Vex Pro Touring Double Bass Pedal

[saocir]

i would like to know the difference between Vex with Tama IC and pearl Eliminator, i cant try it because around here there is not a store to try them, Why is it cheaper? Is it better or equal to the other double pedals?, i want to know because my only option to buy a double pedal is by internet and I want to make the right decision.

Thanks in advance

[mikeybbdrummin]

i would like to know the difference between Vex with Tama IC and pearl Eliminator, i cant try it because around here there is not a store to try them, Why is it cheaper? Is it better or equal to the other double pedals?, i want to know because my only option to buy a double pedal is by internet and I want to make the right decision.

Thanks in advance

Dont know about the pedals, but I bought Vex roto toms...........................and they sucked. They actually used a picture of Remo roto toms in their ad. So they looked good, chrome and black, w/a nice stand. They were flimsey w/blue heads. They said two ply heads. Those sucked also. I have used two ply heads for 15 years and have only dented heads after close to a year of use. These were denting in days. But for 100$ I guess you get what you pay for. But the false advertising is just not cool at all.
Sorry to be so negative...........................but you asked. Good luck.
The Dw7000 is about 200$ I have had my Dw5000 double pedal for 12 years and its still going strong.
Spend a little more $ for a reputable brand. Its worth it in the long run.

[harryconway]

Gruntersdad has a Vex double-pedal, so you might want to PM him (if he doesn't see this and respond). Too bad you have to buy without trying 'em out first. I tried out as many pedals as I could get my feet on, and the Yamaha Flying Dragon Direct Drive won my money. I have 2 Yamaha FDDD single pedals. For a double pedal, I play an Off-Set http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/hrconway/134-3415_IMG.jpg pedal. Certainly, with the Vex, you're gonna give up something. (they're $99). Mostly flexability/adjustability. Of the 3 pedals on your list, the Pearl would have been my #1 choice, had Yamaha not had the Direct Drive option. The Eliminator felt real good. The newest DW 5000 is also a great pedal. Both the Pearl and the DW would win out over the Tama IC, in my book. But honestly, whichever pedal you choose, a high-end pedal is gonna be a good pedal. The differences almost come down to hair-splitting.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Thanks for the mention....I do have the Vexdrums pedal and couldn't be happier. It has more features than the PDP cheap pedal, and is cheaper. The same features as the DW 7000 series and much cheaper. For 99.00 shipped you can't go wrong. It comes with 4 sided beaters, both pedals have base plates, and both can be used singly. Type Vex in the search box and look for the photos I posted. Harry I'm not sure you will give up much adjustability...beater angle, beater height, on both pedals, left and right beater adj. to name a few.

[saocir]

Thanks for the respond, does it comes with a hard case?, i havent decided yet.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

It does not come with any case.

[counterfeitgod3]

I've also got the Vex pedals and couldn't be happier. One of the few pedals on the market I've seen that can actually be switched over for a leftie relatively easy, which is only worth mentioning if you are a leftie, lol. I've tried out quite a few pedals and none of them felt as comfortable as these do. A few members of another forum I belong to suggested trying them with the spring removed on the secondary pedal, and I think this does actually make them a bit smoother as well, so may be something to try if you are a new user, or even if you already have the pedal.
As far as the price goes, they can keep it that low because they do their own advertising, distribution, and sales. As someone who has worked in the music distribution field, I can tell you from first-hand experience that in most cases the mark-up on musical gear is at least 50%. It cost me a little over 2 dollars for Zildjian, Pro MArk, and Vic Firth sticks when I was working at that job because we got to buy the gear we bought at the same cost that the stores were charged. The Vex pedal would easily go for at least twice what it goes for now if they ever did start saling in stores. Just stating that because the fact that it only costs $99 is often mentioned along with "you get what you pay for". It has a 30 day money back guarantee, so keep it in new condition in those 30 days and if you don't like it, return it. The only problem that I've had with it was that the set screws that hold the beater to the pedal itself fell out, but if I had checked the tightness I wouldn't have had that happen. Things work loose, and I can't blame that on the pedal, but instead have to shoulder at least part of the blame myself. The set screws only cost me $1.00 for two of them, though, so it was a cheap fix.

[stevo]

After reading about these pedals, I have ordered them. They "sound" impressive, and there is a spread sheet comparison chart which compares them to the others. THey seem to go head to head with the high dollar pedals. When I get them, I'll post my views on them.

[ermghoti]

In the other pedal thread I posted a link to a thread with some scathing reviews. I have a pair of the Vex pedals myself, they're OK after some minimal use. I'll need to beat on 'em a lot to see if they're disintegrating before the 30 days is up.

[stevo]

I have been searching the internet, and cannot find any bad reviews from anyone who actually plays them. I see a lot of comments from people who are leary of "cheaper" priced gear, but not from anyone actually playing them.

