Tackle Instrument Supply makes gorgeous bags and other accessories for drummers.
Among their more, um, fancy offerings is what they call the Coffee Table Practice Pad.
I got one, new in the box, as part of a large trade.
It’s very attractive, with a walnut wood base, a suede surface on the bottom to reduce skidding and a tanned leather playing surface of 6 inches. It’s a small boutique item, not designed for heavy use but rather something to mess around with in a waiting room of a studio.
As a boutique item, the pad does exactly what it’s meant to do. And it does function as a quiet drum pad.
However, even for a boutique pad I’d want to play on something a little heavier than this. The pad weighs just over 10 ounces, making it very light and prone to bouncing on any accented notes. (By contrast, the Coda practice pad weighs 15 ounces, and my homemade mini pad weighs about 20.)
The playing surface is quiet, and requires a more work from the Drummer than most modern marching pads. With a little finger and wrist action you can get a decent bounce, but you have to work for it. I’d say the feel is similar to that of a 15 inch marching drum from the 1940s or 50s. I don’t think there’s rubber underneath the leather but cannot confirm that.
I also cannot confirm where or how it’s made, or by whom. (After recent events around my informing readers of a lack of provenance of another product, I am hesitant to venture too deeply into the manufacturing provenance. But based on the widespread availability of this item from various retailers, it’s possible that Tackle may not make these pads in-house. Further inquiry is up to you, dear readers.
This is not a real practice pad as such, but a boutique item that is beautifully made and looks really nice on a coffee table. As such, whether or not it is worth the MSRP of $75 is up to the individual buyer.
As an addition to my pad collection it has a place, but mostly as a collectible and not as a serious player.
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