With a body slightly thicker than a regular Zildjian 5B, the Tony Williams signature may feel surprisingly heavy for anyone expecting a more traditional jazz stick. The stick is hefty in the hand with a little extra weight in the shoulder and a meaty acorn tip. I initially purchased the Williams model to offer a slightly larger alternative to my traditional combo stick, and was very surprised by the overall girth.
I thought the extra weight would rule out the Williams stick as a small group option, but spending a little time with it changed my mind. The broad bead really brings the low, smoky tones out of my favorite ultra-thin ride cymbal, and the extra meat in the shoulder makes articulating fast ride patterns a breeze – thought controlling it did take just a little extra effort. The stick is extremely well-suited to playing with a lot of moeller-type rebound (which I found surprising as I had always heard Williams didn’t really rely on bounces).
On the whole, the Tony Williams signature stick is well-suited for a variety of different playing situations. The stick’s mass makes a great tool for drawing fat, low tones from toms, while its excellent balance helps it find a home in lower volume situations.
Drum Gear Review 