Vintage Corner — maybe an antique

I’d been looking for one of these for awhile, but back-burnered the search in favor of acquiring the George Way edition of the Adler adjustable pad.

Then, this one popped up online for an insanely low price. The seller didn’t know what he had.

(That is often the case with the older practice pads, especially when the seller is a general collectible dealer.)

I’d guess it’s from the late 1920s or early 30s, but haven’t found one in any catalogs (even at DrumArchive). I’ll keep looking.

Note the adjustable tilt, and the tension knob that can adjust the tension of the calfskin head. Calf heads are subject to the vagaries of temperature and humidity, and it’s nice to see this feature in a practice pad. I won’t use it regularly, of course — it’s too old and delicate for that — but I love the fact that it’s still playable.