Peter Maybury

“I buy a pair of Bill Bruford’s drumsticks, mostly because I find it so peculiar that you can. Typically a drummer’s sticks might be launched from the stage into the audience at the end of a show, or handed personally to a persistent fan. I bought mine for $25.
They arrive, his signature Bill Bruford Pro-mark sticks, made from American maple with barrel-shaped wood tips. A cross between a 2B and a 5B, of 0.531” diameter and 15 7/8” length, and tapered for extra-fast rebound. They are autographed in ink beside the printed signature. Signs of light use – dents along the shafts and at the base (they’ve been played held upside-down too), and a couple of minor cymbal bites, but the surfaces remain unbroken. It would be difficult to discern which was used for left or right hand, or indeed if they were a pair.
Which makes me wonder, did he even play them, or could someone have broken them in to add value? Now assuming they are genuine, what IS their value? What do I possess? And what should I do with them?
Were they used for practice, during a performance, or on a recording, even one that I might own a copy of? Do I hold an artifact from some sonic event that otherwise resides only in the memory of others?
Perhaps I should just use them. They’re nice sticks, and close to the size and weight I prefer. Would they bring me some of the magic?”