Future Vintage? Hot Sticks “Bully” marching sticks, circa 1980-84

Once upon a time, there was a company called Hot Sticks. Founded in Mississippi in 1979, their painted drum sticks made a splash among younger drummers through the early 1990s. Then business fell off, and the company closed for awhile in 2018. They resurfaced in 2022, and now offer painted and imprinted drum sticks, pens and baseball bats.

I remember these showing up in my high school band room around my junior year. A couple of freshman drummers had bought them at our local music store. They were purple and red and they didn’t really impress me. By then, though, I’d been introduced to much better sticks and I guess that made me something of a drum snob. To be fair, no one in my college or professional ensembles used them, so I felt somewhat vindicated. 

I was never able to determine if the company ever made its own drum sticks. I suspect that they probably did not. It was too easy, even back then, to job out the drum sticks from another maker and paint and imprint them in-house.

For a few years Hot Sticks followed the new marching percussion craze and tried to make their entry into the market with the Bully sticks. They were painted white (to avoid having to tape them) and were meant to compete with Promark and other companies.

The sticks were not anything special, even for the time. CB700, Fibes and other companies also had their sticks made elsewhere and branded accordingly. But based on what I could research, the Billy sticks we only offered for a few years, and then quietly discontinued before 1990. Since most marching sticks were destroyed through use, surviving pairs are harder to find.

So I scored these on eBay. They’re in good shape, though they’re certainly not pitch-matched. (Almost no mass-produced sticks were back then.) They’re a great example of how a company used appearances to sell a sub-optimal product, and for that alone they make a nice addition to my collection of vintage marching sticks.

Vintage Corner: my oldest sticks

I’m more into pads than sticks, but I do have a number of really cool sets in my collection.

Here are the two oldest sets I own:

1. Ludwig & Ludwig 5S, early 1920s. These came in a large pile of various used sticks, and they weren’t even why I bought the lot, but they turned out to be the nicest find. The 5S size was made by Ludwig up through perhaps 1923 or 24. By 1927, the stick shape still appeared in the catalog but the number and other markings had been whited out in the illustration, which likely means the size had been discontinued by then. I found documentation in a 1922 catalog.

The stick shape is very stout until you get to the end of the taper, and then it narrows down considerably before ending in a sizable tip. The 5S size was likely a “junior” sized marching stick for smaller, younger hands.

The sticks are hickory and are not cracked (amazing for sticks this old), and they feel quite nice. I only use them very occasionally on my Ludwig tunable pad and nowhere else. 

2. George Stone ”Master” model #11 sticks, circa 1925. These were made by George Lawrence Stone’s workshop, and are even rarer than the Ludwig sticks. George Lawrence Stone (who wrote the seminal “Stick Control,” which is still in print today and still used by millions of drum students) inherited the workshop from his father, George B. Stone, and continued to make sticks and drums through the mid 1930s. By 1938, the workshop was closed down due to flagging sales, and to divert more resources to the drum school, which was quite successful at the time. Thanks to Ting at King Louie Music, I was able to confirm that these sticks appeared in Stone’s 1925 catalog. They’re unusual, very old and very rare. They’re also in good used condition for their age, with no cracks or gouges, and they’re also hickory. I’m told that the odd taper was not uncommon for sticks of this era. These were designed for concert band use.

Again, because these are so rare, they’ll mostly hang on my wall display rack and I will only bring them down on extremely rare occasions to tap on my old Ludwig pad.

As I said earlier, vintage pads have long been more my thing than sticks. Pads are still easier to find, even with the increased hype of the last few years, and they tend to last a lot longer than sticks, which were made to be used, broken and replaced often. Still, when the opportunity arises, I won’t turn down a pair of cool, old sticks.

Happy drumming.

Pad carrier, redux

During the pandemic, I cobbled together a practice pad carrier, and used it to help with my lockdown boredom. I didn’t know that I’d gotten Long Covid at the time, and I ended up only being able to use it for a few months before becoming too ill to walk in a straight line.

I ended up selling the carrier with a marching drum, and the scrap wood for the platform eventually ended up being broken down and used for other projects.

But I missed having it. So when someone listed a pad platform for sale in Marketplace, I kept an eye on it. A year later, he still hadn’t sold it, and was now offering it for free. I arranged to pick it up from him on my way to the Hillsboro drum corps show, then scored a cheap carrier that I adapted. Now that I’m recovering from the worst of the LC symptoms, I’m ready to get back to chopping and walking at the same time as part of my physical therapy.

It’s not the most comfortable carrier, but for a total cost of ten bucks for both it’s more than adequate.

Tama True Touch snare drum practice pad

I scored this at a thrift store. They didn’t know what they had, and I paid far less than retail for it.

