Refurbishing, part two: HQ RealFeel Tan pad, Re-tanned

 If you’ve followed me this far, you know that there’s a high demand for the original, first-generation RealFeel tan pad by HQ. A generation of marching drummers came of age practicing on this, and they loved the feel and the response. When the company was sold to Evans, the new owner chose not to keep making the tan gum rubber version; the Evans version now uses a gray rubber surface that feels good, but VERY different.

I go out of my way to find these pads, often taking in old, worn pads that I can repair, refurbish and send to youth drum lines. Here’s the most extreme example I’ve come across so far. 

This came in a large pile of various drum pads, part of a home-made practice kit someone was letting go of. The rubber was in such bad shape on both sides, that I couldn’t save it. It was compromised all the way through (see photos).

What’s more, this pad had no non-skid material on the bottom, only bare wood. 

So I decided to replace the top and add a non-skid surface underneath. 

I had a sheet of 1/4” thick gum rubber left over from other projects, and there was just enough to trim size.

Also, I don’t own any fancy shop tools that would allow me to measure and cut precisely with a machine, so I chose to cut the pieces by hand using shop-grade scissors. It’s not professional/perfect, but close enough to be durable and functional. I then cut a piece of non-skid material from an old cup-stacking mat (available at thrift shops) and affixed it to the underside.the pad is drying right now under a tall stack of other pads and should be dry enough to play by day-end.

I will either donate this pad to a youth org or keep it as a student pad here in the studio.

With all the used drum pads floating around out there, and the number of kids needing a decent pad who can’t afford it, there is really no reason to toss an old pad when it no longer serves you. It can often be made good as (or better than) new with a little time and effort.

Happy chopping!

DIY Drummer: Odds-n-Ends -- repurposing, refurbishing

 On my way to swapping out for a smaller bass drum for my West Craft kit, I had an idea.
I asked Kaleb if he'd be interested in taking on a small side project in addition to refurbishing my bass drum. "No rush," I said, "I just wonder what it would look like if you gave this the West Craft treatment." Kaleb was intrigued and took home one of three vintage Ludwig practice pads I had.
All I told him was, "Do it up in shades of blue, and don't worry about the rubber because I'll clean that myself when you're all done."

Less than two hours later, he sent me three photos. He was intrigued.

When I get the finished pad I'll be sure to share it here.

Also, I received in a batch of sticks a mallets an extra, unmatched pair of vintage Ludwig timpani mallets. Both had badly degraded felts, and the heads had been glued to the shafts so removing them for replacement would be risky. They weren't so far apart in size and shape that I couldn't do SOMEthing with them, though.
So today, I decided to turn them into multipurpose mallets. I wrapped the harder of the two mallets with a few turns of the soft wool yarn to help equalize the hardness and size of the heads a little more. Then wrapped both heads vertically in rotating loops, the way yarn mallets are traditionally wound. I had taught myself how to do this in college, from a little booklet on mallet repair (I also used to recover my timpani mallets with new felt, using the instructions from the same booklet).

These mallets turned out to be a little on the big side, but that's okay. I figure they can be used for soft rolls on timpani, drumkit toms and maybe even some cymbals.

The yarn I chose was very thick ply, designed for use in scarves, potholders, hats and other thick things. It turned out to be quite useful for this application, because it's thick and soft.
Finally, To keep a couple hairline cracks from growing, I decided to wrap the wooden shafts in white stick tape. I added a second layer in the handle area to help improve the balance a little.

I'm pleased at how it turned out.

I have a couple new pads coming my way soon, and I look forward to putting through their paces and reporting about them here.

A reminder: If you or someone you know is connected to a company that makes pads, or that has historical documentation about pads the company made long ago, please let me know! I am always looking for new pads to test and review here; if you work with a company that is willing to send me a sample to test, that would be great. I don't have infinite funding to spend on this so I appreciate it when companies are willing to send me a pad. I also seek historical documentation about the design and development of practice pads, especially prior to 1940. If you can help, please let me know by reaching out to me through Facebook.

Thanks and happy drumming.

More about the Remo TSS. It’s a weird thing.

 So after hanging out with this thing a couple days, I wondered if it was really all that.

I wondered if I wanted to keep it, and in fact I seriously pondered selling it.

Along the way, I heard from a longtime Remo artist, a couple members of the 2008 Glassmen drum corps (who had incorporated the TSS sound into their show for a couple seasons) and a rep from Remo that gave me some additional information:

— the original TSS was designed and released in the mid-2000’s. It caught the interest of the Marching Arts crowd, but Remo never really made a big point of marketing it. 

— the original TSS, with its metal and laminate design, was very costly to manufacture, which meant its  retail price was beyond the reach of all but the most well-funded music programs and a handful of rock artists who incorporated it into their existing drum kits. In spite of its innovative qualities, it never really took off.

— Remo only supported the product line with parts and tech support for a couple of years after it was pulled from the catalog in the late 2000’s. As of now, Remo has NO TSS drums or spare parts in its possession, and has no plans to reintroduce the product again.

And that, my friends, is how you make a unicorn. 

But then a local guy I know who’s a machinist asked me to show him the pad. He thought someone might be able to fabricate a snare module for it. It wouldn’t be stock, but it could be functional. He told me to hang onto it because it might prove to be a fun side project. 

