Uh oh! It’s that time again, ya’ll – another Stick of the Week is upon us. Celebrate. This week’s spotlight model comes to us via Swiss stick maker, Agner. After stumbling onto these puppies at the NAMM show, I couldn’t resist the urge to bring a few pairs home. Just too flashy. Let’s break it down.

Agner Go 4 Blood Signature

Material: Hickory

Length: 15.75”

Width: .547”

Tip: Elongated Gumdrop (right?)

Price: $13.50

Serving as the signature stick for wunderkind gospel/hip-hop/pop drummer, George “Spanky” McCurdy, the Go 4 Bloods pack some major visual punch. Currently occupying the throne behind Lady Gaga’s live band, McCurdy was in the market for something matched the visual intensity of the singer’s stage show. The Go 4 Blood version of his signature model certainly does the trick, offering two ultra-intense color choices for drummers in search of some extra pop.

Available in a rich, arterial red and a killer highlighter yellow (pictures don’t do it justice – it really looks like a highlighter), these black light-active sticks simply look awesome. I’ll be honest, I normally dislike stuff like this, but I really, really enjoyed the eye-catching appeal of the McCurdy model.

Alright, that’s waaay too much focus on appearances. Let’s discuss the feel of Spanky’s sigs.

At 15.75”, the McCurdy’s are just a hair shorter than I’d prefer. If these had a little extra length, I think they’d play a little more evenly. As they are now, the short, fat taper adds too much front end weight for my liking, and made me choke up higher on the handle than I normally would. Now, that’s obviously a super personal assessment; I know there are a lot of players who would really appreciate that feel, so if you normally grip the stick closer to the middle of the shaft, these might be perfect for you.

One thing I really liked about the Go 4 Bloods was the unique tip shape. The long, rounded cone offers a broad impact area to help pull big, fat sound from toms and snares. That tip, plus the aforementioned top weight create a bit too much clang on thin ride cymbals for my taste, but they’re excellent on hats, crashes and heavier cymbals.

Wrap Up

Simply put, Agner’s George McCurdy signature sticks are worth checking out. I’m going to use these sticks on a gig tonight, so I’m definitely enjoying them enough to bring them out into the real world, but I would prefer another quarter inch of length to help improve the feel and balance (again, just for my playing style). Overall, I think McCurdy’s Go 4 Blood signature stick uses a really exciting and unique design (taper and tip shape) to help produce a very specific and modern sound. Plus, they look great with just about anything (use your own judgment).