Jersey Surf pad: update

SO I got one of those cool little practice pads that were produced and are being sold by the Jersey Surf Drum & Bugle Corps. I promised to share an update on how I was getting on with it.

I've had it for a few weeks now, and here's what I can tell you.

First, it's a great little pad for taking anywhere with you. I've kept it in my messenger bag pretty much all the time, and when I have a long bus ride across town or I'm waiting for a friend at an outdoor cafe. Sometimes I'll be on a bike ride somwwhere, running ahead of schedule, and I'll pull over and sit on a step and chop out for a couple of minutes.

The two surfaces are both pretty hard. The "logo" side was made from a repurposed mouse pad, so there's not a lot of padding underneath and when you play a roll on this you are definitely feeling and hearing the wood underneath.
The other side is a slightly thinner version of the black rubber compound found on the "hard" side of RealFeel's two-sided practice pad (which I also own and use a lot), and it's a little softer than the logo side. Still the difference between the two surfaces is noticeable enough for both sides to be useful.

Here's a video of me playing the black side of the pad, a little bit of a Spree:

 

I would say that if you want to play on a surface this hard, it's probably not a bad idea to warm up on a softer pad first (like the grey side of a RealFeel). Warming up on this little pad could be kind of hard on your hands. That said, I like this pad enough that I'm going to take it on tour next time. It's a little louder than most travel pads, but I don't think that's a big deal; I'll just play somewhere out of earshot if it bugs someone.

Overall I am happy enough with this pad that I may spring for another one. Then I can invite someone to jam with me on tour without having to lug two heavy pads.

These are available at the Jersey Surf website, while supplies last.

 

Next time: A closer look at some vintagey WeatherKing goodness.