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Vegan Saxophone Pads – The ‘V-Pad’

14th December 2021

We’re pleased to announce the new ‘V-Pads’ for Saxophone. Produced in association with the world’s leading pad manufacturer Pisoni, these are fully Vegan saxophone pads. They are the result of 12 months of testing, experimenting and innovation with our workshop, leading professional Saxophonists, and the Pisoni team.

But why Vegan? Have a read below to find out more…

Why Vegan? Why Now?

Saxophone pads have typically been a product with little innovation. The traditional card, felt and leather combination pad has long reigned supreme. Apart from some new leathers and resonators there’s been few credible alternatives on the market that do not rely on animal based products. 

As we see a new generation of players voice their concern on the trade’s reliance on animals, particularly the leather from calves used in many pads, we recognise that we need to push the boundaries of our conceptions around pads. 

The Development Process

We wanted to lead this charge so set about testing and assessing the current non-animal derived and synthetic pads on the market. After some exploration we were convinced that nothing out there was of a suitable quality to offer a credible alternative to ‘normal’ leather based pads.

Everything on the market we tried had an issue of some sort. There were problems either with price (why should you need to pay a premium?) or technical issues that led to a poor experience for the technician or player. So, we decided to create our own pad that would be on par with the cost of ‘normal’ saxophone pads, and critically it had to perform as well, or better.

Our answer was to reach out to our long time suppliers, Pisoni, one of the largest and most respected pad makers in the world and together make a pad for the future.

Introducing the V-Pad

Along with Pisoni and with pro-player input we have developed a fully synthetic Saxophone pad, the ‘V-pad’. It’s not only a highly accurate, very flat pad, but is also vegan, completely without animal derived products. 

The V-pads are made from a closed cell foam used in several other instrument pads, and by bringing this material into the realm of Saxophones we offer an accurate and stable pad less affected by dry weather or changing temperatures and humidity. We worked with Pisoni to develop a unique combination of materials and measurements to create the V-pad.

The V-pad is a firm and flat pad which means it relies on completely level tone holes and accurate key fitting to be done before installation. Once installed correctly, they give a satisfying firm feel under the fingers and produce a rich dark tone. 

The black foam material is almost completely light-tight giving you accurate feedback when using a leak light and we have fitted them with the same domed metal resonators as our Deluxe saxophone pads to keep the sound close to our most popular pad. 

  • Fully synthetic Vegan saxophone pad
  • Domed metal resonator
  • Less prone to sticking
  • Very long-lasting
  • Stable in changing temperatures/humidity

Full Vegan Sax Re-Pads & Servicing

A plethora of materials used on Woodwind instruments are in some way derived from animal products. However, once paired with synthetic or plant based alternatives* we can now offer Vegan musicians (or those concerned about these materials) a playing experience that does not rely on any animal products.

*Check out our recent blog on the items required to perform a fully Vegan Saxophone re-pad.

The ‘V-Pads’ are available exclusively from Dawkes Music, made by Pisoni to our unique design specifications. They are available when booking your Saxophone in for repair in our Workshop, or for other repairers to buy and fit themselves via our online shop.