DIY Drummer: returning snare sound to an old HQ pad.

I scored a rare 8” HQ RealFeel pad which once held a snare-sound  cartridge. Without the cartridge, I got it for a song.

Then I decided I wanted to add back a snare cartridge, but since the factory cartridge was long gone and unavailable, I went with a replacement cartridge from Offworld Percussion.

Using only a couple hand tools I had on hand — and why worry about cosmetics, because who’s gonna see the bottom? — I cut out a little of the particleboard underneath to accommodate the slightly larger and round shape of the Offworld snare puck.

The magnet in the bottom,  designed as it was for the size and shape of the original cartridge, would not accommodate the placement of the metal studs in the puck, so I added some rare-earth magnets on each of the four sides, based on the location and distance of the studs.

When the glue dried, I dropped in the puck. It held when I turned it over. (And since I had a hunch that this was going to work, I bought the shaker puck and the cymbal stand adapter as well.)

Results: a decent, workable hack

Lesson? Use your resources.

The result? A nice, useful pad. 

(Best used on flat, horizontal surface with NO tilt.)

Happy chopping.