drum Sticks

[@sandtail0286]

That jam session you did to test out the sticks was amazing.

[@pineapplej7310]

*Hands down best drum channel on youtube ever.. Nobody will ever beat it!*

[@elonlovesyou]

That beat was sick nasty! Stay MOIST!

[@hansolo5206]

One good thing about living in Arizona is, when i need a heat-gun i can just leave things outside for a couple hours instead.

[@FrostedJr]

Han Solo, try living in Australia...

[@hansolo5206]

FrostedJr I live in Bullhead City Arizona, the third hottest place in the entire world. No joke. Actually record temperatures are higher than death valley. It's hit 136 degrees here. So, try living in Bullhead City.

[@hansolo5206]

FrostedJr Sounds like i'm bull shitting you since the record temperatures aren't accurate because it a micropolitian area but i'm really not. Lmfao the hottest it's ever gotten anywhere in Australia is 114. BHC has over 110+ degrees for about 4 months of the year.

[@joshraleigh6885]

Lol

[@cobysanderson8148]

Florida

[@michaelcrandall6399]

The grooves at the end when you were testing the sticks sounded really neat !

[@davidszieber3650]

make a home made practice pad!!!!!!!!!!

[@MrJarribest]

I AGREE! I'm sure rDavidr can make a sick practice pad in that shop! +1 for that idea

[@tak1ngover]

I think I late, but use ur mouse pad. It would be great practice pad

[@dantheman3825]

@@tak1ngoverim early

[@doozle5132]

Awesome sound. Crisp and dark at the same time. I like that hihat skitter you're getting. I lashed mine together with elastic bands. My first pair was made from 4 extra long chopsticks for each rod. I was surprised at how good they sounded.

[@NatePick]

i think the ones you made are called thunder rods if i remember right. there is three. there is the lighting rods (really light weight), hot rods (the original), and thunder rods (the heavy). But its still really cool. im going to try and make me some. Thanks for sharing man. :)

[@lisadunn6125]

There are also cool rods and rocket rods but they discontinued the rocket rods

[@TonyVazquez8265]

Love those homemade hotrods! And I love your stick work on the hats at 3:48 onward, that gave me some ideas for new songs that my band is writing, cos I get tired of playing simple hihat 4/4 Rock at that tempo. So I need to variate my stick work on the hihats. Awesome video, thanks! 🤘

[@mindblown922]

4:27 when that fill hits you in the feels

[@pauledwards9210]

😫

[@espenaldegarmann1178]

the first beat was so lovely!👌

[@rdavidr]

+Espen Aldegarmann thanks!

[@wintersummers3085]

Agreed. It is the best beat I've heard on your channel.

[@maxjr07]

rdavidr can u make a tutorial on that first beat

[@konnerbrown3877]

rdavidr I would love to see a tutorial on that beat, and I am very inspired by your channel! I guess you could say I'm a beginner drummer and I've been playing for about a year now but I haven't gotten any recordings and such yet, but I got a sonor for 200 dollars and I've just been working on it wth your drum hacks and it sounds killer! But I just wanted to thank you for inspiring me to start playing drums, thank you for what you do!

[@markiplierSINGSbadly]

Hey Dave just wanted to let you know that I listened to your beats on soundcloud... your work makes me feel a little better about Nujabes' passing away a few years ago. Great grooves and sample rep.

[@beardpunch1511]

You´re amazing. Love the content. Nice editing. Great drumming. You deserve way more subscribers. Greets from austria.

[@nannasvendsen7564]

I love watching you videos even you posted this 6 years ago!

[@FritzFeuerbacher]

Nice. I never thought about creating my own dowel rods. It looks pretty simple, and they sound great!

[@---ey4um]

That beat on the drums is amazing love it and the rod sound amazing as well.

[@JP-pv7zn]

damn, i'm here pretty late and im probably not making these sticks but that riff at the end is so sick dude, have been playing it for the past week and i finally perfected it, tons of fun . good stuff keep it up man

[@jakobturley]

Your channel is the only one I watch regularly😂😂😂 Love your work!! Every video is great!!

[@ldcalhoun5436]

Very nice! I did the poplar dowels once many years ago, and your thoughts were correct. They lasted about 5 minutes they were so soft! Loved the cool beats at the end too, very tasty jams!

[@opyukin]

This is not fair! David can make anything sound good!

[@substrate001]

Great job! They sound really good and I love to DIY stuff, too. I did almost exactly the same thing as you did starting a couple of years ago- just got tired of paying for new HotRod sticks! Love the vids, subbed to your channel. Keep up the great work, thanks!

[@gabecrouse8766]

Those are pretty cool, they have a unique sound that i really like.

[@ajgdrums24]

some of my favorite drumming from you is right here in this video my man.

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Wow! Your homemade dowel sticks sound incredible on your Tama set! Bravo!

[@MakeSomething]

Ohh! Is that a SM7 on the snare?

