The disappointing truth about Carbosticks (Bronze Line)

[mondi99060451]

Last May 1, 2008, I bought a pair of Carbosticks 5B Bronze from Sound Essentials (MOA).  After 2 months, naputol yung tip nung isang stick habang nasa studio kami! 

For the record:

1. We do John Mayer Trio covers kaya hindi siraan ng gamit yung level ng tugtugan namin. 
2. I don't do rimshots, pang accent lang.
3.  During practice, lalo na sa studio, mahina ang overall volume namin as a band para makapag focus sa detail ng song na pinapractice.
4.  We practice every Friday only. (so that's a total of 4-6 studio practices)
5.  At home, ang partner ng carbosticks ko, practice pad lang.

Luckily, walang tinamaan nung tip ng stick na naputol.  Pero nakuha ko siya.  I was surprised kasi nung nakita ko yung tip, parang may hollow area sa gilid nung "weight rods" sa loob nung sticks.  Parang doon nanggaling yung crack.


Yung parang rod sa center ng sticks, yun daw yung para sa "weight balance confirmation"

These sticks are very pricey kaya syempre, tinawag ko sa Sound Essentials.  here's their reply...

"Thank you for the feedback you gave us re: Carbostick.  Our MOA Branch relayed your concern to us. The "hollow" part is due to the weight balance confirmation of the stick.  Our record show that you purchased the sticks last May 1 (abt 2 months ago).  Carbosticks do break and is subject to wear and tear..."

The silver lines have these rods pero sa may hawakan ata ng sticks naka position.  Yung bronze lines sa may tip ata.  Ang hindi maganda dun, because of the weight rods, nagkaroon ng parang hollow part na syempre, mag lead sa crack eventually. 

I have nothing against Sound Essentials, mukang yung Germany counterpart nila ang matagal mag respond. Hanggang ngayon kasi hindi ko pa alam kung pwede nilang i replace yung sticks, I would definitely not choose the bronze anymore.  I want to continue using these sticks kasi, halos 50% ng vibration, nawawala, less risk sa carpal tunnel syndrome!

What's your take on this guys?

[intake]

might as well save up for an Ahead stick bro 
hollow nga yung loob no, talagang masisira kagad yan.

[woodstockintheattic]

Whoa that's really surprising. Might have been a defective pair. I have the 5a silver though (my 1st pair) and its been over a year and still intact. That's sad to hear..

[mondi99060451]

yun nga rin na foresee ko, dapat years to tatagal sakin kasi matipid ako sa wood sticks.  Mukang defective pair nga kaya umaasa ako na mapapalitan siya. 

[rubb3rduck]

Thanks for the info, bro mondi99060451. I've been reading a lot of good feedback about Carbosticks but I'm really skeptical about getting myself a pair kase nga pricey tapos di ko alam kung gano tumatagal.  

Tama yung sabi na "subject to wear and tear" pero in your case hindi yan normal wear and tear lang. Obviously the pair you got is defective, which eventually led to premature wear and tear.

Okay lang sana kung may defect, we can't expect every aspect of production to be perfect pero sana merong some sort of warranty man lang, considering na may kamahalan ang product nila.

Do keep us posted kung mapapalitan pa daw. Ok yun kapag ganun.

[Chopstix]

bro mondi99060451, just wanted to know, how much did you pay for the carbosticks?

[mondi99060451]

1.2+ bro 

[deej]

bro mondi, dapat bibili din ako nyan sana to try it. Kaya lang medyo a number of my friends who are pro-drummers told me not to....madali daw mabali...

pero i don't want to put Carbosticks down, kasi syempre sila trabaho nila ang pag drums...halos everyday sila pumapalo kaya mababalian sila nang sticks sooner or later talaga...lahat naman nang sticks, kahit ano pa man brand nyan are subject to wear and tear...

ang bilis lang talaga nung sayo considering yung way nang gamit mo...

[autoexec]

Sinabi mo din ba yung storya na yan sa kanila? Dapat maintindihan nila na defective yan, palitan nila yan.. 1.2k f*ck, dapat pala nag ahead ka na lang..

[lil.drummerboy]

mag wood na lang kayo mas masarap mas mura pa. dba  madami na din naputluan ng ahead dito ??

[intake]

si Drumster pa lang ang alam ko na naputulan ng Ahead dito.
oo pwede rin yung wood..sa 1.2k ilang lazer sticks din yun oh 

[$trayC@t]

There is always a "LEMON" in every product and it happens even to the best of them it's only Too Bad Sayo  Natapat.

Murphy's Law says > Quote:  "If anything can go wrong, it will."  "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong"; or, "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way".

The above quote is an ironic fact of life. So i guess to sum it all up. It comes down to "After Sales ng Product or how good your relationship is with the seller & their reputation".

It's always a good idea to ask regarding warranty and replacement prior to making a purchase kesa naman sa huli magtatanong pag may problem na.

Ako sometimes i'd rather buy from a store that i know will take good care of me kahit mas malayo or medyo mas mahal konti basta im reassured about warranty issues and the like.

 In regards to your problem talk to the highest person who can make decisions like the Store Manager or maybe even the Store Owner himself. This way "HINDI KA PWEDE PAG PASA-PASAHAN" regarding the "Issue". Always Stay Calm and be Polite in dealing with them but Firm at the same time. Do not get emotional.

Pag d nila na settle for what ever reason unacceptable to you... "Wag kana Bumili Ulit Sa Kanila PERIOD".

[mondi99060451]

I'm waiting for their decision and after this week, I'll give them a wake-up call again.  Thanks for you inputs guys! 