So I’m keeping it after all. While I continue to look for the unicorn that an original Remo snare module represents, I’ll explore this other, equally intriguing possibility and see what comes of it. It might prove to be a useful alternative drum voice in my work accompanying vocalists with brushes and thin sticks. We’ll see.

Here’s a technical drawing of the snare module that Chris from Remo provided me, and a little video.

Stay tuned and happy chopping.

Vintage Corner, sort of: 2004 Remo TSS (Tuneable Sound Shape)

I’d been looking for one of these for several years, and finally tracked one down at a drum shop in the UK. 

It arrived today and I’ve had some time to hang out and explore with it. Rather than write a lot about it, I’ve made a longer video. I can’t seem to upload it here, but you should be able to find it over at Marching Percussion Marketplace (click on “Discussion”) on Facebook.

If you or someone you know has a close connection to Remo, Inc. please be in touch. I’d really like to talk with someone connected with the design and development of this product. And I’m also looking for a snare module for this item.

More pad restoration: know what to look for, and keep it out of the landfill

 So this week I scored a wonderful selection of old pads and hardware.

The seller needed to clear it out quickly, accepted my below-asking offer and was willing to ship for free.

Granted, these pads will need some cleaning up, but when I’m done, they’ll be as fun to pound on as when they were new, and the hardware will help complete a few drum kits in the neighborhood.

When you look for used pads to clean up and reuse, you have to know what to look for.

AND you have to be willing to put in the time and work to rescue them.

The rubber pads will need some cleaning, and some real elbow grease to bring them back to useful life.  The tunable Remo pads just need cleaning up and fresh replacement heads.

Soon after I take delivery on this lot, several drummers will have great pads to practice on, and I will have kept all this stuff out of the landfill.

THIS is what sustainability is about. Find old, beat-up stuff, fix it up and clean it up, and prepare it for a second life with a new owner.

What I’m saying here won’t make many manufacturers happy; for them, it’s about tying custom to buy new stuff regularly. But for kids on a budget, for nonprofit youth programs on a budget, for your friend down the street who’s preparing to audition for a corps and needs a more durable practice pad, sustainability is EXACTLY what we should promote within the drumming world.

End of sermon. Happy Drumming!

Pad Du Jour: repairing/restoring an old Aquarian Tru-Bounce

This pad is one of the more underrated -- and overpriced -- on the market. It's not bad, and has some possibilities for extended creativity.
Aquarian's 12" Tru-Bounce practice pad sells new for between $40 and $45, and comes with a pair of 5A nylon sticks and an exercise sheet. The sticks are, in my humble opinion, just this side of worthless; give them to your favorite toddler and walk away.
The pad is unassuming, a simple sheet of black rubber glued to a plank of wood that's been painted bright red. It looks like something that could be made at home.

If you find one used and cheap, snap it up and have some fun with it.

I scored this at my local thrift shop for five bucks. There was no non-skid material on bottom, and the top had been scored with some kind of knife. But it was still playable, so I bought it and took it home.

First, I restored a non-skid surface underneath by cutting a circle out of a large piece of very thin mousepad material (often found with cup-stacking games or by itself; get it used for pennies on the dollar and you'll ghave enough for several pad repair projects).

Then I glued that down to the underside of the pad (I used super-glue gel and did this outdoors to avoid breathing in off-gases), and stacked a bunch of other pads on top while it dried overnight.

The next day I had a very functional pad that's probably worth about... 8 or 9 bucks.

It plays fine. There's enough bounce for it to feel satisfying, but not so much that the sticks rebound wildly off the surface. A nice pad for a beginner.

If you want to get creative, find a laminate to attach to the top and you mught be surprised by how good it feels. A friend suggested I look for the clear plastic disc from the Movement Drum Co. pad, and he says it turns this ordinary pad into something amazing.

I actually did this with a piece of thin plastic notebook material on another pad and it was interesting, but not useful for my purposes. I gave that pad away to a kid who needed one for marching but couldn't afford anything fancy. He made do and is now marching in his college drumline. I'd like to think it was more a result of practicing than of the practice surface.

The truth is that many of today's modern drum pads are copies of each other on some level. After all, how many different ways can you mix up a rubber-nylon-neoprene compound and have it be something "new" and worthwhile? After awhile there's so much overlap between products that it can make your head spin while it's filling the world with More Stuff.

So these days I am more interested in finding and researching the historic pads that illustrate the development of the practice pad, than I am in comparing newer "modern" pads. The newer pads act like they're purpose-driven (particularly for the Marching Arts), when in reality most are simply copies of each other built around a marketing approach that's tied to getting more kids to buy practice pads.

..::ducks to avoid being pelted with rotten tomatoes::..

If you can choose between shopping and drumming, drum. You'll accomplish more and save money and time.
Happy chopping.

Sometimes things get tragic. The only thing to do is take photos and let go.

 Case in point:

Item for sale at eBay.uk is a vintage and rare practice kit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304207498914

Several exchanges with friends connected to the UK, and with the seller, proved fruitless. He wants pickup only, and right now, or he’ll throw it out with the trash.

After exhausting all my options, I had to let it go.

But I made sure to grab the photos from the listing first, so I’d have them to use in research.

It’s insanely cool, and rare even for those who live across the pond in Europe. And in a day or three, it will likely end up in the trash

..::sigh::..

Can’t have everything.

I’ll go drown my sorrows with a nice chopping session.

Happy drumming.