[@rdavidr]

+Make Something Yessir! Super versatile mic

[@toolify]

Oh man - that's such a great idea! I've always been put off by the price of these sticks. Never occurred to me to make them. Sounded great! Thanks for the video :)

[@rdavidr]

+Toolify Thanks for watching!

[@Jonas4747]

+Toolify I didn´t even knew, you were playing drums. Awesome!

[@jimmygriswold9258]

some of my favorite drumming yet! sounds like so much fun! if you get sick of the white heat shrink, I would try using plasti-dip. comes in a few colors.

[@tdrum21]

Sounds pretty good. Nice attack and fullness for rod. Reminds me of a DJ Shadow track when you were playing there

[@George-George-George]

These rods sound amazing. That groove was fire BTW.

[@sublimingmule6356]

Holy crap David, that groove tho. 😲

[@tylerdodge5808]

David the beats in this video were amazing man keep it up

[@genewilliams617]

I make mine as well. I also got 1/8" heat shrink tubing for 1/8" dowels on original rods. It's a bit pricy, but the durability factor is thru the roof. They are slightly quiter, with an excellent grip factor. Like a chewy tootsi roll. Lasts a long time.

[@JMVideoProduction21]

You're playing at the end of this was pretty sick this time! Love your patterns, nice job. Keep making videos, love watching!

[@marvinhanson9391]

Its mad that ever since this was uploaded ive kept coming back to this over the years cause i prefer rods over sticks and wanna save money

[@ethan043]

Make a pair out of spaghetti.

[@Gzzmss]

SOMEBODY TOUCHA MEH SPAGETT

[@mal2ksc]

They'd keep falling out of your pocket.

[@sectionq1]

Your demo rhythms are always so damn natty. Love it!

[@robbiegrier]

Impressive Beat!! With awesome fills

[@guillermonavarrete9756]

Your drumming has improved greatly dude!!

[@Squidiyyy]

Damn dave seen half ur vids and never seen u shred this hard!

[@sketchyatbest3673]

I just started making drumsticks in my wood shop class rosewood is really good for making sticks

[@airai25]

love the sounds of the cymbals👌

[@SamVieiraGuitar]

Dude im a guitarrist but i love your videos! Im a diy guy myself!

[@Crabbadabba]

Sound very nice, well done David!

[@averywalters9319]

I tried this and they turned out amazing

[@lalobalandrano1109]

Bro your videos are relaxing and fun... Haha! I love them! 😄

[@bovts12]

RVA!! Awesome to see that you're so local to me!!!

[@Pedritoturrito]

they sound amazing

[@colegore1954]

the beat you played was much more energetic and interesting than a lot of the beats you play

[@The_Great_Whodini]

Might have to do these! The beefier dowels have a better cymbal tone and arent quite as clicky... 🤘🏻

[@dustbunnysafari]

You've grown into a very good drummer!

[@BluepenguinAu]

Sexy backing track! I've made them similar to this before... It works really well and makes them a lot tougher if you just use one piece of heat shrink that stretches almost the whole length of the dowels. Something to try...

[@ClaytonMRay]

That was a dirty groove, i loved it!

[@Luke-Emmanuel]

Brahhhhhhhh those beats at the end had me dancing✨🤍🍍🎶

[@ronaldofilgueira9937]

I made them...long time ago, and they sound great...!!!

[@TK-eg6vp]

Excellent idea!! I might have to try this!

[@tac0_brax]

That was my favorite beat you've played

[@rdavidr]

I just recently made a Facebook page! Add ya boi! facebook.com/therdavidr/

[@ronnyburgundy8870]

rdavidr I caught the shawshank redemption reference lol cheeky

[@logangalloway1466]

That's cool and probably performs comparably to the real deal. I myself opted for a cheap pack of bamboo grilling skewers, a few rubberbands, and some tape. Assuming you can find the tape and rubberbands, that's like $1.47.

[@Retroweld]

Awesome! They sound great too!

[@rdavidr]

+RetroWeld Thanks man!

[@MichaelDionneDrummer]

I have a pair of Vic Firth Rute 606, but I'm planning on making my own as backups for future cocktail gigs (I don't wanna pay 35$ CAD everytime...). I'll try both 1/4" and 1/8" and see what sounds best!

[@g.hickory1383]

That first beat holy moly!!!!!!!!

[@1thess523]

I really like that drum beat!

[@trevorwood2118]

Do those edgy edges hurt the heads a bit? Would sanding them to be a little bit rounder be at all desirable? thanks Also, wicked playing in the end there, really digging that, especially that one kind of shuffled slow fill into the crash on the snare hit. That was dope as hell.

[@babycarl9519]

Using his play style it wont matter.

[@TonyVazquez8265]

He's got great strength control in his playing styles, even when he's playing punk/metal beats in some of his other videos. So, in his perspective, it's okay to leave the rod ends as they are as long as you don't pound your drums into the pavement you'll be alright. If you'd like to sand the edges rounded smooth, that is fine also. It would help to lessen edge-dents on the batter heads. As for what heads to play these dowels on, I think they sound better on coated batter heads for folk and soft jam band music. But, that's a matter of personal preference whichever heads you'd like to play these dowels on.

