Pro-Mark
Pro-Mark is a Houston, Texas-based American drumstick company owned by founder Herb Brochstein. It is a widely known stick company generally played in drum set, drum and bugle corps and concert bands.
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[edit] History
Pro-Mark was founded in 1957 by percussion instructor and shop owner Herb Brochstein in Houston, Texas. It is the first company to introduce Japanese Shira Kashi white oak into the American market, and the only company to successfully market oak sticks in the United States.[1] The wood provided for Pro-Mark is supplied by Japanese trader Tatsuo Kosaka. In recent years Pro-Mark has gone with the grind of environmentalism and now uses non-endangered wood and a "green" finishing process to make their sticks and manufacturing processes safer to the player and the environment.[2]
In 1985 pro-Mark pattented a rute for drum kit use, introducing it as the Hot Rod. Several similar models followed, both from them and other manufacturers.
[edit] Notable products
Pro-Mark, like any other stick manufacturer, thrives off of endorsements and signature products from notable players. Such products as System Blues by the Blue Devils for field marching, and the Todd Suchermans (Styx) and Ringo Starr (The Beatles) for stage playing. Other autographed models are by Scott Johnson, Benny Greb, Chris Adler, Marco Minnemann, Dennis DeLucia, Jason Bonham, Dom Howard, Joey Jordison, Carter Beauford (but he moved to Vic Firth in 2011), Bill Bruford, Jason Bittner, Charlie Adams, Jim Rupp, Neil Peart, etc.
[edit] Endorsers
- Neil Peart
- Jordan "Joe Fish" Ailshie
- Chris Adler
- Jarrod Alexander
- Paulo Baldi
- Frank Beard
- Rich Beddoe
- James Sullivan
- Jason Bittner
- Teddy Campbell
- Peter Criss
- Abe Cunningham
- Dave Lombardo
- Mark Fantom
- Aaron Gillespie
- Billy Gladstone
- Matt Halpern
- Dominic Howard
- Luke Anthony Johnson
- Scott Johnson
- Joey Jordison
- Ray Luzier
- Mike Portnoy
- Ringo Starr
- Mideo Octavio
