Up until now I've used MusicMedic 'Precision' pads almost exclusively for Saxophone and Clarinet projects and have sourced most of my tools and other materials from them. I have found that MM has always been very friendly to us in the DIY crowd. It has always had a nice website, takes paypal, and responds to overnight questions first thing in the morning. In Contrast, Ferrees didn't have an online ordering system until 2014??? and Kraus wants nothing to do with us.
I've been pleased with Music Medic, but I've been curious about other pads. Precision pads have a reputation for being quite hard and unaccommodating to less than flat tone hole rims. This sounds like an odd match for amateurs given that dealing with tone-hole issues is an advanced repair and demands a significant tool investment to do properly. Most of us just grabbed whatever cheap crap horns we can find and start with assembly/disassembly, cleaning/polishing, and adjusting and replacing pads. I would think softer pads would grant more early successes (even if "fluffing" is considered a band-aid).
So, I've gone and ordered a number of pads from Instrument Clinic that i'm going to use in an upcoming project.
: http://instrumentclinicusa.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_245_470
.....because you can't have too many projects going at one time.
I've been pleased with Music Medic, but I've been curious about other pads. Precision pads have a reputation for being quite hard and unaccommodating to less than flat tone hole rims. This sounds like an odd match for amateurs given that dealing with tone-hole issues is an advanced repair and demands a significant tool investment to do properly. Most of us just grabbed whatever cheap crap horns we can find and start with assembly/disassembly, cleaning/polishing, and adjusting and replacing pads. I would think softer pads would grant more early successes (even if "fluffing" is considered a band-aid).
So, I've gone and ordered a number of pads from Instrument Clinic that i'm going to use in an upcoming project.
: http://instrumentclinicusa.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_245_470
.....because you can't have too many projects going at one time.