Bass Drum Practice Pad Opinions/Misc Thoughts

[Drums5000]

Hi Everyone,

I am cosidering purchasing a practice pad to allow me to work on Bass Drum (Single/Double pedal) exercises. I live in an apartment, so setting up the real acoustic drum is out of the question (I don't feel like being homeless right now) Have anyone of you had any experience using a practice pad for bass drum technique? I'm using a ReelFeel for the hands. I do know that Pearl has one designed for bass drum...not sure on the model #.

I wonder if Virgil has ever used one....Virg if you're reading this, can you offer some thoughts? Are there any cons for continued use of the pad and then playing the real drum? Obviously the rebound wont be as realistic as the real thing...but I'm killing myself without being able to play my acoustic drums. The closest I get it is re-arranging them, and stacking them in different piles! :p

Now onto another thing that I've been wondering about....I wonder how Virgil (or any of the other big name drummers) have managed to survive financially and get where they are. Have they done this with playing music/drumming alone? It would be interesting to hear if they've had any 'regular' jobs...ie. Factory, etc...

I know for myself, I used to be able to practice all hours of the day when I was a kid. Then when there's bills to pay, with no-one to support me anymore lol I find there is no time to practice and the thought of making a comfortable living with music/drums gets harder and harder to realize. (I will never ever ever give up though!)

Thanks for your time,

Rob

Go LEAFS Go

[jimi]

I have the Pearl BD10, i'm not sure about cons, but it gets me the practice time i want/need! As for cons, i actually have mine on carpet and it's not that sturdy, however someone suggested some velcro, so i'll try that out. your one should be fine though cos i got mine 2nd hand.
As for my take on Virgil, i dont know much about his really early years, but he left school, to practice drums and further himself. Not sure who financed then, his parents or himself, but basically he worked in cover bands and original ones eventually making a good name, contacts that would get him work etc. A very dedicated man, now reaping the rewards!

[Drums5000]

Hi Jimi,

Yes, that is the one that I was looking at for Pearl. So it is good then? Does it accomodate double pedals? Are you able to play double strokes with both feet a get a decent response? How is the noise level? Is is louder than using a ReelFeel with the hands?

Thanks for the info! :D

Rob

[jimi]

Does it accomodate double pedals?
Yes!

Are you able to play double strokes with both feet a get a decent response?
There is probably a bit more response than you would get from a BD

How is the noise level?
Is it louder than using a ReelFeel with the hands?
Its loud enough to bother anyone thats in my house, but its better than an actual BD volume i guess

[Drums5000]

Thanks Jimi! :)

[jimi]

no probs, anytime ;)

[patrick casey]

Hi Drums5000 you asked if Virgil ever used a practice pad for his doublebass playing ,if you go into the archived picture gallery go down to Planet X Montreal 5/22/01 you will see a photo of Virgil playing a practce pad for his hands and feet.

[DanBritt]

Hey Rob,

I use a BD practice pad that I believe is made by Gibralter. It is louder than a Reel Feel pad, but much lower volume than an actual bass drum, of course!! It has good response, and I hook up a double pedal to it.

[Lori]

Hey Rob,

I use a BD practice pad that I believe is made by Gibralter. It is louder than a Reel Feel pad, but much lower volume than an actual bass drum, of course!! It has good response, and I hook up a double pedal to it.

I use that one as well.

[evans72]

I just bought the 5 piece Remo practice pad set with the double bass expansion kit. It's been great so far.

[Fede]

I use that one as well.

Me too. :)

[PolyOstinato]

Virgil does use one when on the road, at least. Either the Gibralter or Pearl will work well for your purpose and are not terribly loud.

[Johnny]

DW makes a cool pedal case that doubles as a practice pad.

[Duckoes]

Virgil uses an MP 7000 pad made in OZ. Don't now if they are still producing them but they are a great pad , they replicate a kick feel really well. They could be available at Drumtek in Melbourne australia. could be expensive to ship, quiet heavy

[DerNeue]

I have the Gibraltar practice pad. It is okay apart from a noise that does not come from the pad but from the casing.
I would highly recommend the Pearl and the ProMark bassdrum practice pads. They have the same builtup and are the smallest. In addition to that they are more sturdy and quieter than the Gibraltar one.
Even the feel is okay for pads. I mean the rebound is bit stronger than normal but that difference (for me) is minor!

I now have a different opinion. Yesterday I bought the ProMark pracice pad. It is similar to the Pearl as I said. The problem about it is that the rebound is way too strong.
I even was able to eliminate the strange noise on the Gibraltar. So now this is my conclusion:

ProMark/Pearl pad:

+ foldable for transport
+ low noise
- way too strong rebound
- very small pad

Gibraltar:

+ lower price than above
+ low noise (now!)
+ realistic rebound
+ big enough pad (about 8")
- not foldable

In my opinion it is very important that the pad is big enough. I play as many drummers a 22" bassdrum. I set the beaters so that they are centered. Of course not sideways. I placed them off-centered sideways so that both generate an even sound.
So when I come home with my pedal the beaters are too short for the ProMark pad because it is too small and too high. Of course I can set the beaters so that they match but that would alter the whole feel.
So in the end I would recommend the Gibraltar but perhaps some likes the higher rebound you get on a Pearl or ProMark pad.
I like to stick with a more realistic feel.