[ermghoti]

http://www.drumsmylife.com/viewtopic.php?t=2455&start=0

There you go. At least one or two people extremely unhappy with their purchase.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

One or two isn't bad. I emailed then about the pedal before I bought it and i got a response right away... Sounds like the two sour puuses in those forum posts probably screamed at them right away rather than use any diplomacy. I have one, I'm happy, to each their own. Whether or not the proper supply chain was used to fit the model taught in business school, I don't know. I know I checked it out against the PDP 402 pedal and it wins hands down. It also has an onboard key and two allen wrenches for any adjustments.

[stevo]

Gruntersdad, I have ordered one, and am glad to hear a couple of people on this forum are happy with their Vex pedals. I have also read on this forum about complaints about every one of the top dogs in pedals to one degree or another. For $100. If it's not the caliber of those, I'm good with that. If it's better than my 20 year old Dixon double pedal... then I'm good with that also.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Good for you...And if you dont like it, send it back.

[ZildjMan93]

I have a Vex Pedal. I'm very impressed by its sturdy construction and innovative design. However, I'm frustrated because the chains are too long. At least, that is the conclusion I've come too.
Really, despite all the adjustments that can be made, your pedal height and beater angle are connected no matter what. Whenever I play, the bottom of the foot pedal ends up hitting the base of the pedal before my beater is meeting my bass head. I have tried so many different things to fix this and haven't been successful.
If there is an owner who has an easy solution, please let me know! If not, I think I'm just gonna end up cutting the chain and being upset with Vex for advertising a picture that is not like the pedal I received.

[Soupy]

Can you post a photo?

[ZildjMan93]

I won't be able to for a while.
I'm just gonna try shortening the chain and making a few adjustments. I think it should fix te problem. Hopefully it won't mess with the cam system!

[Soupy]

Hard to imagine the chain is the wrong length. I can imagine that the cam needs to be rotated 60 degrees, or something similar, but it's impossible to say without seeing what's going on.

Have you contacted their customer service?

[ZildjMan93]

Yeah, their customer service is a joke. I've contacted them twice and I've never heard back from them.
Do you have a vex pedal by chance? The cam seems unable to adjust independently of the pedal (and I only say seems because I have tried to remedy the problem with several different unsuccessful solutions and am running out of ideas). I was looking at breaking the chain yesterday, but I bike chain breaker can only break singles, not doubles. I have one more idea of how I might be able to fix it, but if that doesnt work, I'll probably end up buying a new pedal.

[Lunar Satellite Brian]

heyo, just replaced my Vex pedals today, Vex is pretty good but I would recommend getting some used Dw's for the price(which is what I just did) if you decide to get Vex, which isn't a bad purchase by any stretch, they are good pedals, take of the extra spring on the slave pedal and just use the one on the main pedal, it will make your life a lot easier.

[Lunar Satellite Brian]

Yeah, their customer service is a joke. I've contacted them twice and I've never heard back from them.
Do you have a vex pedal by chance? The cam seems unable to adjust independently of the pedal (and I only say seems because I have tried to remedy the problem with several different unsuccessful solutions and am running out of ideas). I was looking at breaking the chain yesterday, but I bike chain breaker can only break singles, not doubles. I have one more idea of how I might be able to fix it, but if that doesnt work, I'll probably end up buying a new pedal.

I had this problem on the left pedal, I cut it down one chain and it worked perfectly fine for me, just cut one link off and then the link beside it for the double chain.

I will reiterate though, TAKE OFF THE SPRING ON THE SLAVE PEDAL, it makes the pedal 10x better.

[ZildjMan93]

As far as the spring goes, I've heard that loosening each to about half what it needs is a great way of getting the same amount of rebound and response that you're getting from the master.

How did you say you break a double chain? Just cut each side at a time?

[Lunar Satellite Brian]

As far as the spring goes, I've heard that loosening each to about half what it needs is a great way of getting the same amount of rebound and response that you're getting from the master.

How did you say you break a double chain? Just cut each side at a time?

yup, just cut one link from each side individually.

like I said for the spring, just take off the one on the slave pedal and keep the one for the slave that's on the master.

Personally I loosened up the spring as losse as they could go but that's up to you, there's no way you're going to get a nice response from the slave pedal unless you take of the extra spring though.

[ZildjMan93]

Alright, that sounds good. I'm putting some work into my kit today (new heads, polishing, all that jazz) so I'll try cutting the chains and let you know how it works for me. Thanks for the tip, man!

[ZildjMan93]

yup, just cut one link from each side individually.

like I said for the spring, just take off the one on the slave pedal and keep the one for the slave that's on the master.

Personally I loosened up the spring as losse as they could go but that's up to you, there's no way you're going to get a nice response from the slave pedal unless you take of the extra spring though.

So I tried cutting them, but the cutter I had didn't work because it takes up some room and the second chain got in the way. What I did instead is I took the chain, laid the whole pedal sideways, stuck the end of the chain in a vice, and took a little pin and hammer and worked the little piece in the chain out until the first link came off. I've brought it down by about three pieces and its starting to look around where I want it, it just takes a while to take it apart, break it, put it back together and test it out.

Once I'm done, I'll see if I can get some pictures of the final results up on here!