5 Best Drum Stick Holders [Buyer's Guide + Reviews]

Posted in Gear | Last Updated on September 25, 2019

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It is a good practice to have a place for everything and to keep everything in its place when you do not require it. If you are a drummer, this is especially true when it comes to your pair of sticks when you are playing a show or jamming in a session. Enter the drumstick holder—the perfect home for them sticks.

Having a stick caddy set up in advance in arms-reach is very helpful if you face an unfortunate incident when your drumstick slips out of your hand or breaks into two while playing. Here we are going to delve into the reviews of the top 5 options that companies are providing for drum stick holders.

Vater VSHM Multi Pair Drum Stick Holder

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Vater is a very old percussion accessory company that started making drumsticks in the year 1956 and later went on to add more additions to its collection in the future.

Vater's VSHM Multi Pair Drum Stick Holder features a clamp-style fastening system that can be adjusted by a tension screw. It can fix onto most round surfaces sturdily. The holder can be adjusted to multiple angles. However, due to the lack of insulation in the holder, they cause unwanted rattling when the sticks move around if there is any vibration present.

It holds about 2 to 4 pairs of drum sticks depending on your stick size.

Vater is a good brand, but the issue of the rattle in this product is personally a deal-breaker for me as I do not want to buy a drumstick holder worth so much, but end up with something that would cause unnecessary noise.

Meinl Percussion MC-DSH Drum stick Holder

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Based in Germany, Meinl, is one of the leading makers of percussion instruments. This company goes a little back when it was founded in 1951. An interesting fact about this company is that it began manufacturing wind instruments and then went on to making cymbals and instruments for drummers.

The Meinl Percussion MC-DSH Drumstick Holder is a combination of chrome-plated steel that has a good finish with a really stable textile pouch. It has a strong mounting clamp that can attach to most round surfaces. This drum stick bag can also hold up to a good 6-10 pairs of sticks. I have friends who are using this product for 5 years now and still say that the drumstick stand holds really well except for some disintegrating issues with the bag.

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages here, and I think that this product is definitely the best out of the entire list.

Donner Drum Stick Holder Nylon Drumstick Bag

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Donner, a fairly new company, was founded in 2012. They are primarily known for developing mini pedals. Backed up with a ton of research, the company strives to develop innovative and high-quality musical instruments. As the days went by they also started making stage equipment and the Donner nylon drum stick bag is one of them.

This product can be quite easily positioned in a variety of convenient spots so that you can have quick access to a change of sticks or brushes while performing. This accessory is pretty handy as the bag is big enough and has ample space for you to accommodate around 6-10 pairs of drumsticks conveniently.

You can fix this stick bag onto a round surface with a heavy-duty clamp which ensures that your bag stays in place. This clamp is reinforced with an aluminum alloy framework that makes the holder light in weight, but this does not mean that the stick holder is weak as it can still withstand the toughest of situations. However, the clamp may only be able to fix onto comparatively small round surfaces such as a cymbal stand. The nylon holder is detachable and can be removed from clamp if you want to do a clean-up every once in a while. I think this product is a fairly good buy.

Vic Firth Percussion Holder (CADDY)

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Vic Firth is a company that started some 60 years ago. They became famous for designing and producing a diversity of options for drumming products such as drumsticks for electronic drums, mallets, and other accessories.

The Vic Firth Percussion Holder is a drumstick caddy. It is one solid tube that can hold up to 2-4 drumsticks close at hand. This again depends on the size of the stick like the other products mentioned before. The size of the holder itself is super compact and will not get in the way of anything. This is a good feature for you if you are a drummer who wants to keep just the bare essentials nearby. The clamp of this holder is designed with a jaw that is very versatile as it can fasten onto any stand or hardware by just clipping it on or off. This means that it does not require much assembly or disassembly. Although the clamp mechanism could be made a little stronger. After you have clamped the holster in place you can tilt it to any angle that you feel is comfortable.

This is definitely one of the better drum stick stands out there from the points we see above. But, if you are someone who would normally use around 4 or more pairs of drumsticks on stage, this may not be the one for you.

String Swing Drum Stick Holder

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String Swing started in 1987 and made display accessories for different musical instruments. The birth of this company, surprisingly enough, was because the founders, Paul Thieman, and Anne Tainter, were subjects to the proverb: "Necessity is the mother of all invention". Paul and Anne were initially the owners of a dairy farm before this all began. Paul, a guitarist, envisioned a product that could display his guitar out of its case so that he could easily grab it whenever needed. This led them to make more products and selling them to the public.

The String Swing Drum Stick Holder is made of steel which is powder-coated in black for a neat, sleek, and minimalistic finish. You can add around 4-6 pairs of drumsticks in this holder. The lightweight construction of the cup, however, makes it very brittle.

The drumstick holder can be clamped easily onto a stand with a simple twist. You can stay assured that the clamp will not damage the stand as it is enforced with a non-skid padding. This padding also ensures that the holder won't spin freely on the stand.

Another thing to note though is that the angle of this drumstick stand cannot be adjusted.

Looking at what the product has to offer I think does not really seem worth it.

Stick bag or the stick holder?

When looking to purchase a stick holder for your drum sticks, you may come across something called a stick bag. The bags that you read about above are different and should not be mistaken with the stick bag.

A stick bag is a portable bag that you can use to pack your drum stick collection. It can also be strapped onto the side of the drum during performances if needed. Due to its ability to have multiple drumsticks in it, it may be a little bulky to have near your instrument.

Meanwhile, your stick holder, the ones that we talked about here, is a relatively smaller product that can only hold for you a spare set of sticks and maybe a couple more. If you are someone who plays various genres of music and is constantly in need of a different set of sticks between gigs or in a particular session then, it would be better if you carry a stick bag with you. Most drummers have both a stick bag and a stick holder.

Convenient clamping places for your stick holder

While it is common for people to mount a stick holder onto any cylindrical posts, there are certain areas that are the best options when it comes to mounting, so that you can have better access to your drum sticks and at the same time not hinder your playing.

Many drummer friends of mine have sworn by these choices: the hi-hat stand and the ride stand. In certain one-off cases, you can also place it on the floor tom's leg, although it requires some modifications to the stick holder's clamp mechanism. Finally, if none of these options suit you, you can have a dedicated stand (something like a kick drum mic stand) just for your sticks, and position it to your convenience.

Materials for stick holders to choose from

Most stick holders come in different materials but mainly in plastic, however there are some fancy ones like light-up sticks. They are also available in some sort of synthetic fabric such as Nylon. Some types also come in steel. The downside of getting a plastic holder is that it may cause some noise during your drumming if not insulated properly. Fabric bags, however, are prone to holes at the base when it is used for a long time. This may cause you to lose one of your sticks by mistake. Steel, although durable, maybe slightly too heavy for some.

Therefore, selecting your drum stick holder purely comes down to what type you prefer based on your needs and the budget available.