Vdrum pads can show obvious signs of use like worn or grubby mesh heads and marked shells but look underneath the skin! All pd series mesh pads use a trigger cone (*pdx6 and pdx8 use a smaller tower variation but the principle is the same).
This cone sits atop the piezo pickup and contacts the mesh head above to transfer your strikes to the pickup and register clearly in the module. If it degrades and shrinks then you will experience sporadic triggering, need to hit harder or it may not work at all/just make the rim sound.
This cone is made of foam rubber and will decay over time depending on various factors. Age, usage, humidity, temperature fluctuations etc can all influence how fast the cone goes bad. I have seen ten year old cones that are in perfect shape and four year old ones that are rotten – leaving your kit in a garage that has extreme temperatures from cold to hot is not advised for this alone, never mind the corrosion and rust you will be inviting….you get the idea.
Roland stock these cones as a service part and I check every pad that comes my way for this issue. I replace any that are bad or close to failing so that you receive a drum that works as well as it did on day one.
Cheers 😉
Daz
Electro Drum Shop 