Mike Mangini Wicked Piston. Designed with direction from the artists themselves, the Player’s Design models are derived from each artist’s unique and individual style. Mike Mangini’s new unique design starts out at .580 in the grip and increases slightly towards the middle of the stick until it reaches .620 and then tapers back down to an acorn tip. Mike’s reason for this design is so that the stick has a slightly added front weight for a solid, consistent throw and transient sound. With the extra length, you can adjust how much front weight you’re implementing by slightly moving your fulcrum point up or down on the stick. You’ll also get a fat sounding rimshot crack from the added front weighted taper. Hickory.