I’ve been sent to timeout by a pad manufacturer. Oh, well.

 Remember Revolution? Their ads are all over social media and their Chopping Block pad got popular very fast. So I bit the bullet and tried one.

Then I sold it.

That was a few weeks ago.

Yesterday, Revolution’s surveybot contacted me and invited me to take a short survey. So I did. In my answers, I took them to task for not being more forthcoming with answers to my pre-purchase questions.

Today, I got a response that took ME to task for being, in their words, “the kind of customer small businesses dread.” They then told me that their teak source was FSC approved, their foam surface was patented (but no further details on where it came from before assembly in Bend) and that their pads cost $65 to make. Then they wished me “Peace.”

Uh, okay.

So I guess this puts in me some kind of Practice Pad Jail. Perhaps it will make other pad companies steer clear of me and my blog and not grant me interviews. And if so, perhaps it’s just as well.

I admit that I’ve lost interest in exploring new drum products by large companies anymore.  So in the future, I’ll probably stick to the obscure and fledgling creatives and makers, and also to the cool vintage stuff. 

Because at the end of the day, no company that can sell its products directly AND through at least three different mail-order warehouses is THAT small. No company offering oblique answers at best to questions about sustainable manufacturing practices is super-sustainable. The world is filled beyond capacity with things that are not sustainably made, and we don’t need anymore. Those who can afford to will shop around and be willing to pay more for truly sustainable products. Those who can’t afford to will buy their stuff used. Both will shop less often, repair things and make them last, or make do without.

And honestly, that’s not most of the drum industry anymore.

So perhaps this comes at the right time for me to shift my focus to the used, the vintage and the underdog making things in the most sustainable way possible. And that feels more than okay. I ruffled some feathers but perhaps I expanded some conversations too. I have no regrets, and I’ll keep on drumming for health and happiness.

Wherever your surfing takes you, happy drumming!