Lol

"When you play like a man, rims crack."

Classic. And the Cadets did use the Hybrids in 2007. Taping the stick definitely helps the life of your rims and sticks.

i was saying it makes them uglier because our line is lazy and doesn't like to retape and so tape becomes frayed and ugly. Based on this i guess i will tape my sticks though. I mean i never really thought about the impact on the rim, i just figured it was metal and last longer than any stick of mine.

Oh, well if they don't tape the sticks again once they become frayed, then that isn't ideal. Because the tape will peel and expose the stick. Just take the old tape off and put some new tape on.

very true, i had a rim on one of my schools drums i use crack this year.

but anyway...tape will definatly pro-long stick life, and i personally think will offer a clenaer look if the whole line uses fresh white tape for each show

Cadets did use the MT1A-s as well as the Hybrids and snare sticks.

Insomniac hit it on his first post. You tape Metal shafted mallets for the same reasons. It extends the life (stick/mallet and rim), adds some weight, and appearance. Just because the shafts are metal does not mean they are more durable. just more consistent. I had better luck with wooden shafted mallets then metal.

I have seen many different ways of taping sticks. but my favorite is the overlapping method.

either way its a good thing. And when Cadets tape the hybrids they tape from tip to handle.

Is the "Overlapping method" Like "double taping"? Where ideally the stick is covered by two layers of tape?

I think that is the method he is referring to.

overlapping means exactly what it sounds like. with every revolution around the stick, the tape overlaps the spiral above it by a little bit. i hope this makes sense.

I didn't overlap, and my tape was destroyed by the end of the 4th of July parade.

Tape definitely helps preserve the stick, and I think it makes the stick cooler if you can do a good job at it. What we do at my school is that we tape one pair of sticks for stand tunes and cadences, and have a pair of untaped sticks for the show