Vintage corner: Fibes 3S marching sticks, 1978.

Another find in my quest to regain Sticks I Played In High School.

All you need to know is that they’re beasts. Gigantic. Impossible to hold in my smaller hands for long periods of playing. Capable of denting cheap rims and punching holes through brand new heads. 

And yet, compelling enough that I wanted to find another set. 

A tip nearly as big as my thumb.

Ridiculous.

As you can see, this stick fills my hand. 

And then some.

I’ve been on a roll with sticks lately, thanks to some influence from the guys over at the Boutique and Collectible Drumsticks FB Group. There are multiple ways in which my limited funds could be spent foolishly, were I to go all the way down the rabbit hole. So I’ve had to focus.

I’ve decided that, rather than spend a hundred dollars or m on customs sticks, I’d focus my attention on actual Pad sticks, and occasionally on sticks I once had and would like to obtain again — though most of the latter would now be considered “vintage.”

Just like me.

Vintage Corner: Fibes 2B sticks, late 1970s

I mostly played with CB700 sticks in middle school, and Fibes sticks in high school. (They’re what the local music store had in stock and they were cheaper than the other brands sometimes in stock.) I used the Fibes 2B size mostly for marching band, back when my still-growing hands preferred 5A for jazz and concert work.

Fibes was a short-lived company, founded in 1966 and owned for a time by the Martin Guitar company before being sold in 1970 to Jim Corder (of Corder drums). Fibes branded sticks remained on the market from the late 1970s through the early 1990s before the brand disappeared completely.

Just got these — a pair of “Power” 2B like I used in HS marching band, and a pair of “Band” 2B that the seller added to make a nice package deal.

The “Band” version is just slightly narrower than the “Power” version. Both have the short, stylized taper that evokes an earlier age, moving up into an equally stylized tip. I fear playing with the Power 2B’s because I can actually the slight difference in diameter in my hands and prefer the bigger size for pad work.

So they’ll hang out in my Grab Bag, for now, while the Band model sticks go on the wall.

I’m slightly embarrassed at what they cost, but glad to have them.

A talk with Brian Pettry of RCP Drum Company

I just got off the phone with Brian Pettry of RCP Drum Company, makers of purpose-driven pads for the marching percussion market. He reached out to me so that he could fill in the blanks on some of the questions I’ve had about RCP’s manufacturing and marketing, and let me say up front the guy’s a real mensch (Yiddish for Decent Human Being).

Here’s a summary of our discussion, with everything paraphrased for easier reading:



*****

DL (DrumLove): So how did you get started making practice pads?

BP: I was involved in worship music through our church, and then my son got involved in school band and WGI. During his high school days, we tried to order something from [The Notorious Pad Maker Which Shall Not Be Named]. We and other families were really frustrated by both how long it took to get any response (let alone a pad); and when we did get something from them I found that the quality control was inconsistent, especially for that price point.
I decided that I wanted to design a pad that would be of the highest quality and then back it up with terrific customer service. My son came on board with me and we began making and testing designs.

We spent a couple years in the 2010’s designing and re-designing until we had what we wanted. Along the way we spent a couple hundred grand out-of-pocket in the process from design to startup, and once we had it figured out, RCP was born.
Our goal has remained the same: To get a quality pad into the hands of as many marching drummers as possible, and to provide knowledgable, friendly customer service with every pad we sell.

DL: Tell me about your pad designs. Let’s begin with your Premium Pad.

BP: The Premium pad is made with aluminum base materials of the highest grade — we’re talking the stuff NASA uses, really — the head is an anodized aluminum laminate that is way more durable than a Kevlar overlay. You are going to have a hard time wearing it out through regular practice. Then, with each Premium pad we offer you three different rubber inserts so you can fit the pad more closely to your style of playing. There is NO snare sound in the Premium series, as we wanted to design a pad that would provide immediate feedback about the player’s technique and timing. The feel is crisp and tight, very similar to a high-tension modern marching snare head.

The Snapshot sleeve allows the customer “jazz up” an existing Premium pad by swapping in a rubber base imprinted with custom artwork or a photo and a protective, durable clear laminate. That way, you’re only replacing the playing surface, and not the entire pad. We use a local printing company nearby to do our sublimation for us, and these pads are made materials we source here in the United States.

DL: Why did you decide to add the “Active Snare” to your line? And how do you feel about something in your line that is made on contract overseas?

