Planning to add a pair of drum brusher to your arsenal?
All drummers, professional or beginner, would want all the drumming instruments to prepare them for any gig that might come their way.
One such instrument is a pair of brushes.
Drum brushes are often considered as a tool that can be used for a specific style of music or niche.
However, this is not completely true. The sound and music they offer are significantly different from what a drumstick can produce.
Although brushes are majorly used on snare drum heads, they can enhance your drumming style in jazz and other genres settings. The softer feel of brushes boosts your sound with a different flavor.
But, which pair of brushes should you opt for?
Well, the best suitable brush depends on the preference of your music while drumming.
A wide array of drum brushes are curated by different manufacturers to meet those needs.
So, selecting one from a myriad of options can be a daunting task.
To make this choice easier for you, we are providing a buying guide followed by a review of five best drum brushes we have come across to date.
Let’s begin!
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Five Best Drum Brushes
🏆 Vic Firth Steve Gadd Wire Brush 🏆
These brushes are the best option available in the market today.
Vic Firth is a popular manufacturer of high-quality drumming instruments. Besides, Steve Gadd is one of the finest drummers to date.
Vic Firth has partnered with Gadd to offer the best drum brushes, and its feel, values, playability, and durability is unparalleled.
Vic Firth Steve Gadd brushes have a unique design that separates them from all other available brushes. The wires are angles in a way to offer maximum playability and glide. These brushes thus offer a drum sound of superior quality.
The unique angle allows the bristles to evenly sweep across your drum head to offer a perfectly smooth sound.
While the brushes are mainly curated to play jazz, they produce a kick-ass sound on the toms, cymbals, and snare drum alike.
These brushes provide softer and subtle sound and are super easy and comfortable to hold.
Vic Firth Steve Gadd brushes come with a retractable mechanism. They include a third crimp that offers a wide variety of adjustment settings.
All in all, tips of the bristle are flared, and thus they don’t dig into your snare head. They are also silky smooth to play. And why not? We wouldn’t be expecting anything less from Steve Gadd!
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🏆 Vater Drum and Percussion Brushes 🏆
These Vater brushes are the most versatile options available. They are popular among studio session drummers, touring musicians, and amateurs alike.
The plastic handle is of a medium-length. The grip on the handle is made up of high-quality rubber for excellent grip.
Besides, the brushes come with rubber tips that allow you to play harder while you pull all the bristles. So you can use them while playing heavier stuff than a normal pair of brush would offer.
Bristles are of sturdy wire material. Also, the length and spread can be adjusted through the pull rod present at the back of the handle.
You can play a wide range of genres and styles using the Monster brush.
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🏆 Promark B600 Nylon-Brush Nylon-Bristle Retractable Brushes 🏆
Promark is a popular brand that is well known for its exceptional quality of brushes and drum sticks. Like all other Promark gear, the brushes are also made in the USA>
The handle of these brushes is made up of sturdy and smooth plastic. This handle also works like brush storage when not in use.
The bristles are made up of thick nylon, which offers a rich and pronounced response. You can thus get a crisp and loud sound with ease.
So, if you plan to drum brushes for louder and heavier use, this can be the best option for you.
When fully extended, the brushes are 13.75” long, and the bristles can be fully retracted.
Overall, these brushes are an excellent option when you want to play in a bigger venue.
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🏆 Wire Retractable Loop End Drum Brushes 🏆
These are excellent jazz brush drum sticks that are significantly lightweight. The wire is coated to prevent rusting. The overall length is 34 cm. It comes with a rubber handle that prevents bending of the bristles.
However, frequent retracting will cause bending, and it is thus advisable to retract them while using. As the name suggests, these brushes have been curated to play jazz music.
According to us, these brushes are the cheapest option available for quality.
All in all, they are the most affordable high-quality brushes available today.
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🏆 Tinksky Percussion Drum Brushes 🏆
These brushes look attractive with a black and blue combination. The bristles are made up of high-quality nylon material. The overall length of the brushes is 33cm
These telescopic brushes are comfortable to touch and easy to hold.
As with most of the drum brushes, these are great for playing jazz music.
They offer lighter and lower volumes and thus suitable for smaller setups and soft music.
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An Overview on Drum Brushes
Drum brushes were first invented in the 20th century with the invention of jazz musicians. They were the first ones to use brushes along with their normal sticks, which offered them nuanced and complex sound.
However, with the popularity of rock music, their use became obsolete. They weren’t heard loud enough as compared to other instruments.
But they were always used by the jazz community, and now brushes are even used for other genres.
So, how is it made?
Making of drumming brushes is simple. Just attach nylon frisks or metal on a stick and voila.
Initially, only metal frisks were used and are still present in the majority of options.
However, nylon brushes are also becoming popular as many drummers have now started using them.
The handle of drum brushes is rubbery to provide a firmer grip even when your hands are sweaty.
While selecting a drum brush, you can also check if it is retractable or not. The retractable ones come with a rod in the bottom, which allows the brush to retract to shield it. You can also change the fan size of the brush by modifying how retracted you want it while drumming.
What to Look for In the Drum Brush?
Multiple drum brushes are available in the market today. To select the best suitable one, you should look for the bristle material, handle material, and size.
Here’s are some highlighting features.
Bristle Material
Bristles are made up of plastic or wire.
Plastic offers louder and aggressive sound. They do not rust and are easier of your drum heads compared to metal wire.
The wire is the traditional material and is widely used in the majority of the brushes. They are commonly used for slower songs, ballads, and smaller settings.
Handle Material
The options available are mainly plastic, wood, or rubber.
Brushes with plastic handles are lightweight and thus easy to adapt.
Wooden handles are curated for drummers who want to switch to brushes but do not prefer getting accustomed to new materials.
While those made with rubber offer excellent grip.
Size
Lastly, it is also a great idea to consider the size and weight of the brushes. The rubber and plastic handle brushes are comparatively lighter weight as compared to the wooden counterparts. The wooden handle gives the feel of traditional drumsticks to your hands.
If you prefer something lighter, you can go for rubber or plastic handles.
What are drum brushes used for?
Drum brushes are mainly used for jazz music. Drummers also use these brushes for softer, varied, and exciting tones. They also offer swooshing sounds that are not possible by traditional drumsticks.
Besides, brushes are also used for drumming that needs lower or softer volume.
What are the best drum brushes?
The best drum brushes depending on the music of preference and setting you would be using them. Read our review and buying guide to understand about features to look for and five drum brushes we have come across to date.
What are the brush drumsticks called?
Drumsticks with brush are known as drum brushes or brooms.
How do you use snare drum brushes?
You can check how to use snare drum brushes here.
Final Thoughts
Drum brushes are an excellent tool for all drummers to add versatility to their arsenal. While the majority of the brushes are thought to be used for jazz, this is not completely true and allows you to play various genres of music.
These brushes provide a swooshing sound that is not possible using a traditional drumstick. While the making of the drum brushes is easy, high-quality, and appropriate material should be looked for while deciding.
We hope this buying guide and review of best drum brushes to make an informed decision.
Happy drumming!
