Precision engineered. Stage tested. Zero compromise.
1969 · Where it started
A lathe built from a washing machine
Pellwood was forged in a workshop, not a boardroom. In 1969, a teenage Ivan Pelíšek learned to turn drumsticks by hand under a percussionist from the Prague Symphony Orchestra. No factory, no shortcuts — just a lathe he built himself from a salvaged washing machine engine.
Ivan Pelíšek, founder
1990 · Pellwood is born
From the Iron Curtain to the world stage
By 1990, with Czechoslovakia freshly out from behind the Iron Curtain, Ivan turned that obsession into a company. Pellwood sticks were already good enough for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra — now they were going further. Post-Velvet Revolution, Ivan pushed Pellwood onto the world stage, building a catalogue that now spans 33+ models exported to 29+ countries.
The workshop in Čestice, Czech Republic
- 1969Ivan Pelíšek starts making drumsticks by hand.
- 1990Pellwood is founded.
- 15 modelsThe first range of hornbeam and hickory sticks goes into production.
- WorldwidePellwood starts exporting to drummers around the globe.
- 2017Vojtěch Pelíšek takes over the family business.
- TodayPellwood continues to grow — from tree to stick.
2017 · The next generation
Same workshop. Bigger stage.
In 2017, his son Vojtěch Pelíšek took the reins as Owner and President — carrying the same obsession with balance, feel, and consistency into a new era, built for touring drummers who can't afford to compromise on a single stick.
Here in the UK, Darren Noden looks after Pellwood drummers personally, and has been out to the workshop in Čestice to see the sticks being made.
Darren Noden at the workshop in Čestice