Between a 5A and 5B in the grip. A solid feeling drumstick with an acorn style tip that gives the player outstanding rebound from around the drumkit. A great stick for mid-volume rock music situations. American Hickory dowels have to meet very strict quality characteristics to be made into a Vater drumstick. Vater's Hickory is stress released which is done by slowly raising the temperature at the end of the drying cycle for 8 hours. This relieves the stress in the wood and produces straight sticks that stay straight.