HedRod Effect Tippers

NEW---NEW---NEW!

HedRods are available only via: Rolf Wagels

Hot rod tippers are composed of several rods and have become very popular because of the powerful sound they can produce. This type of stick has been used for decades by kit drummers, and it didn't take long before it found its place in the world of bodhrán playing.

And so it is with great pride that we present our newly developed hot rod bodhrán tipper: the HedRod!

What’s the difference between the HedRod and other models?

Starting from scratch, we have questioned and optimised every single de-tail of construction and have emerged with a variety of tippers that pro-vide the player with different sound variations but have the same struc-ture. Therefore, all HedRods have a similar feel, and the changing from one to another requires less effort yet achieves a totally different sound. It is a product which is suitable for all common playing styles and grips without limitations.

The name says it all

The model name works as follows: HR refers to HedRod, the subsequent digit refers to the diameter of the rods in millimeters, and the final designation refers to the shape of the head, a critical detail to the desired sound.

The length of the HedRods is approximately 24.5 cm. Special designs are available!

 
Cut and dismantled: A HedRod's inner workings

The handle is a new development
In order to facilitate every playing/grip style, we wanted to create a grip which offers controlled handling without limiting the player to a certain playing technique, no matter if it is held in the middle, at 2/3 of its length or close to the end.
We achieved this with our Precision Control Grip: It consists of a thin net underneath a special heat-shrink tube, which provides comfortable support and is unobtrusive and nonrestrictive. Two adjustable rubber rings on the handle can be positioned individually to serve either as a quick positioning of the handle point, or as a grip area boundary.
The position and length of the grip area is deliberate and was found "just right" in terms of playability, sound and comfort. This area is also glued so that the rods can never slip or change position. Because only the attack sound, rather than the typical hot rod sound, is heard when playing double-ended triplets using the upper end of the tipper, we decided that the HedRod should be unidirectional. Therefore, the upper end of the tipper is solidly constructed with respect to the attack sound.

The basic materials we use for all models are hand-selected beech rods of different diameters as well as top-quality bamboo sticks. Each beech stick is individually oiled and waxed. The bamboo sticks are left natural.

The arrangement of the rods depends on the model and is either parallel to the axis of the tipper or slightly twisted in order to achieve a different click behaviour.

3-O-Ring Adjustment
Compared to other hot rods, the HedRods have an additional rubber ring. This provides much more flexibility in the adjust-ment of the handling and has a direct influence on the sound.

What exactly can be adjusted using these rings?

Hot rods provide the ability to change the subjective perception of material behaviour during play. A hot rod always feels a little "softer" than a tipper made of solid wood. This property can be changed within a surprisingly large range:

The front ring: this is used to set the "click behaviour" of the rods. The farther forward it sits, the less the rods move during impact, the typical clicking noise decreases. Of course it then follows that the click sound increases the further you move the ring towards the handle, because the rods have more freedom to move. Depending on the design of the rods, a sound similar to that produced by jazz brushes can be achieved.

The two rear rings: By adjusting those two rings, you can determine how solid the HedRod feels. For example, if the front ring is at the very end of the HedRod, and the two rear rings are close to the handle, a very clear attack close to that of a solid tipper will be the result. It will, however, still have the softer feel of a hot rod. The reason for this is that the rods can move considerably between the foremost O-ring and the top of the handle. This causes energy to be dampened, and you will feel less attack response. At the same time, less ‘unsprung mass’ hits the drum head and a lower bass volume is the result.

Compared to other hot rod models on the market, this additional rubber ring provides the ability to achieve a feeling that almost equals that of a solid wood tipper, because it is possible to make the full length of the HedRod almost completely immobile.