BP: Well, to be honest, the Active Snare pad was brought on board in direct response to customer demand. The majority of our customer base are marching drummers in the 12-to-18-y/o age range, and they were clamoring for a pad that could provide a simulated snare sound (like the previous UN-mentioned company above), with better turnaround time.
So we worked with Chinese manufacturer Hanflag [makers of the HUN M-12 and U-12 pads, previously reviewed in this blog], and they tweaked their design here and there to meet most of our specs.

[The RCP Active Snare Pad is a slightly modified version of HUN’s M-12 pad. —ed.]

We were pleased to be able to work together, to bring out a pad in a more affordable price point that met our customers’ needs. Because to be honest, just the silicon used in the playing surface of that pad here in the USA would cost more than the actual retail of the entire pad itself!
So many of our customers are students paying-out-of-pocket for a pad; and some school districts are trying to purchase affordable, quality pads in quantity for whole drum lines; there's simply no way to make the Active Snare pad affordably here in the United States.

And we are happy that we can deliver our pads in a timely manner, so that students aren’t waiting a year-plus for a pad that might not show up before they graduate.

We are constantly working to respond to customer feedback, including adding in other colors to the Active Snare pads and also using the feedback to help us improve our product over time. Quality control is a job that’s never completely finished; you’re always striving to do better. Or you should be, anyway.

One other thing: I know that some drum companies will give their pads to reviewers. We don’t do that here. We’re not going to bribe anyone for their opinion. If you want to buy a pad, let me know; or ask a friend to try his out first. But we do this to avoid any concerns about impropriety on our part.

DL: I respect that stance, especially since it goes hand-in-hand with your honesty about how and where your products are made.
I have to tell you that the silicon playing surface of the Active Snare pad is among the nicest I’ve played, very inviting and fun for the hands. And when you bring out a sweatshirt that matches the new green silicon surface, let me know.

(Laughter)

BP: Thanks for listening, and for the work you do in helping people learn more about practice pad design and development.

DL: Thank YOU for talking with me today and for being so forthcoming about your designs and your motivation.

*****

RCP Pads are available for sale through multiple online outlets, but the best place to begin is here:

https://rcpdrum.com/

Brian can help you determine which pad will meet your needs, and answer any questions you may have. So just start there.

Happy drumming!

Product Review: Offworld Percussion's Orbit -- a sustainable, American-made pad.

Offworld Percussion, known for innovative and durable practice pads made right here in the Pacific NW, have something new that I've fallen in love with.

The Orbit pads are part of Offworld's Aurora series, highly portable, and come with your choice of the following features:

-- your choice of black "Darkmatter", red rubber or yellow rubber playing surfaces;

-- your choice of to include snare puck (which attaches magnetically underneath), or not to include one for a plain pad without snare sounds.

The playing surface measures 8" across and comes firmly atached to a wood base with handles on either side. The materials for the pad come from the byproduct of making Offworld's popular Mothership Tenor pad, minimizing waste and warming my little environmentalist heart.

I got the red rubber Orbit-S (Sans snare puck). In place of a cutout for the snare puck, the underside of this pad has nonskid foam rubber that doubles as an occasional warmup surface.
Stacked on top of another pad or set on a tabletop, the pad stays in place pretty darned well.
I think it's more ideal as a travel pad than as a full-service marching practice pad. The rubber surface makes it versatile enough for marching, concert and kit drummers alike, and works well with anything from a 5B, to a 2B, to a smaller marching stick (like the Vater MV-20, my go-to rudimental stick at home). It can be used with a full-size marching stick but you won't get quite the same response or feel as on a full-size marching pad.

Next time I have to go somewhere, my Orbit-S pad will fit easily in the front pocket of my bookbag. And the sustainability factor puts it super-high on my like list.

I ordered mine through Flam7 Percussion. You can also buy it directly from Offworld. 

Just bear in mind that because it's made from manufacturing byproduct you may have to wait as much as two weeks or longer for your Orbit pad. Based on the time I've spent hanging out with it so far, I'm confident you'll find it worth the wait.

**NOTE: This is an unsolicited review. Offworld and Flam7 did not send me a free pad.
I paid the same price anyone else would.
That said, if you are connected to a drum pad manufacturer and would like me to test and review your product, I am happy to do so. Please reach out to me on Facebook Messenger and let's talk.