I'm still into vintage pads.

My pad collection has definitely been winnowed down over the past year, but only to be rid of all the modern rubber marching pads that have come out in the last ten years. With the exception of the Evans red ("Barney Beats") rubber pad, I've basically let go of everything else in the marching-specific genre, circa post-2000.

What I HAVE kept are mostly tunable pads, beginning with the early Remo "Weather King" models with metal rims, and advancing all the way to pads from Drumslinger, Rudimental Drummers and the newest entry into the field, Rudimental Control. These are great pads, each with their own specific features and feel, and I enjoy them all.

The other pads that I've hung onto are the much older tilted rudimental pads, usually rubber-on-wood-block, that were ubiquitous between 1920 and 1970 or so. I am especially enthralled by homemade and home-repaired pads from this era. They come in a variety of styles and show even the most crudely-fashioned pad can, if it responds well, serve as a useful practice tool.

One of my favorites is a pad that was homemade by the late Jim Dinella, a pad I purchased from his estate last year and enjoy playing on periodically. (I DID shore up the attachment of the various platforms to ensure that it would still be playable -- perhaps hurting its financial value but preserving its musical value. I have no regrets.)

 

 

And here is another that has captured my heart. It's rough, to be sure, and may have originated in a factory; but I think at some point the bottom was modified to allow it to be mounted on a stand.

In order to make the pad more versatile, I'd have to remove the heavy metal piece the allows it to be mounted to the stand it came with, but I risk damaging the bottom panel of wood (which, though not original, adds character and interestingness I'd prefer to preserve).

The rubber is quite old and may also be factory-issue, but I can't prove or disprove that.
It has a really sweet, old school feel that makes me work to pull the rolls out a bit (which I don't mind). I think it would be interesting to ask a Kevlar kid to try playing this and see his reaction.

I recently found a few more of these "orphan" pads and they will arrive later this week.
I'll be happy to contrast and compare, and I may even try to make my own larger tilt pad from scrap lumber and some gum rubber, just for fun.
Stay tuned, and happy drumming.