Bo Eder
Platinum Member
After acquiring my Rogers Big R kit, I remembered how I always wanted to try one of those Rogers Supreme pedals which debuted in 1975. I remember seeing one as a kid when Rogers drums were still alive in Fullerton and I was amazed at the heavy-duty look of the pedal. When you're nine years old, you're not thinking about 'playability' or anything like that - it was literally the heaviest pedal back then.
I managed to find one, and the previous owner said everything is original, including the cam strap and the spring and hook. After getting it and cleaning it up and trying all the adjustments, the only thing I've replaced was the spring and hook (after 38 years those don't hold up too well, although these still worked), so I put a new set on by Tama, and scrounged up a plastic sleeve for the hook to eliminate the extra friction.
The pedal is basically a Swiv-O-Matic pedal on steroids, and after almost 40 years, the bearings are still smooth, and nothing binds, everything still functions as it should. Quite a testament to how well they built it back then! Once I made the angles and spring tension match that of my almost-as-old Tama Flexi-Flyer (which serves as my back-up), wouldn't you know I was up and flying on this Supreme pedal with almost no adjustment time needed by me.
I have noticed that throughout my life of revolving gear, I've always had the newest pedals, but I've always adjusted them to feel like what I grew up on (which is a combination of the venerable Ludwig Speed King, and the Slingerland Tempo King). So while I'm on the subject of playing vintage drum kits, why not just play the vintage pedals that my foot knows so well anyway? I laughed at myself when I bought a Trick Pro-1V pedal and worked so hard at making it feel like one of those old pedals I learned how to play on as a kid, I later sold it in shame.
Sure, these old pedals don't have plates underneath them, but it makes them alot lighter to carry around and they can be dismantled to take up less space in the trap case. I actually prefer to feel the frame of the pedal bending underneath me sometimes. I feel like I'm playing a musical instrument, and not just kicking it!
The only drag about the Rogers pedal is that the beater shaft is quite a bit thicker than what pedals use today. I can use newer beaters, but the hole is bigger. It would be nice to find a couple of actual Rogers beaters to keep as spares. I'll check with Pro Drum this coming week, and John Ploughman pointed me to Al Drew who probably has a few in stock, but if anybody here has one they can part with, send me a PM
It'd be really cool if I can find a matching Rogers Supreme hi-hat stand.....
Enjoy the pictures!
I managed to find one, and the previous owner said everything is original, including the cam strap and the spring and hook. After getting it and cleaning it up and trying all the adjustments, the only thing I've replaced was the spring and hook (after 38 years those don't hold up too well, although these still worked), so I put a new set on by Tama, and scrounged up a plastic sleeve for the hook to eliminate the extra friction.
The pedal is basically a Swiv-O-Matic pedal on steroids, and after almost 40 years, the bearings are still smooth, and nothing binds, everything still functions as it should. Quite a testament to how well they built it back then! Once I made the angles and spring tension match that of my almost-as-old Tama Flexi-Flyer (which serves as my back-up), wouldn't you know I was up and flying on this Supreme pedal with almost no adjustment time needed by me.
I have noticed that throughout my life of revolving gear, I've always had the newest pedals, but I've always adjusted them to feel like what I grew up on (which is a combination of the venerable Ludwig Speed King, and the Slingerland Tempo King). So while I'm on the subject of playing vintage drum kits, why not just play the vintage pedals that my foot knows so well anyway? I laughed at myself when I bought a Trick Pro-1V pedal and worked so hard at making it feel like one of those old pedals I learned how to play on as a kid, I later sold it in shame.
Sure, these old pedals don't have plates underneath them, but it makes them alot lighter to carry around and they can be dismantled to take up less space in the trap case. I actually prefer to feel the frame of the pedal bending underneath me sometimes. I feel like I'm playing a musical instrument, and not just kicking it!
The only drag about the Rogers pedal is that the beater shaft is quite a bit thicker than what pedals use today. I can use newer beaters, but the hole is bigger. It would be nice to find a couple of actual Rogers beaters to keep as spares. I'll check with Pro Drum this coming week, and John Ploughman pointed me to Al Drew who probably has a few in stock, but if anybody here has one they can part with, send me a PM
It'd be really cool if I can find a matching Rogers Supreme hi-hat stand.....Enjoy the pictures!
