I currently own three of these "flat" pads:
1. Ludwig "Gladstone" style pad, circa 1950s. Stage and studio drummer Billy Gladstone originally designed this practice pad in the 1940s while working with Gretsch Drums as an endorsee. The rubber pad was molded in one piece of rubber with two different thicknesses, giving the player a thicker, solid rubber playing surface in the center and a much thinner, more flexible rubber surface around the outside that helped to dampen the drum.When the patent ran out on this design, many other companies copied it and sold it under their brand. The pad is still manufactured today, though modern versions don't seem to feel as flexible; my guess is that more nylon was added to the rubber mixture and that has altered the feel and sound.
2. Camco practice pad circa 1960s. Similar in design to the Gladstone pad, but with a solid rubber disc glued to the center of a thin, wooden fiber platform. This more rigid design blocked out much more of the snare drum sound and further dampened the drum.
3. A. Stubbs Percussion drum mute, circa 1980s (?). This was a product designed and made in small batches by Amy Stubbs, who is currently on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and performs with orchestras and small ensembles around the country. Stubbs designed this pad for concert use, less as a practice tool and more as a snare drum mute. Due to the specialized nature of the pad and its marketing limited primarily to college and professional percussionists, my guess is that there are likely no more than a couple hundred of these out there now. This is of similar construction as the Camco pad, but the hard platform is made of a fiberglass/plastic composition and the underside is covered with a layer of fake lamb's wool.
Here's a little demonstration of each pad, beginning with the newest and progressing to the oldest.
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