Modern Drummer reviews Drops

Intro

Tandem Drums has a product that you may have seen. They’re called Drops, and they are weighted felt pads, created as an alternative to sticky gel-style drum dampening pads. Modern Drummer was sent a set of Drops to check out for this Product Close-Up.

About Drops

Originally introduced through a successful Kickstarter campaign by the makers of Mono drum bags, Drops are steel bearing-filled muffling pads, made of a thick, durable felt, stitched around a molded silicone tab. Drops securely attach to standard tension rods by applying downward pressure to the silicone tab.

The Concept

Drops are a gravity-based muffle, secured in place by a flexible silicone tab which allows the pad to slightly lift off the head when the drum is struck, and return to position in a “soft landing”, essentially acting as a gate to allow the drum’s full tone muffle the head vibration and control the overtones.

Drops Review

For this review I was provided 2 full sets of Drops, which come in four sizes: 40 grams, 60 grams,120 grams, and 200 grams. They feel very durable and could probably take a beating. The pad surface is not flat, rather it is rounded like a small thin pillow.

To test the grip of the silicone tabs, I attached all the drops to the tension rods of a 14” Tama Star Classic snare drum. I proceeded to flip and shake the drum aggressively in the air above my head to try and dislodge the pads. I then placed the drum on the floor and grabbed the felt portion of one of the Drops and pulled upward, lifting the drum. In both cases the Drops held strongly.

Next, I used the Drops to muffle my drum kit. I tried all four weight variations on several drum sizes and tunings. I found that on the snare, I am partial to the larger 200 gram Drop because it is similar in shape and performance to a wallet. The 200-gram Drop also works well on the floor toms, controlling overtones, while not sounding choked. The 60- and 120-gram drops did a good job on the smaller toms, with the same open tone response.

The 40-gram Drop was interesting, because it wasn’t a very noticeable difference when used by itself, but when I added another 40 gram Drop to the same drum, it was like magic. I also realized that when using two Drops, you can really dial-in your drum sound by randomly positioning them in different places around the drum.

Conclusion

Tandem Drums' Drops work as advertised. They are durable enough to last for a very long time and they stay out of the way of your drum tone. I don’t hate gel-style dampeners, but I do admit they can get a bit messy. With these, you won’t need to worry about that.

Drops can be purchased individually or as a combo pack. The combo set of four Drops retails for $59.99 and can be purchased on their website at: https://tandemdrums.com/

– Jason Mehler (Modern Drummer)