Zildjian Taylor Hawkins Artist Series drumstick review: a 5B powered up front for Foo Fighters-style rock
Review of the Zildjian Taylor Hawkins Artist Series drumstick (SKU ZASTH): hickory, 15.87 inch length, 0.600 inch diameter, short taper, large round wood tip. Designed with the late Foo Fighters drummer for extra weight and throw.
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
The Zildjian Taylor Hawkins Artist Series drumstick (SKU ZASTH) is a hickory stick designed with the late Foo Fighters drummer, part of Zildjian's Artist Series line. 15.87 inch length, 0.600 inch diameter, short taper, large round wood tip. Built as a powered-up 5B: extra weight and throw up front, a bold rock sound with an easy-projecting thicker diameter. Balanced enough for any style, built for the hard-hitting modern rock Hawkins played.
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What it is, in one paragraph
The Zildjian Taylor Hawkins Artist Series drumstick (SKU ZASTH) is a hickory stick designed with the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, part of Zildjian's Artist Series signature line. 15.87 inches long, 0.600 inch diameter, short taper, large round wood tip, cut from U.S. Select Hickory. Zildjian's own description calls it a 5B-style stick powered up front, with extra weight and throw over a stock 5B and a thicker diameter that projects easily. It's built for rock, but Zildjian markets it as well-balanced enough for any style.
Who Taylor Hawkins was, briefly
Taylor Hawkins (born Oliver Taylor Hawkins, February 17, 1972; died March 25, 2022) drummed in Foo Fighters from 1997 through his death, across the band's commercial peak from There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) through Medicine at Midnight (2021). Gretsch kit, Zildjian cymbals, and this signature drumstick, plus lead vocals on multiple Foo Fighters songs including "Cold Day in the Sun." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Foo Fighters (2021). Full profile at /drummers/taylor-hawkins.
Spec sheet
Zildjian Taylor Hawkins ZASTH spec
- Wood
- U.S. Select Hickory.
- Length
- 15.87 inches (40.32cm).
- Diameter
- 0.600 inches (1.52cm), thicker than a stock 5B.
- Taper
- Short: more shaft weight stays up front instead of tapering away early.
- Tip
- Wood, large round shape, for a bold, easily-projecting tone.
- Model
- ZASTH, Zildjian Artist Series.
Where it sits next to Dave Grohl's signature stick
| Zildjian Taylor Hawkins (ZASTH) | Zildjian Dave Grohl (ZASDG) | |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | U.S. Select Hickory | U.S. Select Hickory |
| Length | 15.87" | 16-3/4" |
| Diameter | 0.600" | 0.600" |
| Tip | Wood, large round | Wood, acorn |
| Best for | Front-loaded weight off a shorter taper, bold projection | Maximum reach and a full acorn-tip cymbal voice |
Two Foo Fighters, two Zildjian Artist Series signature sticks, same 0.600 inch diameter, different builds. Dave Grohl's ZASDG runs almost an inch longer with an acorn tip, extra reach and a fuller cymbal voice for his stadium-rock backbeats. Hawkins's ZASTH is shorter with a short taper instead, which keeps the same diameter's weight closer to the tip for a stick that feels powered up front rather than out in length. Neither is better, they're built for different hands on the same stage.
The Zildjian partnership
Cymbals and sticks · Long-documented Zildjian artist
The full endorsement
Hawkins played Zildjian cymbals across his Foo Fighters career alongside a Gretsch drum kit. The Taylor Hawkins Artist Series drumstick is the signature-stick half of that same Zildjian relationship, built to his own spec rather than a generic rock stick with his name licensed onto it.
Source: Taylor Hawkins profile; Zildjian's own product page.
SKU ZASTH · $14.99 list price
The Artist Series stick
Zildjian's own copy calls it the drive behind the Foo Fighters, a 5B-style stick powered up front with extra weight and throw. Still sold today as his signature model.
What the stick is built for
- Loud, full-band rock. The 0.600 inch diameter and large round tip are built to cut through a loud guitar-and-bass mix, exactly the context Hawkins played in behind Foo Fighters.
- Front-loaded power over reach. The short taper keeps mass near the tip instead of tapering it away, so the stick hits harder without extra overall length or weight.
- Foo Fighters fans who want the documented spec. A working signature product built with Hawkins directly, not a generic rock stick with his name licensed onto it after the fact.
- Not for finger-control or brushwork players. A thick-diameter, front-heavy rock stick isn't built for jazz comping or quiet ghost-note work; a 7A or 5A suits that playing better.
Verdict and the affiliate hook
If you want the documented stick behind Taylor Hawkins's Foo Fighters drumming, the Zildjian ZASTH is it: a 5B-style hickory pair with a short taper and a large round tip, built for weight up front and a bold, projecting rock tone. Priced like a standard Artist Series stick, not a collector's item, so playing the same spec as one of modern rock's defining drummers costs the same as any other pair.
Taylor Hawkins Artist Series Drumsticks (ZASTH)
Why this one: The documented Zildjian Artist Series signature built with Taylor Hawkins: a powered-up 5B with a short taper and large round tip for bold, easy-projecting rock tone.
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.