I’d been curious about the Eviction Pad from Loyal Drums since it was first released a few years ago. Video demos and reviews by other drummers piqued my curiosity and I really wanted to try it out. However, living so far away from the traditional Rudimental drumming scene meant I couldn’t ever see one in person, and price and the volume were enough to put me off for quite awhile.
This winter, I was in a position to finally buy one. I had improved the sound insulation of my studio door and I had some extra funds. Now would be as good a time as any, and I might not have the opportunity again later. So I splurged.
And it was definitely a splurge on my part. With a retail price of almost $130, this would be a serious investment in a practice pad that I’d want to keep and use regularly.
The pad arrived yesterday. It came in a cardboard box, without padding. There was just the pad, and a little Loyal Drums decal. And nothing else.
The pad itself is elegant in the simplicity of its design. A plywood base and top hoop, Allen tensioning rods and a woven drumhead designed by Loyal to simulate the response of a rope-tensioned drum (though it can be tensioned higher to approach the feel of an older, Mylar-headed marching drum).
Upon closer inspection, I found some details that surprised me, given the price of the pad. The plywood showed holes and surface chips, and was not finished in any visible way. The hole on the bottom, designed to allow the pad to be used on a camera tripod or similar, was rough and unfinished as well. And the sanding of the edges seemed incomplete in places. There is no nonskid material on the bottom of the pad, meaning it’s not ideal for use on a tabletop. Given the lightness of the pad, perhaps that was never intended as an option. It does work well on a stand, which is where I’ve opted to use mine.
Also, the woven fabric head showed a noticeable wrinkle at the point of being tucked into the counterhoop. This wrinkle diminished somewhat with additional tensioning but never completely disappeared. It does not seem to affect the response or feel. Maybe, in contrast to factory-made Mylar heads, this is to be expected. Maybe not.
Playing on the pad proved to be interesting, and ultimately positive. The feel of the woven head is buttery and smooth, offering a pleasing response to those acquainted with the feel of older, lower-tension Mylar marching heads. Drummers accustomed to playing on high-tensioned Kevlar heads may be baffled with how to approach playing on this pad. Even when tensioned tighter, it still won’t come close to the feel of a modern drum corps snare. It’s not meant to.
There was no instruction sheet enclosed with the pad explaining anything about the construction and care of the head, what size Allen key to use, or anything else. I reached out via email to Dave Loyal at Loyal Drums for information:
“The head is our own material, the quantum batter head. It is a patent pending crimp locked 10” head that is only 5mils thick, but is stronger than most batter heads twice that thickness. It’s used pretty widely by military, and civilians. Most of our drums ship with that head. We like it for its spring back. The feel can approach that of calf, or be tightened up to a more drum corps approach. Extreme tensions can start to get scary, but anything you can do with a standard Allen key should be fine, especially if you play with good rebound technique.
Any 10” head fits the pad. The [Remo] silent stroke heads are a good option to keep it quiet, as the pad is true to its name, Eviction 😂. The pad is loud, but intended as a different animal than a rubber pad. People use them in rehearsals within ensembles, etc.
The Allen size is 5/32, and the heads cost $45 for the quantum.
The center hole is 1/4-20 threaded, but is not designed for a cymbal stand. It is for a much more common (and cheaper) solution…camera tripods, camera clamps, magic arms, super clamps, etc. it’s nice to carry a small clamp and mount the pad to a chair, table etc, rather than carrying a full stand. Basket stands are also obviously fine!”
I appreciated the additional information, but think that enclosing an info sheet might save time for everyone.
As a retired bicycle mechanic, I have lots of metric Allen keys on hand, and was able to carefully and gently use a 4mm to adjust the tension. (I plan on buying a 5/32” Allen key to have on hand for this pad, and will use that going forward.)
Also, be careful with your choice of snare stand for use with this pad. My regular concert stand has very long stays so fitting them to the base of this pad requires patience and care. A dedicated pad basket, like those available from Drumeo or Ahead, has shorter stays and might be a better choice for daily use.
A couple of videos, one showing the pad straight from the box and another after I tuned it up a bit.
Overall, I think this pad is a keeper for me. I really like the feel, and while it’s definitely a few decibels louder than my Drumslinger Marcher series pad, it offers a feel unlike anything else in my stable (that’s a good thing). I think the asking price of $129 (plus shipping) seems a bit high when the physical appearance and lack of finishing is taken into account. When the weather in Portland warms up, I may dismantle this pad so I can carefully sand and paint the top section, color plus clearcoat, to afford it a little more protection.
The fact that factory-made, standard drum heads will also fit this pad is a plus, but I admit I really like the Quantum head and have no plans to use anything else.
Happy chopping!
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