It might look a little bit strange, but Vic Firth's new wood shaft bass drum beater has one special design trick: the size of the beater ball shrinks down to the wood shaft, and that combination holds the weight down of the entire bass drum beater. The result is that this beater has a more even motion that makes it easier to play because you have more control over it while playing.
Vic Firth designed the Wood Shaft Beater, the VKB5, in collaboration with the Peter Erskine, who is playing the VicKick 5 in the video below. It is designed to work for all drummers on any pedal setup, and it plays just as easy on a double bass pedal.
As Peter Erskine says:
"After receiving the first prototype, I discovered that I had a whole new relationship with my bass drum. I've connected to the instrument in subtle ways that's hard to explain."
We tested it at the 2018 NAMM Show in California, and must admit: this one plays very smooth and easy. See for yourself in this video, where Andy Tamulynas explains how the VicKick 5 actually works and feels.
