BS 720 Free Standing Practice Pad

BS 720 Free Standing Practice Pad
This is the standard ‘snare drum’ setup with an 11” round rubber pad atop an aluminium tripod. But it is immediately obvious that this pad is anything but ‘standard’. The tripod assembly is as chunky and robust as any gigging drum set hardware with ¾” diameter leg pipes and a 1¼” telescopic centre pipe on which the pad is mounted to allow for seated or standing practice. The pad is bolted to a bracket which can be tilted to any angle and fixed with a large wing nut. The playing surface itself is a dense but soft, smooth black rubber encircled by a thin steel chrome rim. This pad looks extra sleek with its black and chrome pipes and black plastic wing nut screws to lock the pipes in place. The brand logo and model number are even displayed in bold blue on the pad rim and a tripod leg.

As a general workout pad this has everything you could need. To play, the rubber has a good, sharp bounce, not the quietest I have heard, but the balance between rebound and realism is quite good. In fact, because you can hear the stick hits that bit more clearly you can be more strict with your self- assessment. These pads hide nothing and make even fast strokes clear and audible. The metal rim can be used as you would a rim on a real drum, but this has no subtly, and is quite piercing to thwack!

Bass Drum Practice Pad System
For quiet bass drum practice the Bill Sanders pad is hard to beat. The round plastic pad is mounted on a large, black metal frame to provide ample support and stability. Although surrounded by the same thin metal rim the pad itself is different to the BS 720 (snare type) pad with a smooth, shiny PVC type material as the playing surface, and a softer spongy material beneath. The triangular-esque frame has two screw thread spurs to further prevent slippage.

I gave this pad a pounding. I have not used double bass drum pedal for a while (band gives huge sigh of relief!) but I found this pad to be all that was expected. The feel was just right, with a soft but firm impact, and the twin beaters had ample room on the pad. The frame design was more than enough to anchor the pad to the spot so I did not even need to use the spurs when the going got heavy! Again this pad was quiet (especially compared to a real bass drum), but clear enough to discern each beater strike. It even looks good with its black coated metal and blue logo sticker.

Bill Sanders also produces full practice kits (such as the BS 715 - reviewed here) which involve several pads mounted on a frame rack to emulate a real kit. These include pads as reviewed here and they also can be interchanged between the rack and the individual pad mounts.

Bill Sanders pads are made to last. The design and build quality are obvious as for feel, the proof is in the playing. It is also worth noting that Bill Sanders pads are a permanent fixture in many drum establishments in the UK where these pads are held in high regard.  The info:

BS720 Free Standing Practice Pad - £65
Bass Drum Practice Pad - £60

For more information Bill Sanders can be contacted on 01895 251457 or email: bill.sanders@virgin.net. 

Hector (Dish) Spinner,
June 2006