[@nohandleforme....]

I made a small and a medium pair using bamboo dowels. I'm not sure how well they will hold up because I have not used them much yet, but I like them.

[@kendallwilliams9808]

10/10 would listen again

[@mihumus]

Nicely done, mate! That sounds very good. :)

[@kieranclark8183]

sick demo at the end there

[@Scout819]

Awesome! I've been hoping you'd make these for awhile :D I had a friend in band last year who made a pair, they turned out pretty good

[@chrisbell5032]

rdavidr, great vids,I have just removed the end cap and heat shrink from some Cool Rods and removed the hot glue, really simple ,to reveal nice new dowels, just need some heat shrink now for the damaged ends,the only bad news is I can't find the the other stick!...

[@jimfritz9503]

Great video. Suggestion / try using different size/ types of sticks. And wire brushes as well as the various rods. It will keep you on your toes + help with assorted playing situations. It might be a small room or low volume gig. Be flex able + adaptable to the room acoustics. Best Wishes to all

[@manonfiregames9144]

Just found out you're from Richmond. DMV represeeeeennnntttttt!!!

[@SKATE87410]

Thank you for the encouragement and nasty beats!!

[@mikebarker9187]

The softer woods from Lowes or Home Depot will work okay. You will likely be using them for softer styles of music and settings anyway. Eventually they will break down. You'll also get individual dowels caught in your hi-hat. And individual dowels will come loose and begin easing their way out of the bundle. That's when you just go buy some commercial bundles. :)

[@angelacardy5106]

The beaattttt. Im melting..... ⛄️☀️

[@niteshades_promise]

i like the smaller hot rods. i jammed with a guy who said make em with chop sticks n electric tape. my local china buffet dosent hand out chop sticks any more or would have made a pair. tastey grooves🍻

[@jamieg2799]

Awesome playing!!

[@marchingmatters4370]

I've been making my own for years with dowels, electrical tape for the handle and rubber bands at the top.

[@Kbeats2020]

What if you tried rounding off all the tips on the rods before you connected them? Just a thought. Awesome job though.

[@mattronaldholloway3428]

The sticks sounds good

[@LanceCampeau]

Where's the Plasti-Dip ?!

[@rdavidr]

+LanceCampeau That actually might work well too. Never thought about that...

[@caydjj]

That was my first thought! Once he put the glue on I assumed he would dip them

[@ATthemusician]

I'm a fan of both of you :o I want some stainless steel cymbals

[@dondonini]

I'm now wondering if heat shrink wrap can work well as a drum stick grip.

[@axismc33]

That really cool Keep it up bro!!!!

[@keithszczesniak2054]

Great idea I'm deff going to make a pair

[@JAYDIZLEx]

You make great videos man! Keep it up!

[@jeffreyfuller8400]

I like using them they sound good it allows me to go soft or hard accentuates the high-end when you hit the symbols really nice too twenty f****** dollars half what you make on gigs are in Florida if you play a really loud gig kicking ass they only last for one four sets Maybe

[@drumsNstuff79]

Nice! I bet if you bought in bulk and made a whole bunch at once, you could save some nice dough.. Plus like others have posted you can experiment and make some cool stuff! It's like what Glenn Kotche, Jay Bellerose, and Jim Keltner do. Anything goes if you can groove it!

[@alainvaudou]

nice man ! sounds great. ... who dislike that video? i mean, come on !

[@snorgisborg2]

Wonderful idea

[@joro1539]

love you're style, probably won't but you should let us hear more of you're drumming dude, always very alternative

[@littlemr.5503]

looks sick dude

[@playingwithsticks6819]

You can use plastic caps on the ends (used on the end of metal tubes for table legs etc) to finish them off a little better and a slight sanding on the hitting edges helps protect your drum heads

[@the_dwt]

Do you know where I could find these? Like what do I search on Amazon or something to get something like that?

[@playingwithsticks6819]

@@the_dwt On e-bay theyre sold as 'chair leg cap floor protectors'. Im in Australia - I get them from Bunnings. In US Home Depot or any large hardware chain store should have them in packs of 4 - pretty cheap. Also I make my rods with thinner dowels. I find the specs in vid a bit too heavy and chunky

[@felodrummer9033]

Make diy drum sticks. Great drumming by the way

[@BlueCrewSlackers]

Those wooden rods you get in some blinds are great if you want slightly lighter sticks

[@kingtreble160]

That tom sounds nice

[@shawnsattazahn5201]

Ah! Awesome!! new to your channel

[@lordxerak]

What a badass

[@calebbarrera8990]

We did this for a marching show one year at my school😂😂😂

[@viridian_meridian]

Try experimenting with foam cores, like the Vic tala wands have. IMO they have a much better rebound, sound, and they last way longer than most other rutes/hotrods.

[@CamronRobb]

This is awesome! I got to try it

[@deedstreak]

Dude. Could you make a pair and send to South Africa? Such a fan of your work