Every drummer needs a good place and gear to practice their skills. When it comes to the bass drum, you can use a full set to practice.
However, if you don’t have the money for a full set, or the space for it, a bass drum practice pad can be a great option. This is a simple item designed to help you practice your drumming skills without carrying a full kit.
Even though it seems simple, you need to choose the best bass drum practice pad to get the most of it. The market is full of different products in this regard; most of them may not be what you need.
In this short guide, I will be sharing a few ideas about these pads and how to get the right one.
Why do you need a bass drum practice pad?
Simply put, every drum player needs to check on their skills and keep everything in check. Some varying tools and products can enable you to achieve your goals in this regard.
The bass drum is one of the most important parts of a drum kit. It is used for keeping a steady rhythm and delivering those deep tones that define your music.
Timekeeping is a crucial aspect of drum playing. And since the user is mandated with the task, it means they are responsible for leading the rest of the band in the right direction.
If you lose the rhythm or change it, the other instrument will follow automatically.
For these reasons, a drum player must learn how to keep time correctly. It is not a technique that comes automatically one day when you wake up. It takes a lot of workouts.
Hence, a bass drum practice pad is necessary. It lets you keep tabs on these moves anytime and anywhere.
What is the Best Bass Drum Practice Pad?
I was going through some online comments on this topic from amp.reddit.com, which made me realize just how much drummers use these bass drum practice pad options. Every user seems to have a favorite product they find useful.
One says, “I currently have the Evans HQ Soundoff drum mute, and my beater went through it all about a week of hard practice, so used cymbal mutes.”
This is one of turning your bass drum into a silent drum heads. And, as I said before, the options are endless here.
Another expert user says, “Gibraltar is considered the best out there as far as purpose-built practice drums are concerned. It feels the most like a real bass drum and is more stable than anything else. But even then, I still brace mine in with a small sandbag.”
I have used Gibraltar on very many occasions, and I own one. If you need to work silently without disturbing other people around you, this product could be all you need.
Apart from this, consider the reviews below for the best bass drum practice pads.
5 Best Bass Drum Practice Pads Reviewed
1. Evans RealFeel
Evans is not a new name in the world of the high-quality drum set. And this Evans RealFeel Folding Bass Drum practice pad offers the best of the company. It promises excellent playability, excellent rebound, and a nice sound. Most importantly, it will stay firm in place as you continue with your playing.
This bass drum practice pad offers a quiet solution for those who want to work in silence without a full bass drum. Its built standards are top-notch, which makes it excellent in every manner.
It has a gum-rubber surface, which ensures you get a realistic rebound. Besides, the impact pad is wide enough to be used with a double bass drum pedal if you see fit.
Improve your playing in single and double bass pedal speeds with ease. And you will not be in trouble with your neighbors.
Another important feature of the bass drum practice pad is its rock-solid construction, which delivers a perfect attach with every strike. Once done, fold it up for easy storage.
On the pros of this bass drum practice pad, it delivers a great feeling, a quiet performance, and solid application.
The main con is that the impact surface might wear down in time.
2. Gibraltar
The Gibraltar Bass Drum Practice Pad is the most popular practice pad in the world today. It is a sturdy and good value pad featuring a large 10-inch rubber surface for a high-end playing response.
Besides, the bass drum practice pad looks and feels great to play on. Use different double bass drum pedals to improve the feel. Also, it features an oversized rubber surface, which lets you play with different settings on the beater height.
This pad should be a good option for those who keep on building their bass drum speed and control without waking up their neighbors.
Overall, it is a solid bass drum practice pad that feels great. Its three spurs keep the pad sturdy on a carped surface, which means it will not slide off.
Pros include large rubber impact surface, durable, a good value for money.
There are no complaints yet about this practice pad.
3. Pearl BD10
If you are looking for a bass drum pad that sounds close to a real bass drum, consider the Pearl BD10 Bass Drum practice pad. This bass drum practice pad features among the best products out there, and there are a lot of reasons why people love them.
It is very sturdy and supportive, and hence, will not move around as you play. It is wide enough to take in a double bass drum pedal. It is also made from a softer material than other practice pads of this nature, which assures a more realistic rebound.
However, this a pretty expensive tool. It would be best if it were more affordable, but its build quality and realistic impact surface make it worth the money. It is very quiet too.
Pros include a realistic rebound, sturdy build, and quiet performance.
Cons include it not fully collapsible and have a high price tag.
4. DW Steve Smith Bass Drum Practice Pad
DW is among the most popular names in the world of excellent drum sets. They are known for making high-quality products, which go beyond the expectation of many.
For this reason, you rely on this DW Steve Smith Bass Drum practice pad for its quality. It is a smart product, ideal for every drummer in need of improving their speeds.
As with any DW product, it comes with an excellent build standard. It is small and compact, able to fold away easily for storage. It is this feature that makes it a perfect workout tool for your bass drum moves.
Also, the bass drum practice tool is fully adjustable – very few others have this feature. And it means it will suit any drum preferences and pedal setup needs.
Besides, it’s heavy-duty, an incredible feature that keeps it securely place as you work on it. Even a fast and aggressive double-bass drum player will find it pretty amazing.
The main pros include a heavy-duty still build, fully adjustable, and compatibility.
It comes with several cons too. It is a little too high on the price than other bass drum practice pads with the same features. Also, the impact is firm, which means it’s not the quietest and may not sound realistic.
5. Meinl Dynamic
Meinl Percussion has been in the world of drums for many years, making high-end and affordable cymbals. They also make drum accessories, among them, this Meinl Dynamic Bass Drum Practice Pad. Many drummers rely on Meinl products because of their build quality.
Unfortunately, this pad is not the sturdiest bass drum practice pads like the ones above. But it’s still a worthy consideration, especially at this price range.
It features a simple design with a great feel on the impact pad. It is not excessively loud, which means it might not be so bad for your practice needs.
Despite the fact that the drum practice pad comes from a good brand, it did not just cut it for me. At some point, I was finding it quite hard to keep the pad in place while in place, especially with the double as a bass drum pad. I tried fully retracting the spikes, but this was not so much of a use.
It would have been so better if the unit had a wider and supportive frame. I have used several bass drum practice pads, and I can tell when something is wrong.
Nevertheless, this bass drum practice pad is a good option for a single bass drum pedal user. It requires a more subtle approach, which is a feature for single pedals.
Don’t get me wrong here. I am not saying that the Meinl Dynamic is a bad bass drum practice pad. It’s only that you might not find it suitable for aggressive practice.
Consider these pros of the pad – It is fully adjustable, lightweight for easy transport, and offers a quiet practice with the best rebound.
Cons include; the pad hard to stay in a single place, only for a single pedal, and does not have a supportive frame.
Bass Drum Practice Pad – Buying Tips
Drumming is naturally super loud. This means drummers find it very hard to work in areas with many people.
You can play with a double bass drum practice pad best tools for practicing those moves. These simple instruments will help you build endurance, speed, and control of your feet.
The best bass drum practice too; comes with several features that should be considered. It must feel rock solid and sturdy, stable, produce a natural rebound, and, most importantly, it has to be quiet when you play on. Besides these, the best drum practice pad bass drum option should offer easy storage and transportation.
With these features, you have a wonderful tool that will help you grow into a better player. And since there are many options, you can pick any bass drum practice pad to sharpen your skills.