[bizgroove]

I've been using Carbosticks for over 3 years now since I discovered it in London.  Masaya ako with the sticks (18 years na ako na-tugtog ng drums). Maganda tunog, maganda feel, walang fatigue gamitin at matibay siya.  Pag nasa Manila ako, I buy from Sound Essentials kasi medyo mas mura dito sa atin (22Euro per pair yan sa London!, plus tax pa yun). 

Siguro dapat ipakita mo sa kanila yung sticks. Palagay ko mas madali ka matutulungan.  Mahirap naman na puro salita mo lang and they just have to take your word for it. .  Siyempre kailangan din nilang tiyakin na "for real" ang problema mo.  Marami rin kasing nang-gogoyo dito sa atin eh. Nakita ko lang yung picture na pi-nost mo... show the stick to them.  Maayos kausap yung companya na yan. 

Namili ako kanina sa kanila,  advance info... ilalabas na nila dito yung Carbostick 5a and 7a Classic Tip MEDIUM (hickory wood ang feel nito and even weight distribution) Baka mas bagay ito sa iyo. 

Peace !  btw, Mark po pangalan ko.  kung may time po ako bukas, baka matawagan ko sila at banggitin ko na nakita ko yung picture dito.  Good luck po!

[mondi99060451]

I live in San Mateo so I called Sound Essentials muna, they are aware of the stick's condition and they kept a record of my file.  As I said, I have nothing against the SE staff, lalo na yung manager, who's kind enough to text me for details regarding my case.  If these are indeed lemons, I think I have the right to get a replacement.  Too bad the Germany side seems to be the one's who are slowing down the process.   

[migs_23]

hey.. i use carbo sticks too.. is it bronze or silver? i use the bronze5b din.. i thought kasi gold.. mga 8 months na sya sa akin..and until now,, ayos pa.. and no problems at all.. for me it's really good.. i think natapat lang yan sir mondi.. malas lang cguro.. might as well let's not buy this kind of sticks nalang lalo na if hindi nila mapanagutan yung problem na yun..

[mondi99060451]

better buy at safer buy siguro ang silver kasi ang weight rods nya nasa may butt end ng sticks.

[metalmuhlisha]

we really shouldn't generalize about the whole product just because one person got a lemon. it happens. there's no such thing as 100% quality control. there's always that possibility of "the one that got away". yun lang. nakakasira kasi ng pangalan ng product yung ganitong mga title. one defective pair does not make carbosticks (bronze) product 'disappointing'.

ang mas importante dito yung warranty policy ng store at kung papalitan nila at i-acknowledge na defective nga.

[mondi99060451]

Lemons will always be lemons but based on the stractural built of these lines, there's a high percentage of the existence of these so called "hollow portions." Because of the fact that the weight rods are, if I may use the word, strategically placed on the shoulder of the stick, which is the part that absorbs most of the pressure when we play drums, these models would be the ones prone to this kind of damage.  For the record, I'm not bringing down this product.  This post generally aims to warn other drummers that these models may have a tendency to break even under proper use.  If I want to hit on the product or Sound Essentials, and bring them down, I can do better than this, but hey, I didn't! Because I myself am using these products.

[$trayC@t]

Hey mondi maiba tayo konti.... what can you say about the sound the Carbosticks produce regarding rides. I'm kinda partial with nylon tips and had always wanted to try carbosticks as an option since i never liked wooden tips.

Its good they already have them around tagal nadin ako nag hahanap nyan.

Thanks

[mondi99060451]

I'd say a notch or two brighter than nylon tipped sticks.  Cross sticking is the only downside if these sticks.  Overall, you'll sound a bit "clearer" with these sticks.  Just my 2 cents though... Buying a pair or two wont hurt before moving to US Sir Joel! The only place where you get these sticks are from Germany! Baon ka na!!!

[$trayC@t]

  Talaga... Even brighter than Nylon Sticks sa RIDE Cymbals?

Baka naman pangit na yung tone kung sobra brigth. Yung sa cross-sticking naman i don't mind since i don't do alot of those or i can always switch sticks if so needed.

Subukan ko nga yan. Kasi called Sound Essentials  and learned they don't carry any cymbal products  so i'll need to bring my own just to test the feel & response of those sticks. I don't mind bringing my cymbals usually when i get additional ones to sonically match them, kaso in this case ang masama dun eh pati cymbal stand wala sila. Ang bigat na nga ng Rides ko (21"& 22")  to begin with tapos stand pa. Diyos Ko Po !!!

Anyway sana magkaroon din Carbosticks with same material Except with nylon Tips instead. Then i would'nt mind being a total convert. Either way "Thanks" i'll definitely give them a try 

[mondi99060451]

Hey, that'd just me Sir! That's the safest way to audition these babies.  I think a crash can already give you an idea if there is a difference in pitch.  You can use another stick as a stand or bring the holder part of my your straight stand, not the entire stand.  When you get there, remind them about my case...  Maybe they can act faster if other people are aware of it. 

[makLoy]

mag ahead na Lang po kayo sir... 

[$trayC@t]

I think a crash can already give you an idea if there is a difference in pitch. 

  When you get there, remind them about my case...  Maybe they can act faster if other people are aware of it. 

Yes you are right about the crash but then i'm more concerned about the exact ride sound. Strange as it may seem my 22" ride only likes 5A nylon Tips. Not only that it likes to be played in a certain way otherwise it refuses to produce my ideal tone. Just like yung iba naman ride needs wooden tips to lessen their brightness so to speak

I'll ask about their warranty policy, if it is not agreeable to me i'll have to think hard prior to making the actual purchase. Dahil pag ako pinahirapan nila "THEY WILL SURELY HEAR AN  EAR-FULL FROM ME."