The seed that would grow into HQ Percussion Products was planted in Long Island in the early eighties. Casino Percussion Products had a solid business in a variety of small accessory products for drummers including practice pads with gum rubber or neoprene playing surfaces. These were modeled after pads marketed in the sixties and seventies by well-known drummer instructor and author, Ralph Pace.

In 1982, Jerry Ricci, founder of The Long Island Drum Center (1977) bought Casino.  At this time, electronic drums with multi-sided triggering pads were the rage so LIDC gave the round Pace-inspired pad eight sides and a more contemporary look. The previously unnamed product was dubbed the “Powerplay Practice Pad”. In addition, the company introduced sponge rubber tom and snare muffling pads that reduced the volume of acoustic drums for silent practice.
 
As fate would have it, in 1983, Rob Birenbaum, founder of Drum Headquarters in St. Louis, met Long Island drummer, Dom Famularo, the opening act at a Simon Phillips drum clinic presented by Drum Headquarters. Birenbam and Famularo developed an enduring friendship. One of the Drum Headquarters’ instructors, Mike Ehrhard was affected so much by Famularo that he began traveling to Dom’s teaching studio in Long Island. It was there that he was exposed to the Powerplay Practice Pads, which Ehrhard began incorporating into his own teaching practice. As a result Drum Headquarters started to stock the item.

Once local teachers and students heard about the new items, they immediately made them part of their teaching and practice regimens. A few pads turned into a dozen and into the hundreds. Birenbaum recognized a unique niche opportunity.  Four years later, Birenbaum bought Casino Percussion Products from Jerry Ricci, renaming the company “HQ Percussion Products”.

Birenbaum’s first move was to give the pads a new name and one that reflected the products’ strong suit. They became RealFeel Practice Pads while the old drum muting devices became SoundOff Drum Set Silencers. Then Rob set about upgrading raw materials, refining designs and adding models to the existing lines. New RealFeel pads appeared, as did bass drum, cymbal and hi-hat silencers to augment existing tom and snare mutes in the SoundOff line. HQ embarked on a strong marketing campaign that included print ads, artist endorsements, NAMM appearances, and new product development. As a result, RealFeel and SoundOff products became the most recognized and desired drum practice devices in the world.

By 2003, HQ was a respected entity that had grown exponentially. Birenbaum realized that he was not equipped to take the company to the next level and began searching for the right buyer. It was important to Birenbaum to find an organization that was uniquely skilled in product development, manufacturing, packaging, marketing and distribution, and one that would devote its energy to HQ in much the same way that Birenbaun had for the last 15 plus years. He contacted D’Addario & Company, which he considered a perfect match.

Looking back on the sale of HQ to D’Addario, Rob says, “The sale process, transition, enhancement and protection of the HQ name, and the overall quality stewardship on the part of D’Addario & Company could not have been better. I can look forward to many years of satisfaction, knowing that I was involved in establishing and developing the HQ, RealFeel and SoundOff brand names—and that my company is in good hands!”
 
HQ joined the D’Addario & Co. family of brands in January 2004. Since its acquisition, D’Addario has focused on bringing innovation back to the world of practice products, allowing professionals and amateurs alike to perfect the art of percussion performance.

D’Addario started with simple changes like cosmetic improvements on the RealFeel practice pads, changing the roughly cut black painted bases to machine routed and powder-coated MDF board, then switching the smooth tan natural gum rubber to a dark grey fabric-finish to hide scuff marks and maintain a "new" look longer. Packaging improvements and merchandising systems have helped dealer sales provide a more cohesive look to the brand and allow the product to sell itself in a retail environment.

The most important innovations brought to HQ since D’Addario’s ownership have been product improvements and line expansions. The HQ RealFeel Snare Cartridge was the first pad in the industry that could double as both a snare and a standard pad. The new HQ SoundOff Ride and Hi-hat Mutes use an ultra-thin rubber that closely approximates the natural rebound of a stick hitting a cymbal.

HQ will continue to set new industry standards for practice product innovation, retailer support, and efforts within music education to grow what was once a simple idea into a percussion industry brand icon.