A FIRM which made drumsticks for world-famous musicians has been silenced.

William Shaws built up an international reputation.

But now the Cleckheaton firm has gone into liquidation.

And auctioneers are selling off much of the stock and machinery in a bid to settle with creditors.

Legendary rock drummers such as The Beatles' Ringo Starr, Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden, Sean Moore from the Manic Street Preachers, Therapy's Graham Hopkins and Aled Richards of Catatonia were among the firm's many customer.

There were also reports that John Bonham, of Led Zeppelin, was a customer back in the 1970s.

But the family woodturning business - slogan Sticks for Life - which began making skewers for the textile industry almost 140 years ago has now gone into liquidation.

The machines that made them have been sold, along with between 3,000 and 4,000 pairs of drumsticks.

Shaw's was based in in Whitechapel Road, Scholes.

The strength of the dollar, making imports from the US cheaper, is understood to be behind the company's decision to stop trading.

But the company has refused to comment.

The company, established in 1866, began making drumsticks in the early 1960s at the start of the Beatles era.

The firm used the finest American hickory and Canadian maplewood, which was dipped in a specially-formulated wax-based lacquer.

Each stick was printed with the familiar Shaw name and trademark of crossed drumsticks picked out in red.