It's hard to believe that, in this age of huge drumstick manufacturers, there was a time when drummers usually bought their drumsticks from Drum companies---in most cases, from the same company that manufactured their drum kit. The selection was limited and quality was questionable. But all the companies produced sticks that bore the name of their endorsers. The pictured stick is the Slingerland Louie Bellson model drumstick. It has a nylon tip and is about the size of a standard 5A. Most of the companies had 5A models, in addition to 2A's, 3A's, 8A's, 9A's,and 11A's. But the similarity stopped there. A Rogers 3A was slightly different from a Ludwig 3A which was different from a Gretsch 3A. Plus, every so often, the company would change the size of the stick or would drop it entirely. Thus, it became quite maddening when you became use to a stick and it would suddenly disappear.
With the emergence of Regal Tip and Pro Mark, the drumstick landscape began to change drastically. Options were plentiful. Different woods beside hickory were selected and tried. Drummers now had the opportunity to endorse drumsticks separately from other equipment. And new companies like Vic Firth, Vater, Los Cabos, Silverfox, and even Zildjian cymbals entered the marketplace.
Today a few Drum companies still offer sticks, but, for the most part, they've left the field to the stick manufacturers. Happily, the times have never been better for drummers. The options are endless. There are simply hundreds of styles to choose from...for any application
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