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.

Vintage Corner: That time when Remo made a rubber practice pad

Remo, known for Mylar drum heads and tunable practice pads, broke from their own tradition for a brief time in 1963-65 with a practice pad made of white rubber affixed to Masonite. Remo made this pad in a couple different sizes: this larger one (7.5” base, 5” rubber surface), and a smaller one (5.5” base, 4” rubber surface). I’d seen the smaller size a few years ago and was told it came from a trade show. Then I acquired this larger version. The rubber is still bouncy, but firm.

Not sure how many they made, but it can’t have been too many; it only appears in the bigger drum catalogs for a couple of years.

Vintage Corner: mid-1950s WFL Keystone pad

This was a lucky score from the nice guys at Drugan’s Drums.

From 1937 to 1955, the Ludwig Drum Company was owned by Conn Music, which also owned the Leedy Drum Company. During this time, William Ludwig was not allowed to use his own name, so he founded a new company called WFL (for his initials). Conn eventually realized it made no sense to manage two drum companies, so from 1948-54 they merged the two and called the restructured company Leedy & Ludwig. This venture was short-lived, though some very nice drum sticks came out of it and are desired by collectors today.

In 1955, Conn sold off Leedy & Ludwig (with all the Ludwig dies and parts going to to William Ludwig, Sr. and the Leedy dies and parts going to HB Slingerland), meaning that William Ludwig could once again make and sell drums using his name.

Through 1958 or 59, Ludwig included WFL branding in its catalogs. They did this to reduce consumer confusion, reassure retailers and sell off any remaining WFL stock in their warehouse.
By 1960, the WFL brand had disappeared from the catalog.

This is a somewhat rare pad from that transitional period. Called the "Light Duty" pad, it featured dark-stained wood and the a keystone-shaped rubber surface nailed on top. Metal hardware was attached underneath for mounting the pad to a stand. Based on the darker staining of the wood (a feature found in some older WFL pads but not in the Ludwig pads that followed) and the font on the decal, my best guess is that this pad was made between 1955 and 1957. In the 1960 catalog it was replaced by a new version of the "Light Duty" pad, a double-platform model painted red and white. In the mid 1960's another version of this pad (with a double platform) featuring clear-coated oak came out, which appeared in catalogs through the 1970s. All three pads bear the red keystone rubber surface. (I've seen a red and white pad in this style that used a leather-rubber composite, but I don't know if that was a one-off. I'd love to try it out.) Thanks to the folks at DrumArchive, I was able to arrive at my best guesses. If you haven't checked out that site, do so! It's a treasure trove of catalog reprints from dozens of drum companies dating back to the 1920s and makes for fascinating reading.

The rubber is still bouncy and has a great feel.

Repairing vintage Ludwig pads

I love these old Ludwig pads from the 1960s and 70s.

For anyone who grew up playing on Mylar heads, these are darned near perfect. The feel is the closest to a real drum without the volume. They were sold separately and were also included in student kits with snare drum and bells.

Finding one today is difficult. Model P-378 (8”) turns up more often than model P-379 (10”), but you really have to scour the online want ads for them. Ludwig stopped making these pads in 1980 or so. They offered the parts for a few more years, but then stopped making those too. Very occasionally, I’ve found a replacement head or a few tensioning nuts online, but they’re rare and expensive because the seller usually knows what they have.

When I do find one, they are very often quite used, sometimes abused, and in need of repair. Lacking a supply of replacement parts, I’ve had to make do with what’s in front of me.

The original wood used for the baseplate and internal base was very soft, probably pine, to cut down on production costs. Unfortunately, that means it’s fragile and wears with time and use. The construction is simple, and that means a worn pad can be repaired or at least extended pretty easily.

So far, I’ve been lucky. I’ve been able to repair every pad I’ve found and make it useable again. Sometimes, it’s a matter of removing pieces, cleaning them up and reassembling.

Other times, the wood baseplate is pretty beaten up — splintered and/or warped — and I have to remove all of the metal buts, reverse the baseplate and reinstall them from the other side. Doing this helps to reverse some of the effects of warping, and gives the heads of each “finned screw” new wood to bite into.

In a couple of cases, owing to lack of replacement heads, I’ve chosen to add another layer to the head. Either from the underside or directly on top, to help the head last longer. Neither approach seems to affect the sound or feel adversely.

