DIY Drummer: New Vintage -- Bower replica pads, small batch

I was asked by Mark Beecher (president of NARD and a brilliant drummer and drum historian) if I’d make up a few replicas of the first patented practice pad, designed by Harry Bower in 1919 and patented in 1921.

Other pads were in existence, and offered by various makers throughout the early years of the twentieth century. But the concept of “mass”production in the 1910s was at best, in the hundreds, not in the tens of thousands large companies produce today.

Bower’s design was simple, and by modern standards downright primitive. A wooden platform, a layer of wool, covered by a thin layer of tanned leather, all bound up by string or a shoelace. I. Still trying to learn what the retail price was but I can’t imagine it was more than a dollar or two.

After the patent was awarded, Bower contracted with another fellow to “mass” produce the pads and distribute them. I’m still researching the success of the enterprise — and the longevity. 

Anyway, here’s the pad.

I glued a copy of the original label to the underside.

And did this over again five times. Four of the pads are available at $50 each including shipping in USA, and my original prototype is available at $25 including shipping in USA. 

(I’ll keep the fifth pad for myself.)

It’s not a modern pad. There’s just enough response that you can use your wrists and fingers to pull out decent strokes from the leather. If you want effortless rebound, buy a RealFeel.

But if you want to try a pad that your grandparents or great-grandparents might have practiced on, try this. It will give you new respect for the drummers of an earlier age and help you appreciate how far we’ve come.

(Video, playing my finished pad according to the instructions on the label)