Vic Firth Charlie Benante Signature drumstick review: the Vic Grip stick behind Anthrax's skank beat
Review of the Vic Firth Signature Series Charlie Benante drumstick (SKU: SBEN): hickory, 16-5/8 inch length, .625 inch diameter, textured Vic Grip coating, abrupt taper, modified oval wood tip. Built with the Anthrax and touring Pantera drummer.
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
The Vic Firth Signature Series Charlie Benante (SKU: SBEN) is a hickory drumstick built with the Anthrax drummer: 16-5/8 inches long, .625 inch diameter, a textured black Vic Grip coating embossed with his signature and the Anthrax logo, and an abrupt taper that keeps weight up front. Thicker than a standard 5B (.595 inches), it's built for the hard-hitting skank-beat power Benante helped codify on Among the Living (1987). Benante's own online store also sells a separately branded 'Pantera Signature' version at the same dimensions, tied to his touring role in Pantera's reunion lineup, though it isn't sold on Amazon.
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What it is, in one paragraph
The Vic Firth Signature Series Charlie Benante (SKU: SBEN) is a hickory drumstick built with the Anthrax drummer: 16-5/8 inches long, .625 inch diameter, with a textured black Vic Grip coating for a slip-resistant hold. The taper is abrupt, starting well past the midpoint and ending in a modified oval wood tip, so most of the stick's weight sits up front for stage power while it still holds a usable rebound. Benante has played Vic Firth sticks with Anthrax for decades. His own online store also sells a separately branded "Pantera Signature" version at the same dimensions, tied to his touring role with Pantera's reunion lineup.
Who Charlie Benante is, briefly
Charles Lee Benante, born November 27, 1962, has anchored Anthrax since 1983, helping codify the thrash-metal "skank beat" on Among the Living (1987). Tama Starclassic kit, Paiste cymbals, and this Vic Firth signature stick. Since December 2022 he's also drummed for Pantera's reunion lineup, filling the chair left by the late Vinnie Paul. Full profile at /drummers/charlie-benante.
Spec sheet
Vic Firth SBEN spec
- Wood
- Hickory.
- Length
- 16-5/8 inches (16.625 inches).
- Diameter
- .625 inches, thicker than a standard 5B (.595 inches).
- Grip
- Textured black Vic Grip coating, embossed with Benante's signature and the Anthrax logo.
- Taper
- Abrupt, begins well past the midpoint to keep weight up front.
- Tip
- Wood, modified oval shape, for cymbal and head articulation.
Where it sits among thrash metal's other signature sticks
| Vic Firth Charlie Benante (SBEN) | Ahead Lars Ulrich (LU) | ProMark Dave Lombardo (TX2BXN) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood / core | Hickory | Aluminum alloy tubing | Hickory |
| Length | 16-5/8" | 16.25" | 16-1/8" |
| Diameter | .625" | .595" | .630" |
| Taper | Abrupt, past midpoint | Long | Short |
| Tip | Wood, modified oval | Nylon, replaceable | Nylon, oval |
| Best for | Front-weighted power with a textured grip hold | Fast, sustained hi-hat work with a lighter balance | High-speed double-bass extreme-metal attack |
All three are thrash-metal-era signature sticks, but they solve different problems. The SBEN's abrupt taper front-loads weight for hard-hitting backbeat power, and the textured Vic Grip coating targets a secure hold rather than raw speed. The Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature trades hickory for an aluminum core at a slimmer diameter, built for the fast, sustained hi-hat work Metallica's catalog demands. The ProMark Dave Lombardo Signature is the thickest of the three with a short taper and nylon tip, built for Lombardo's high-speed double-bass extreme-metal attack. Pick the SBEN if a secure grip through a long, sweaty set matters as much as power.
The Vic Firth partnership
Paiste cymbals + Vic Firth sticks · Current
The documented endorsements
Benante has played Vic Firth drumsticks with Anthrax for decades, alongside a Paiste cymbal endorsement (artist since February 1988) and a Tama Starclassic kit. Since December 2022 he's also toured as Pantera's drummer, filling in for the late Vinnie Paul.
Source: Charlie Benante profile; Paiste artist page.
SKU SBEN · Signature Series
The stick itself
16-5/8 inches, .625 inch diameter, hickory, with a textured black Vic Grip coating embossed with Benante's signature and the Anthrax logo. The abrupt taper starts well past the midpoint, keeping weight up front for stage power while still holding a usable rebound.
Source: Charlie Benante Store; Silesia Drum spec sheet.
Store-exclusive variant · Not on Amazon
"Pantera Signature" branded sticks
Benante's own online store also sells a separately branded "Pantera Signature" stick at the identical 16-5/8 inch by .625 inch dimensions, described as the sticks he uses at every show, available signed or unsigned. CYS hasn't independently confirmed whether the graphics are the only difference from the standard SBEN above.
What the stick is built for
- Front-weighted stage power. The abrupt taper past the midpoint concentrates weight toward the tip, matching the hard-hitting skank-beat vocabulary Benante built on Among the Living (1987).
- A grip that holds through a sweaty set. The textured Vic Grip coating targets the same problem other batch sticks solve with ActiveGrip-style coatings: a secure hold as a set gets physically demanding.
- Thrash-metal players who want the documented spec, not a generic rock stick with a name licensed onto it after the fact.
- Not for players chasing a slim, fast-feeling stick. At .625 inches it's thicker than a standard 5B and built for impact over finesse; see the Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature for a lighter alternative.
Verdict and the affiliate hook
If you want the documented stick behind Charlie Benante's Anthrax drumming, the Vic Firth SBEN is it: a thick, front-weighted hickory pair with a textured Vic Grip hold, built for thrash-metal power. For a lighter, aluminum-core alternative from a fellow founding thrash drummer, see the Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature. For a nylon-tipped, short-taper alternative built for extreme-metal speed, see the ProMark Dave Lombardo Signature.
Signature Series - Charlie Benante (SBEN)
Why this one: The documented Vic Firth Signature Series stick built for Charlie Benante: a thick, front-weighted hickory pair with a textured Vic Grip hold, built for Anthrax's thrash-metal power.
Related
Related
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.