What are those black sticks we’ve seen Lars play since 1995? Lars Ulrich plays Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature Drumsticks. These drumsticks are made of an aerospace-grade aluminum tubing where the upper half of the stick has a replaceable polyurethane cover and threaded tip.
Ahead Ad from 2012
Less shock and unbreakable
They have an unbreakable nylon tip and the sticks can last up to 6 to 10 times longer than most similar sized wood models, which was a huge thing for Lars back in the day, since —as he mentions— he used to go through, at least, 10 pairs of wooden sticks per gig. That’s a lot of chopped wood!
Also, these sticks have a Built-in Vibration Control System, with 50% less shock and around 10% more rebound than wooden sticks, which given the intensity of Metallica shows and his heavy drumming, it’s a nice treat to his wrists and elbows! And Lars is not getting any younger…
Metallica, live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Photo by Brett Murray, 2024.
As an addition, as shows get hot and sweaty, Lars (or his tech, actually), wraps his sticks with grip tape, so he can play without worrying about his sticks flying out if hands. Actually, he’s been doing that since way back.
Metallica, live at Monsters of Rock, 1988.
Matt Sorum introduced these sticks to Lars
So, how did Lars get around using aluminum sticks? Well, that’s when Matt Sorum (The Cult, Guns n’ Roses, Velvet Revolver) comes into play. Matt is actually who recommended Lars to switch from wooden sticks to aluminum.
Matt Sorum, Guns n Roses days, with his Ahead sticks
Here’s the story on how he switched.
Too bouncy?
I own a pair of Ahead’s 5Bs. To be honest with you, it’s not my first choice, and although I am somewhat of a heavy-hitter, the rebound is just a bit too much for me. But sometimes I do get them out of the bag, and every time I do, I can’t help but play some heavy-hittin’ Metallica or AC/DC.
Have you tried them?
