Vater Mike Mangini's Wicked Piston drumstick review: the reverse-swell stick behind a World's Fastest Drummer
Review of the Vater Mike Mangini's Wicked Piston drumstick (SKU VHMMWP): American hickory, 16-3/4 inch length, a diameter that swells from .58 to .62 inch before an acorn wood tip. Built with the former Dream Theater drummer.
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
The Vater Mike Mangini's Wicked Piston (SKU VHMMWP) is a hickory drumstick built with the former Dream Theater and current Godsmack drummer: 16-3/4 inches long, with a diameter that swells from .58 inch at the grip to .62 inch at the midpoint before tapering to an acorn wood tip. That reverse taper front-loads weight for a heavier, more consistent throw, useful for Mangini's high-speed technical vocabulary. Introduced at NAMM 2016, still sold today.
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What it is, in one paragraph
The Vater Mike Mangini's Wicked Piston (SKU VHMMWP) is a hickory drumstick built with Mike Mangini: 16-3/4 inches long, with a diameter that starts at .58 inch at the grip and swells to .62 inch around the midpoint before narrowing to an acorn-shaped wood tip. That reverse taper, thicker in the middle rather than at the front, front-loads weight for a heavier, more consistent hit, and the extra length lets you shift your fulcrum point to change how much of that weight you feel. Vater signed Mangini as an artist in December 2015 and launched the stick at the January 2016 NAMM show; it is still part of Vater's current lineup.
Who Mike Mangini is, briefly
Michael Mangini, born April 18, 1963, drummed in Dream Theater from 2010, after winning a public audition documented in "The Spirit Carries On," through 2023, when Mike Portnoy returned to the band. He holds multiple World's Fastest Drummer titles from the early 2000s and spent years teaching at Berklee College of Music. His Dream Theater work includes a 2022 Grammy win for Best Metal Performance ("The Alien"), among four career nominations. As of June 2026, Mangini is touring as Godsmack's live drummer, brought in on short notice after the band's prior touring drummer left to fill in with another act. Zildjian cymbals, Pearl drums, and this Vater signature stick. Full profile at /drummers/mike-mangini.
Spec sheet
Vater VHMMWP spec
- Wood
- American hickory.
- Length
- 16-3/4 inches, approximately 425mm, longer than a standard 5A or 5B.
- Diameter
- .58 inch at the grip, swelling to .62 inch around the midpoint.
- Taper
- Reverse swell: thickens toward the middle before narrowing to the tip, the opposite of a standard taper.
- Tip
- Wood, acorn shape.
- Weight
- Approximately 64g per stick, per Thomann's listed spec.
Where it sits among technical drummers' signature sticks
| Vater Mike Mangini's Wicked Piston (VHMMWP) | Pro-Mark Mike Portnoy 420X ActiveGrip | Vic Firth Vinnie Colaiuta Signature (SVC) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | American hickory | American hickory | Hickory |
| Length | 16-3/4" | 16-1/4" | 16" |
| Diameter | .58" swelling to .62" | .565" | .595" constant |
| Taper | Reverse swell (thickest at midpoint) | Long, standard front-to-back | Long, standard front-to-back |
| Tip | Wood, acorn | Wood, oval | Wood, blunt teardrop |
| Best for | Front-loaded power on high-speed technical patterns | Sweat-resistant grip across a long, hard-hitting set | A steady 5B-weight, constant feel for session-level precision |
All three are hickory sticks built for technically demanding drumming, but they solve different problems. The Wicked Piston's reverse-swell taper is the most unusual shape of the three, adding mass toward the middle rather than the front or back. Mike Portnoy's 420X ActiveGrip, the stick played by the drummer Mangini replaced in Dream Theater, uses a standard long taper with a heat-activated grip coating instead. Vinnie Colaiuta's Vic Firth signature holds a constant 5B diameter (.595 inch) over a long taper. Pick the Wicked Piston if front-loaded power on fast, dense patterns matters more than a familiar taper shape.
The Vater partnership
Vater artist since December 2015 · NAMM 2016 launch
The documented partnership
Vater announced Mangini as a drumstick artist in December 2015 after he spent time at the company's factory developing the design. Mangini described the result himself: "It's not your ordinary stick. It is balanced, it is powerful. It is the Wicked Piston." The stick launched at the January 2016 NAMM show and remains part of Vater's current catalog.
Source: Blabbermouth.net.
SKU VHMMWP · Signature stick
The stick itself
16-3/4 inches long, American hickory, with a diameter that swells from .58 inch at the grip to .62 inch around the midpoint before narrowing to an acorn-shaped wood tip. The reverse taper front-loads weight for a heavier, more consistent hit, and the extra length lets you shift your fulcrum point to change how much of that weight you feel.
Source: Sweetwater; Thomann spec sheet.
Now touring · Godsmack, 2026
Where Mangini plays it today
In June 2026, Godsmack recruited Mangini for their US tour after the band's prior touring drummer, Wade Murff, left to fill in with Black Veil Brides. Mangini played his first Godsmack show on June 12, 2026, thanking "my gear companies" on Instagram for pulling the setup together with no rehearsal.
Source: Theprp.com.
What the stick is built for
- Front-loaded power on fast, technical patterns. The reverse-swell taper concentrates mass toward the middle of the stick, matching the high-speed, double-bass-driven vocabulary behind Mangini's World's Fastest Drummer records.
- Adjustable feel via fulcrum position. The extra length over a standard 5A or 5B means you can shift your grip point up or down the shaft to dial in how much front weight you feel.
- Technical and progressive drummers who want the documented spec, not a generic rock stick with a name printed on afterward.
- Not for players chasing a constant, no-swell taper. See the Vic Firth Vinnie Colaiuta Signature for a steady .595 inch (5B) diameter instead.
Verdict and the affiliate hook
If you want the documented stick behind Mike Mangini's technical, high-speed drumming, the Wicked Piston is it: a long, hickory pair with an unusual reverse-swell taper that front-loads weight for a heavier, more consistent hit. For a sweat-resistant grip alternative from the drummer Mangini replaced in Dream Theater, see the Pro-Mark Mike Portnoy 420X ActiveGrip. For a constant-taper alternative built for session-level precision, see the Vic Firth Vinnie Colaiuta Signature.
Mike Mangini's Wicked Piston (VHMMWP)
Why this one: The documented Vater signature stick built with Mike Mangini: a long, hickory pair with a reverse-swell taper that front-loads weight for a heavier, more consistent hit.
Related
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Drummers documented using this drumstick
Each drummer profile cites this product in their stick / head / cymbal / kit frontmatter. Click through for the full editorial profile + sourcing.