Description

A makassar tipper stick set with agave plant fibres, the N-EF 4 will give a good swish, slightly more pronounced than the N-EF 3. Note that the agave fibres are extremely hard wearing, but a little care will considerably extend their life. Protect them from too much UV radiation – don’t leave this one lying on the windowsill! – and gently apply a drop or two of olive oil to the bristles occasionally to keep them flexible. Diameter: 13 mm, length: 23 cm (stick) + 3.5 cm (fibres), weight: approx. 20 grams.

As Stevie says, the “big thing” about his brush tippers is that you can combine the swishing sound of the bristles with the attack of a traditional wooden tipper, so you can create a basic smooth swishy groove rhythm with strong accents produced by the solid wooden head of the tipper. Experiment with the angle of the tipper to the drum head to get a more or less pronounced beat from the wooden tipper itself.

What about the bristles – will they fall out, break or bend? Like the strings of a guitar or the hairs of a violin bow, these materials take the brunt of your playing and will not last forever if you are using them regularly for years. Natural bristle brushes may lose a hair or two at first, this is normal and not a concern.  The bristles are glued in place by hand and there will always be the odd recalcitrant hair!

The main thing is, use these tippers and enjoy the wonderful sounds they produce!

Wondering how our brush range compares, from model to model? The N-EF 3 gives the most gentle, lovely swishing sounds, and as the numbers go up, you get an increasingly pronounced and audible swishiness, with the N-EF 7 having the strongest presence.