Recommendation for pads and tables

[Derek Hakes]

Friends:

I’m about a month I will finally realize a dream of mine: owning my own set of handbells. I have decided to do a solo set (G4-C7) to start off.

What I’d like to know is what pads and tables particularly any and all soloists out there would recommend. I’m looking for cost effectiveness but also acoustically excellent.

Any and all recommendations would be welcome and certainly appreciated.

Hoping all is well with everyone.

Derek Hakes
Indianapolis, IN

Sent from my iPhone

[Risë Kagan-Erickson]

Hi Derek!

Congratulations on taking that big step! 

I use two plastic folding 6' tables. They are very portable, periodically for sale at Costco, or some such place. I used to have some with adjustable legs, but the standard height is really okay for me at 5'7". I use 4 inch foam which I buy from an upholstery store in Knoxville, when I visit my daughter. I choose the firmness and they cut it to my specs. I'm sure such a store in your area would do the same. If you tell them it's for a church, they might not charge sales tax. For practice I cover it with muslin yard goods. I have another cover for putting over the bells to keep the cats and their hair off the bells when I am not practicing. For performance, I use a straight piece of velour. It is a rich color, drapes nicely off the ends of the table, looks elegant and never wrinkles because it is a knit fabric. No finishing necessary and it hangs to the floor on three sides.

Enjoy all the possibilities of personal ownership of bells!

Risë Kagan-Erickson

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[Ruth Bullwinkle]

I did the same thing as Rise. Only I got foam from an upholstery store in PA.

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[Linda Krantz]

congratulations Derek!  I am so excited for you!  I play on an 8’ table, because that’s how much room I have in my home.  I bought a Lifetime table at Costco, and I’ve had it for about 15 years, no problems.  I play on 3” foam, because I don’t do a lot of stopped sounds and never with big bells, so it’s sufficient for me.  I have a variety of table covers for different uses (worship vs concert), but my favorite is corduroy over naked foam - you will get the best resonance of echoes and mallets when you use those techniques (which I do use occasionally).

Be sure to get a table tall enough for YOU.  I am short (5’3”) and my table hits me about 3-1/2 to 4” below my belly button.  If the table is too short, you will begin to feel it in your back.  You may wish to use 4” foam to help elevate the table height, but you can also find various ways to raise the table up.  The 8’ table I have in my office has adjustable legs.  If I need to travel with tables, I have two 4’ tables for that purpose.

Linda Krantz
After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music.

[Teri Gregory]

Congrats on your new bells! That is so exciting!

I use 3 of the 3' tables to give myself 9' of space. For my solo bell spacing, this gives me just the right length to lay out G4 to C7. As Linda mentioned, getting the table at the correct level for your height is important. My tables have adjustable legs.

I bought my pads online from the Foam Factory (https://www.thefoamfactory.com/). Significantly cheaper than getting foam through the handbell sites and you can customize your size and they have a range of firmness in the foam.

I use simple covers of corduroy that I bought in bulk online and then cut to my length. I did a quick hem along the edge to give it a finished look.

Good luck - have a great time with your new bells!
Teri