Vic Firth Modern Jazz Collection -- 4 drumstick review: the stock stick behind Jimmy Chamberlin's cymbal sound
Review of the Vic Firth Modern Jazz Collection -- 4 drumstick (SKU MJC4): maple, 16-3/8 inch length, .595 inch diameter, long taper, barrel wood tip. A shared catalog model, not a personalized signature, that Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin named as his pick in a January 2023 tour-kit interview.
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
The Vic Firth Modern Jazz Collection -- 4 (SKU MJC4) is a maple drumstick, 16-3/8 inches long, .595 inch diameter, with a long taper for extra rebound and a barrel wood tip. It's not a personalized signature stick: Vic Firth built the Modern Jazz Collection with jazz drummers Jeff Ballard, Greg Hutchinson, Joe McCarthy, and Lewis Nash, and sells it as a shared catalog model. Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin named this exact stick in a January 2023 tour-kit interview, praising maple's 'dark cymbal sound from the bead' over hickory's brighter, sometimes 'pingy' attack. At $14.99, it's priced like a standard pair, not a premium signature item.
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What it is, in one paragraph
The Vic Firth Modern Jazz Collection -- 4 (SKU: MJC4) is a maple drumstick, 16-3/8 inches long, .595 inch diameter, with a long taper for extra rebound and a small barrel wood tip built for a focused cymbal sound. It isn't a personalized signature stick. Vic Firth developed the five-model Modern Jazz Collection with jazz drummers Jeff Ballard, Greg Hutchinson, Joe McCarthy, and Lewis Nash, then released the prototypes to the public as a shared catalog line. Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin named this exact stick in a January 2023 tour-kit interview, praising maple's darker cymbal attack over hickory's brighter edge.
Who Jimmy Chamberlin is, briefly
James Joseph Chamberlin, born June 10, 1964, has anchored The Smashing Pumpkins across multiple eras since 1988, bringing a jazz-club background into the band's alt-rock arrangements. In a January 2023 interview breaking down his Smashing Pumpkins touring kit, Chamberlin picked up a pair of these sticks and identified them by name: "These are the Modern Jazz 4, Vic Firth. They're maple. What I love about them is just the dark cymbal sound from the bead, right? That's such a great sound." He described looking for a stick versatile enough to cover both straight-ahead jazz textures and rock-band volume in the same set, and said maple's grain avoids the "annoying kind of pingy sound" he hears from hickory. Full profile at /drummers/jimmy-chamberlin.
Spec sheet
Vic Firth MJC4 spec
- Wood
- Maple, for a lighter feel than hickory at the same diameter.
- Length
- 16-3/8 inches (16.375 inches).
- Diameter
- .595 inches, a 5B-sized shaft.
- Taper
- Long, for a back-heavy feel with more flex and faster rebound.
- Tip
- Wood, barrel shape, for a focused, articulate cymbal sound.
- Family
- Modern Jazz Collection, developed with Jeff Ballard, Greg Hutchinson, Joe McCarthy, and Lewis Nash.
Where it sits next to Vic Firth's Steve Gadd signature stick
| Vic Firth Modern Jazz Collection -- 4 (MJC4) | Vic Firth Steve Gadd Signature (SSG) | |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | Maple | Hickory |
| Length | 16-3/8" | 16-1/4" |
| Diameter | .595" | .565" |
| Taper | Long | Medium |
| Tip | Wood, barrel | Wood, barrel |
| Best for | A lighter feel and a darker, mellower cymbal decay | Hickory's added durability with a centered, medium-taper balance |
Both are Vic Firth wood-tip sticks built for players who cross genre lines rather than stay in one lane. The MJC4 trades hickory for maple, dropping weight and pushing the taper longer for extra rebound and a darker cymbal attack, the quality Chamberlin singled out. The Steve Gadd Signature keeps hickory's durability with a medium taper built for the session canon's all-purpose balance. Pick the MJC4 if a lighter stick and a mellower ride sound matter more than hickory's toughness.
The Vic Firth partnership
Vic Firth artist roster · Current
Chamberlin's Vic Firth relationship
Vic Firth's own site lists Jimmy Chamberlin among its artists. Rather than a personalized signature product, Chamberlin has more recently named this shared catalog model, the Modern Jazz Collection -- 4, as the stick he actually plays, distinct from a promotional stick with his name printed on it that circulated during the Smashing Pumpkins' 2000 European tour.
SKU MJC4 · Modern Jazz Collection
The stick itself
16-3/8 inches, .595 inch diameter, maple, with a long taper and a barrel wood tip. Vic Firth built the five-model Modern Jazz Collection in consultation with drummers Jeff Ballard, Greg Hutchinson, Joe McCarthy, and Lewis Nash before releasing it to the public catalog.
Source: Vic Firth product page; Steve Weiss Music.
January 2023 · Tour-kit interview
Chamberlin naming the stick on camera
Breaking down his Smashing Pumpkins 2022 touring kit on camera, Chamberlin picked up a pair and said: "These are the Modern Jazz 4, Vic Firth. They're maple. What I love about them is just the dark cymbal sound from the bead, right? That's such a great sound."
Source: tour-kit breakdown interview, YouTube (transcript excerpt via Equipboard).
What the stick is built for
- A lighter stick that still holds cymbal definition. Maple weighs less than hickory at the same .595 inch diameter, without losing the barrel tip's focused attack.
- A darker, mellower cymbal decay. The quality Chamberlin called out by name: less of hickory's bright "pingy" edge, more low-mid warmth from the bead.
- Genre-crossing players, not just straight-ahead jazz. Built with jazz drummers, played live by an alt-rock drummer who needed one stick to cover both contexts in the same set.
- Not for players who want hickory's added durability. Maple is a softer wood; players who break sticks often may prefer the Steve Gadd Signature's hickory build instead.
Verdict and the affiliate hook
If you want the documented stick behind Jimmy Chamberlin's cymbal sound, the Vic Firth MJC4 is it: a maple, long-taper, barrel-tip pair named on camera rather than fabricated as a signature product. For hickory's added durability in a similarly versatile wood-tip stick, see the Vic Firth Steve Gadd Signature.
Modern Jazz Collection -- 4 (MJC4)
Why this one: The documented stock Vic Firth stick Jimmy Chamberlin named on camera: lightweight maple, long taper, barrel wood tip for a darker cymbal sound.
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.