Mason Dixon Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 As was posed to Michael Jordan by Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon so many years ago..."You sure it's not the shoes (sticks)?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Lines use IP for the same reason they use Pro-Mark...they give them a ton of stuff for completely FREE. Vic actually make you pay for their product! can you imagine? That's certainly not the only reason that lines us IP. For some instructors, it's because their sticks/mallets are second to none. They're durable, sound amazing, and feel great for the players. For other instructors, they use IP because their customer service is top notch. Meeting with the IP guys at NAMM, or via correspondence has been a joy, and they are very open to advice on product development, as well as helpful with orders and questions. To simply write off IP sticks/mallets in use by the top lines in DCI just because "they get them for free" is absurd, and it's a shame to imply that's the ONLY reason people use IP's high quality gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSnareline Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Hey they are obviously doing something right - free or not! If their product was crap nobody would use them. They had to come into the business fighting against two giants - Vic Firth and Pro-Mark. Vic being the best over the years. I have never touched any of their sticks. I only play my kit these days and I must admit I prefer Pro Mark American Hickory sticks for drum set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadetsnare Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Our snare tech in '92 (Cadetsnare on DCP) used to do some funny shizzle. We'd complain about various things if/when we got new sticks about how it was affecting our playing. He'd grab the sticks out of our hands and proceed to rip out a bunch of notes on our drum. Then he'd hand the sticks back to us and say..."It's not the sticks." Ah....the good old days...back when men were men, sheep were scared, and you could still give 'em a good beat-down without having their moms on speed-dial! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TchMuzk Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 If that's the case, then I feel cheated. I am an IP endorsed artist, and although I do get an excellent discount, I have to pay for all my sticks and mallets. The same went for the IP endorsed corps I used to teach. Lines use IP for the same reason they use Pro-Mark...they give them a ton of stuff for completely FREE. Vic actually make you pay for their product! can you imagine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbass598 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 If that's the case, then I feel cheated. I am an IP endorsed artist, and although I do get an excellent discount, I have to pay for all my sticks and mallets. The same went for the IP endorsed corps I used to teach. I don't get everything for free but at a very good discount as well. I know my indoor line all get stuff very cheap from IP also. IP is always their to replace anything I needed if something broke. I know I emailed them when a pair of FS550 xylophone mallets broke after less than a week of use in my high school group. (the head of it cracked in half) They overnighted a new pair to me before I was even able to read their email response to me. They've also been right there at WGI regionals to provide us anything we need if we want to try something new or just to replace something that is broken. I love their product and I love the service the provide to their customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarimbaManiac Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 (edited) IP Keyboard mallets are the best out there. While I like the feel of some of the VF Mallets, their quality is so inconsistent, and unless you are part of the elite group that gets their "A" stock (Cadets/SCV/etc.) you run the risk of getting stuck with brittle birch shafts, poor wrap jobs, and general inconsistencies in tone from mallet to mallet. My IP experiences however have been completely positive. Even when mallets do unravel (a common problem with the Jim Casella Series Marimba Mallets) they will rewrap them for you! Their customer service is amazing, and their mallets are consistently excellent. Example...get a lot of VF multi-app mallets, and a lot of IP Casellas/field series mallets and look at their birch shafts. Some VF shafts are high grain, darker birch and are super durable, while some are nearly white, and break or split quickly. The lot of IP mallets will have a consistent dark high grain birch. In an 8 month season I broke 10+ VF birch shafts , while I never broken a single IP birch shaft in the 4 seasons I used them. Edited August 18, 2008 by MarimbaManiac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I love their product and I love the service they provide to their customers. Completely agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR_ducky Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Hey they are obviously doing something right - free or not! If their product was crap nobody would use them. They had to come into the business fighting against two giants - Vic Firth and Pro-Mark. Vic being the best over the years. I have never touched any of their sticks. I only play my kit these days and I must admit I prefer Pro Mark American Hickory sticks for drum set. I have known Eric Johnson (who I believe started or was a partner in starting IP) for more than 15 years and he has always been psycho about quality. I would recommend their products based on nothing more than knowing him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsOnTheField Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 How much do you think winning or top lines in drum corps influence purchases in marching bands? If the percussion director at any school is any good, it wouldnt matter what these corps are using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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