Evans RFBass Bass Pedal Practice Pad

The pad is an excellent addition to your practicing arsenal.

It doesn't take much space when folded, so you can easily carry it in a backpack, and assembling it is a breeze.

The construction is sturdy and does not feel like it's going to give up any time soon.

The feel of the rubber pad is surprisingly good. The rebound is like that of a fairly tight bass drum head. I mostly use it for mid-tempo double pedal patterns and am quite happy with it.


All in all, I would definitely recommend it.


A couple of FYI's. These are not bugs of the product, but it's good to have them in mind before purchasing:

- you have to have a proper (drum) carpet under it. Hacks like putting it on a towel don't really work. Also, if you're thinking of placing it against a wall to prevent it from moving, be aware that's going to make much, much more noise;

- the rubber pad can only be vertical. if you are used to having your bass drum tilted towards you, you'll have to get used to having more travel distance before making contact between the beater and the pad;

- it is not super silent. don't think you'd be able to practice when everyone's sleeping. After all, you're hitting objects together with considerable force and speed. Unless you are using a fluffy jazz beater, people are going to know what you're up to and how uneven your 16-notes are. And don't even try 16-note triplets ;) ;)

After using it for maybe a total of 6 hours, the pad that the pedal beaters hit has started to come a bit loose. It's still there, tight enough, but after such a short use time. I'd expect it to be about new still. I can still use it and the playability is the same. But I wouldn't be surprised if the pad just fell off one time when I'm playing. But on the positive side, the playability is great and it's WAY more portable than a whole bass drum. No where near as loud either, of course. I have the pad by my computer so I can practice whilst watching Youtube. So even if it's maybe not the most durable practice pad, it does a great job. And even if it seems half broken, it's definitely not and it's a very nice thing to have!

What would you expect from a product of this brand? Nothing less than what it delivers! This HQ/RealFeel/Evans bass drum practice pad features extreme playability, excellent rebound, allows for portability and silent practice. It is quite easy to set-up and unmount thanks to a smart unfolding technology that is now becoming the standard for this kind of products: less mass, less weight to carry around! Don't be fooled by appearance, though: the structure is heavy-duty, and once set-up stays perfectly in place, even under the most ungraceful legs. One positive note about the product is that the surface of the pad itself can be replaced in case of wearing or loss: just look for the Evans RFBASSR Replacement Pad! The only negative note about the HQ Percussion RFBass Bass Pedal Practice Pad is that its price doesn't make this useful product accessible to a young student's finances, which is a pity, since there are little or no cheaper alternatives for products of this kind: luckily, Thomann is soon providing one, so watch out for the Millenium BDP-S Bass Drum Practice Pad when it becomes available again!