Kick Pedals

[Minerman]

Hey Rebels,
Wondering what brand/kind of kick pedals you guys use...Reason being, the e-kit I'm gonna buy uses a real kick pedal & trigger tower it attaches to...

I know a lot of the brand names like Tama, Pearl, Mapex, etc, but that's about the extent of my knowledge on 'em...

Chain drive??? Strap drive??? Double bass pedal???

Just wondering...

[Farview]

I have used Tama Iron Cobra's, DW 5000, 7000 and 9000, Axis short and long board and the Trick pedals.

It's like anything else, once you get up into the quality range, it is really just what you are used to and personal preference.

Most of my time playing, I had two kicks, so I didn't start using a double pedal until the last few years. It just takes getting used to.

The Axis and trick pedals have zero feel. There is no bounce back or momentum. The beater moves exactly with your foot movements. If you are going form maximum speed, these are what you need.

The iron cobra's have a couple different cams. The progressive cam makes the beater travel faster toward the end of the stroke, where the other one is more linear. The progressive cam feels heavier, and forces you to make smaller foot movements.

The DW 7000 and 9000 are different variations on the same theme. I used to break the 5000's all the time. The newer ones are sturdier.

The only advice I can give you is just pick what you can get and get used to it. I know a lot of guys that like Pearl Eliminators, it's just personal preference.

[Minerman]

Thanks man,
FWIW, this is brand new territory for me, I only recently started learning to play...

Speaking of pedal with no feel, this what I'm using currently:

kick pedal 1.jpg

Yes, this pedal sucks, but it's all I've got for now, so I'm looking at options to go with the kit I'm gonna buy...Maybe a month, maybe longer, maybe sooner, but I'll eventually get it...

Thanks again!!!

[Greg_L]

Iron Cobra is what I've used for about 15 years.

[liv_rong]

I play on a $100something Pearl and it's good enough for me. I only like Iron Cobras besides this one.

[rammer24]

I'd have to look and see what make my pedal is. It's a chain drive, that's all I remember. I think it's a Premier.

I used a Ludwig Speed King forever. It's still my favorite pedal, but they stopped making them and I couldn't get parts for the 2 I had. I'd still use it today if I could.

I'll have to check out this Iron Cobra. Never heard of it. I used to work at Steve's, Canada's biggest music store, for about 6 years. I knew everything inside out. Now, I'm so out of touch with new equipment, I'd have about 20 years of catching up to do.

[Greg_L]

I'd have to look and see what make my pedal is. It's a chain drive, that's all I remember. I think it's a Premier.

I used a Ludwig Speed King forever. It's still my favorite pedal, but they stopped making them and I couldn't get parts for the 2 I had. I'd still use it today if I could.

I'll have to check out this Iron Cobra. Never heard of it. I used to work at Steve's, Canada's biggest music store, for about 6 years. I knew everything inside out. Now, I'm so out of touch with new equipment, I'd have about 20 years of catching up to do.

The Iron Cobra is pretty bad ass IMO. I mean, if you're some speed metal tool that double diddle flams all over the place, there are better options. But if you're a rock drummer that wants a smooth, quiet, fast pedal, the Iron Cobra is tough to beat.

[rammer24]

Cool. I don't need a pedal, but I'll keep it in mind of I ever do.

When I was trying to remember the name of the Speed King, I came across this. Look at some of these things....http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/pedals.html

[Greg_L]

Lol wow those are cool.

[Minerman]

Thanks for the replies guys!!!
I'm probably not gonna fuck with a double bass pedal, that's actually something that turns me off in a lot of music...It's just way overdone, & it usually goes hand-in-hand with cookie monster vocals...

The kit I'm gonna buy comes with a pedal (Yamaha), but I was thinking I might buy the kit without a kick pedal, & buy another one...Not sure on the quality of the pedal that comes with that kit...

I'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row before I pull the trigger on the new kit...I got my cymbal booms today, & they've made a huge difference because I can put 'em where I want/need, instead of those shitty single post things that come with the DTX400...

[Greg_L]

Thanks for the replies guys!!!
I'm probably not gonna fuck with a double bass pedal, that's actually something that turns me off in a lot of music...It's just way overdone, & it usually goes hand-in-hand with cookie monster vocals...

True, but you don't have to double-kick everything. I have double pedals and I very very rarely double kick. It's just good to have if do ever decide to go spastic on something.

The kit I'm gonna buy comes with a pedal (Yamaha), but I was thinking I might buy the kit without a kick pedal, & buy another one...Not sure on the quality of the pedal that comes with that kit...

If it's an actual kick pedal, it's probably good enough to use. A single kick pedal is a pretty simple thing. You don't need the baddest fanciest pedal just for home recording on an e-kit. The higher end pedals are mostly for guys that have specific needs and extreme durability. Like for me, I picked Iron Cobras because I need a powerful pedal stroke that's fast and smooth and can handle being set up and torn down for gigs and a lot of use. If I were just home recording, I could use something much simpler. Before the ICs, I used DW7000s. They broke....and they're supposed to be good. The Cobras are going on over 10 years now of serious use and not one single squeak or problem.

[Minerman]

Cool dude, the pedal that comes with the e-kit is an actual Yamaha kick pedal...I'm sure it'll be ok, we'll find out before too much longer...

GAS for the new kit has really kicked in the last few days, but especially yesterday...The 2 cymbal booms showed up & holy fuck what a difference!!! Now, I can put the cymbal pads where I want 'em, so combining the 2 kits will be awesome IMO...
Can't wait until I can buy that fucker...

[Farview]

Just get the pedal that comes with it. As long as it isn't bent or broken in some way, it will work just fine. At least until you get your chops to the point where the pedal is the thing holding you back.

I'm really not sure any real drum company (yamaha, Tama, pearl, dw, etc...) actually makes a pedal that just sucks. Most are just variations on the same theme.