Founded in 1963 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the company bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of drumsticks and mallets, which were and are made in Newport, Maine, through 2012 and 2020. In 2010, the company merged with Avedis Zildjian Company; officials said at the time that the companies would continue to run independently. The company began when Firth, who had been performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 12 years, was asked to perform pieces that he felt required a higher-quality drumstick than those that were currently being manufactured. Firth decided to design a set of his own sticks.