Sabian 14" Quiet Tone Classic Snare Drum Practice Pad (QT-14SD)

Have been playing/teaching drums professionally 50+yrs. Having played many types of pads and drum set mutes over the years, this is my preferred choice for a SD mute. This Quiet Tone mute, now marketed by Sabian, appears to be the same as the QT mute produced by the QT co years ago. It is a versatile mute: Can be used as a stand alone table top pad, placed in a snare stand basket, or it’s best use- placed on top of a snare drum head. Noise reduction is substantial while still picking up the sound of the snares. With an actual rim, rim shots can be practiced as well. Mute is easily removed from any drum. This standard/original QT mute has a white coated head that works well for brush playing That’s another reason I chose it over all the “rubberized” mutes our there. Feel/rebound close to an actual SD head. Closed buzz rolls can be played on the QT mute. This is QT’s big advantage over the usual rubberized mutes that provide little if any rebound. A heavy pad to carry around for travel however. Don’t know if QT’s claim of adjustable tension is all that relevant.This mute comes in a few sizes and can be used equally as well on toms. Outfitting all the drums would get expensive though. A good option might be to use some thing like Vic Firth rubber mutes on toms to bring the cost down. The feel and response would be different from the QT however.*QT Mute also comes in a “Mesh” version. I’ve played on mesh practice heads installed on a SD. They have a nice spongy feel and can be fun to play. However, like electronic drum heads, mesh heads are deceptively easier upon which to play than traditional acoustic drum heads. Imo, with practicing on mesh heads/mutes, a drummer does not develope the “chops” needed to execute more demanding patterns as compared to having to play them on an acoustic drum set. I’d expect the same drawback with QT’s mesh version.

Having a practice pad that you can adjust the tension on it always great. It is not exact but very very close to a high tension marching snare for rebound. Anyone who knows that familiar "Playing on Wood" or "Playing on a plate" sound i call it, well this practice pad is close. It is more of a muted marching snare and still sounds great. I love this thing and plan to get another.

Marie here is hyperventilating about "Amazon's customer service", but the real problem is Music 123. I have bought a LOT of music related stuff on Amazon, and have had nothing but great experiences. I read Marie's horror tale, but ordered this item anyway from Music 123. It would seem, however, that Music 123 has an ad for the Sabian drum pad, but the actual order number they used in their ad triggers the delivery of a cowbell. Not to be deterred by at least one angry customer receiving the wrong item (that would be Marie), they simply leave things just like that. So I ordered the drum pad and got a cowbell, just like Marie did. I contact Music 123 and tell them they sent the wrong item and I'd like to return it for the right one. They first tell me they can only offer a refund and not exchange the item since "it was sold on Amazon marketplace" (can anyone say Bait and Switch??) I have problems arranging a pickup from UPS to return the item so I contact Music 123 again, and this time they tell me they WON'T PAY FOR THE RETURN shipment. Why is that? Well, they tell me, "You ordered a cowbell." At which point I go ballistic and remind them that in my original post to them I claimed they sent the wrong item, I cut and paste my order from Amazon, etc.But here's the point: After taking all this grief from the seller I contact Amazon and go through their claims process, which is fast, fair, and easy. You don't call them, you do it online by following links and sending email descriptions of your problem. They do the actual claim for you, on your behalf. In a heartbeat I had a return shipment label, and a guarantee of refund. So to Marie and anyone else reading my advice is this: You can do business with Amazon and have confidence. I have literally hundreds of transactions. Many of them marketplace items from third party sellers. If you have a rare problem with one of those sellers, Amazon will take care of you. But in my opinion you should avoid Music 123 like the plague.

This pad is perfect for practicing brushes when I'm away from home and have no chance to practice on a real snare. The coated head that comes with this snare reminds me of an Evans G1, but could be swapped out for any other head if desired. It's not as quiet as normal gum rubber pads, but is excellent for practicing brushes and gives great feedback for brushes.

Great feel — very realistic action. Good quality. My only complaint is that, if the snare drum is tilted, the pad will slide an inch or so, so it is not quite centered on the drum. Not a big deal.

As close to a real drum head as you can get for practice.

The Amazon experience was HORRIBLE! I've wasted 1/2 hr of my morning, plus all of the time it took for the WRONG item to ship. Now I need to ship back the wrong item and re-order the CORRECT item for the price that was originally quoted. I asked Andy to speak to the vendor for me, he got them on the phone and then just hung up. The vendor was saying- "Andy, Andy are you there..." After 3 phone calls to Amazon and speaking to one team leader, I have no satisfaction. I'm stuck with the wrong item, have a new credit card that I don't want (they offered me a discount if I opened a new card), and I don't have my items. Amazon is not willing to get Music 123 on the phone to explain that they sent the wrong item number and are at fault to see if the vendor can honor the original price. Amazon has the first four letters of the word AMAZING in their title, but their customer service anything but amazing.

Great for brushes and sticks work