The original Tama True Touch snare drum practice pad comes with a fine mesh head and a quiet snare sound cartridge that is sealed inside a chamber. It can’t really be removed or adjusted. As it comes out of the box, it has a distinct feel and sound.

When this pad came out several years ago, I felt it was slightly overpriced for its design. I mentally filed it away and mostly forgot about it.

Then, Rick Dior tossed up a video on YouTube in which he took apart the True Touch pad and reassembled it using thicker inner foam and a regular Mylar head, and the difference was noticeable.

So when I found this for sale, I decided to buy it and see if I could make the same modifications and get a better pad out of it.

I couldn’t take this pad apart before buying it, but at a price of less than a quarter of new I figured it was worth the cost of the experiment — especially since it already came with a Mylar replacement head.

I took it home and took it apart. The foam insert was missing, and in its place the previous owner had put a folded black washcloth, which barely muted the pad at all. So I cut out two pieces of material, one from a yoga mat and the other from a thicker, firmer ensolite camping pad, stacked them on top of each other, replaced the head and reassembled it.

Interestingly, the snare sound was barely perceptible when I tested the pad before my modifications, and disappeared almost entirely when I reassembled the pad. But the feel was greatly improved, and I don’t miss the snare sound at all.

I’m not entirely thrilled with the tone of the pad, and I suspect that may have something to do with the head. I will likely swap in a Remo Ambassador had and see how things improve. I’ll probably experiment with a couple of different inserts too, before settling on a combination that makes me happy.

The pad is heavy, owing in large part to its metal and rubber construction. There’s no discernible difference on the platform or on a drum stand, and that may also be due to the weight. I like it and will hang out with it awhile.

The ages of Sabian Quiet Tone pads, revisited

The original Quiet Tone pads were made in New Jersey and were popular among concert and jazz drummers and studio teachers. Those original Quiet Tone pads are very hard to find, and insanely hard to find in still-playable condition. 

In the 1990s, Sabian bought the rights to make and sell the design and moved manufacturing to their Canadian cymbal plant. These Canadian-made Quiet Tone pads retained the white rubber feet and a very similar base compound to the originals. They were quite nice, a little sturdier than the originals with a great feel.

In the later 2010s, Sabian outsourced the manufacture of the Quiet Tone pads to Taiwan and eventually to China. Adding black mesh models to the line required Sabian to designate the white-headed, solid pads as “Classic.” The Asian-made Quiet Tone pads are, in a word, junk. The base compound was changed to save costs and the fat white rubber feet became smaller black rubber feet.

Generally, speaking, there are two ways to discern between the early and current Sabian Quiet Tone pads.

First, look at the label on the underside. 

The earlier versions of this pad will indicate a Canadian address and a model number ending in either TT (for “Tom Tom,”) or SD (for “snare drum”). The older “TT” pads were available in sizes t 12”, 13” and 16”. The “SD” pads came in 10” and 14” sizes. I believe this wider size range had once been available before the pad design was bought by Sabian; it’s highly possible that Sabian simply changed the labels and continued to sell off those older sizes until they were gone, but I can’t be certain.

The newest Asian-made Sabian Quiet Tone pads have added the letters “CL” (for “classic”) to the end of the model number, and only the 10” and 14” size are available.

The other distinct feature is that, on the earlier Sabian pads, the Quite Tone logo was designed with the words, “by Sabian” added to the right and outside of the logo. The Asian-made pads incorporated an even smaller Sabian logo just below the Quiet Tone logo. And of course, older pads should have larger, white rubber feet.

Below: a full set of early Sabian Quiet Tone pads in the full size range, and the bottom of a 12” pad showing the old label and white rubber feet.

A newer Sabian pad with the newer logo and black rubber feet. Also note the difference in the shape and width of the metal struts. They’re slightly thinner on the newer pads and may be more prone to bending out of shape if dropped or knocked about.

To find the earlier Sabian Quiet Tone pads you’ll likely have to look for used models online. The new, Asian-made pads are available in music stores and are, in my opinion, overpriced for what they’ve devolved into.

If you end up with a newer Sabian Quiet Tone, you can experiment with adding a thin layer of mousepad material under the head to see if it improves the feel and tone at all. I can’t guarantee the results.

Here’s my early Sabian Quiet Tone in the 10” size. It feels and sounds lovely, especially with concert sticks.

I continue to search for the earlier Sabian Quiet Tone pads in other sizes, especially in 12”.

Happy drumming!

Full Review: Aquarian Balance Pad - now you see it, now you don’t

Someone posted photos of this pad on the Drum Practice Pad History group on FB, and I was intrigued. 