The latest pad I found, an 8” model, came from a private seller cleaning out her garage. We agreed on a price and I got the pad home, where I dismantled it and examined the pieces.

The baseplate was pretty hammered, and one of the tensioning nuts had rusted frozen to the finned screw. In order to save this pad, I would have to carve a bit of the wood away so I could gain purchase with pliers

and hold onto it while applying a spot of oil and turning the tensioning nut. I reasoned that when I had removed the screw, I could fill in the gouge with a thing piece of wood cut to fit, apply it with wood glue, and gently poke a new hole in the spot.

After removing the final screw, I filled in the divot with the tiny piece of wood and set it in the divot with wood glue, clamping it in place. When it dries, I should be able to carefully drill a new hole, ream it to size, and reassemble the pad.

(The tape applied on the side is there to keep the wood glue from running out.)

Once dry enough, I removed the clamp, poked a hole and called it good. The screw went in easily, and held fast to the new underside.

Other enthusiasts of this make and model, most notably Rick Dior, has a full workshop of tools, so when he has to restore one of these pads, he simply cuts a new baseplate from hardwood and installs the metal pieces into the new baseplate.

Since I don’t have power tools or much woodworking experience, I tend to do repairs that are more rough-and-ready. My goal is to make these pads useable again, not museum-worthy.

After flipping the baseplate, I reinstalled the threaded hole assembly. This required some care, so I wouldn’t crack the plywood baseplate while sinking the teeth into the other side. I laid shop rags across my bench vise with the jaws open, to allow the threaded center to poke through the other side without mangling the metal. 

Then I reinstalled the thick seating washer and the little rubber feet. I also laid in some Elmer’s Glue-All along the edges where the plywood was roughly finished. The hope is the fast-drying glue will help to keep those edges from splintering further. I can color them in with black paint pen if I like. 

And voila! Good enough to play for years to come.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for replacement parts.

BONUS TIPS:

1. In the old Ludwig parts catalog from 1970 (see first photo at top), The square nut for the tuning assembly is referred to as part # P-124. If you try to look for this part today you won't find it, as Ludwig stopped making it years ago.
However, Ludwig continued making and selling their part # P-125, advertised as the Super Classic Strainer Butt Plate Part, for a number of years after that (photo at left).

Guess what? It's exactly the same part, and will fit the threaded bolt on the old Ludwig pads. And if you ask for it by the other part number and name, you may have a slightly easier time finding a few.

2. Thanks to fellow Ludwig pad enthusiast Rick Dior, I was able to obtain these black vinyl end caps that slide over the tuning nuts, thereby saving my sticks from getting chopped up during practice. 

You can find them on eBay and elsewhere, or perhaps at a large local hardware store. For this application, get the size with the 6.5mm inside diameter.

Product review: Evans Attacktile brush pad

Note: I paid for my pad used from a previous owner. I did not seek out a frreebie from Evans/D'Addario, as I doubt they would have sent one and I'm not one of the marching arts "pad bros".

It's all fine.

Here's my review.

*******

Wow.

I came into an Evans Attacktile pad in used condition (used as in, previous owner dropped it, and the surface got dented in one corner). This pad retails new for forty dollars. I paid eight bucks for mine.

After putting it through its paces, I can say that is the upper end of its actual value.

The brush surface is nice, but the playing surface's size is far too small to be an effective brush practice surface. Evans calls this a 10-inch pad. They get that measurement by running the tape diagonally from corner to corner through the center of the base. The true measurement of the playing surface when the tape is run from one straight to another through the middle of the pad is 9 inches. That's simply too small to be a truly useful brush surface.

The brush surface is a plastic laminate that appears to have been applied with double-sided tape. It peels up with shockingly little effort and doesn't stick quite as firmly when you press it back down.

The nonskid surface on the underside is a little less than 1 inch wide, which made be just enough to provide nonskid properties, but only barely. The threaded hole in the center of the underside allows this to be used on an 8mm threaded stand.

The only nice thing about this pad is how it feels with sticks, and it's very portable size. The laminate over the gray rubber is nicely responsive with sticks, has good rebound and doesn't feel like Formica.

But is it worth forty bucks new? In my opinion, not in the least. The overall construction is lackluster and pushes the boundary of what is acceptable quality for a pad in this pricepoint.

I am glad I got to try it for so little. I'll add it to the stable for now, but later on I might re-glue the laminate before giving it to a kid.