I had a couple of pre-2020 Aquarian Super pads and liked them. I tried a couple of their Super Pads after a redesign that had been brought about by pandemic supply issues, and didn’t like those at all.

I was hesitant to consider buying one of these, until I read that the pad was not being brought to the retail market and that Aquarian was selling off the limited number left in their warehouse. So I went to their web site, saw that they still had a “limited” number available at a discounted price, and ordered one. It arrived in just a few days.

It’s made with an eleven-inch baseplate of MDF that’s been finished with smooth, rounded edges and sealed with a clear coat. If a company insists on using MDF for their pads then I think they should seal the MDF like this, it adds durability and a cleaner, more polished look than bare MDF does.

One one side, there are two layers of very fine, close-cell foam; the layer next to the base is a bit firmer than the layer that lies at the surface, and the surface is finished with a semi-gloss appearance. The very thin layer between the two foam layers is difficult to identify, but doesn’t seem to add much substance to that side of the pad. There is a center dot which appears to be a decal, made of black woven material similar to the white woven material on the pre-2020 version of the Super Pad. This softer side is for warming up and working on hand and wrist muscles. The center spot offers slightly more volume than the rubber around it. and both surfaces are quiet. 

The other side is made from two thinner layers of fine, closed-cell foam and the line between those layers is even harder to see, but it’s there. This side is then covered with a thin, soft plastic and topped with the same material found on the playing surface of the post-2020 Super Pad. It makes for a firmer and louder surface, and is more ideal for working out technical material.

I think putting the Aquarian foam layers on top of a thick MDF layer helps to give the pad more stability and a better response. (Aquarian Super Pads used a thin layer of MDF entirely encase in foam rubber, which may have inspired their thinking in this design.)

NOTE: this pad offers the best response and feel with concert or jazz sticks. I wouldn’t use heavy marching sticks on it at all.

The pad originally retailed for $89.00 plus postage. I bought mine at a discount for $59.00 plus postage. At the time, the web store indicated that there we a “limited” number of pads left. When I checked just now, the item had disappeared from their web site, meaning they are now sold out. 

I’m glad I managed to obtain one at the discounted price. With other “warmup” pads already on the market (Revolution, Meinl’s Marshmallow pad, Zildjian/Reflexx and others — none of which I liked as much as this), I wouldn’t have paid ninety bucks for this. However, I do like this pad better than those others I’ve mentioned because the firmer side offers more definition, and because the MDF has been sealed with a clearcoat. 

I’d be curious to learn why Aquarian chose to bring this pad out for a short test period and then not bring it to market. 

Curiously, the Super Pads are not currently listed at all at Aquarian’s web site, which makes me wonder if those might be discontinued as well.

Aquarian practice pad NewsFlash: Limited Edition

Aquarian Drum company, known for a wide variety of drum heads and a series of practice pads called Super Pads, tried to make something different called the Balance Pad.

For reasons I can't identify, they tested it at a few trade shows and ultimately decided not to move forward with the project.

There are a handful -- and I mean a handful -- of Balance Pads available in their online store, discounted to sell and labeled as a "limited edition" item. When they're gone, they're gone.

I was a big fan of their Super Pads before they did a redesign during the Covid pandemic, and I'm happy to own a couple of pre-2020 models. During the pandemic, owing largely to supply issues, they redesigned the pad and made it, well, worse. Not worth my money or time now.

Knowing that this might be an opportunity to snag an oddity, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I bought a Balance Pad before they disappeared.

I've also copied and pasted their photos and their ad copy about the design and purpose of the pad below, in case they pull the web page when they run out.

*******

• The Limited Edition "Perfect Practice" Balance Pad by Aquarian Drumheads is a versatile, two-sided, three-zone practice pad designed for stand-alone use. This innovative practice tool simulates the feel of both "Tight Tuning" and "Loose Tuning" on drums, providing the right amount of rebound for effective workout sessions.

  The Perfect Practice Balance Pad features the same core playing surface found in the renowned Aquarian Super Pad line of practice tools.

  "Side One" mimics the tight tension of a snare drum head, making it ideal for buzz strokes and precise rudimental sticking. In contrast, "Side Two" offers two distinct zones that replicate the looser tuning of tom-toms, providing a greater challenge for building hand endurance and strength.

  In addition to varying feels, the two sides combine to create three distinct tones and volume responses .

  The Perfect Practice Balance Pad enhances your practice experience and makes your workout routines more enjoyable and versatile.

  This model is very limited in availability.

• Two sided, multi-zone practice surface
• Tight and Loose Tuning Response
• Create effective workout  routines with 3 different rebound Zones.

*******

I'll do a full review when it arrives.