something wrong with my DW9000

yousif

Junior Member
So I've had my DW9000 single pedal for a little over 2 years now. When I bought it I was upgrading from the crappiest PDP pedal available, which had come with my first drum set. A few months ago I began to notice that my 9000 pedal isn't that good. I don't know if something is wrong with it, but I've tried EVERYTHING settings-wise. I've adjusted and readjusted many times, keeping settings for weeks at a time to see if the pedal would feel better once I got used to the new settings, but to no avail. And my foot technique isn't the problem here; whenever I go to a Guitar Center and play on their sets, the pedals always feel amazing to me, even when they're not nearly as high quality pedals as DW9000's. I'm starting to get really frustrated because I went back and tried my old PDP pedal, and there isn't much of a difference between it and my DW9000... I think I might need to replace the spring or something, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions?
 
The spring is my first thought, they do stretch over time. Pretty in-expensive part to replace and should make a difference.
 
I have a 9000 at home, the thing is built like a tank. I gig w/ a 5000. My first thought is that you are doing something wrong, or you just don't like the feel of the 9000. They are butter smooth, too smooth for some. I like mine just fine, but then pedals...I don't give them much thought. Set em and forget em.

I would take your pedal into a GC, grab a 9000 there that feels good to you, match it's adjustments on yours and then evaluate right there. Your spring should be just fine. It really shouldn't be bagged out after only 2 years.

On my 9000, I can adjust:

Spring tension
Footboard angle
Beater distance from head

If you can't find a good setting, you just don't like the 9000. Which would be odd IMO. It's not like they're junky or anything. But hey to each their own.
 
Last edited:
Even one parameter of setting can make the whole difference in playing experience! It's up to detecting the difference. Also, the bass drum you're using at your own kit and the bass drums you checked at the store might have another size/depth or something else was different (maybe in addition to the difference in pedal adjustment) in heads, tension etc.
 
Hey Yousif, just curious, do you bury the beater or rebound the beater? Ported drum or unported? What is your BD diameter and depth? What beater material are you using?
 
I usually rebound the beater; only bury when it sounds good. My bass drum is 18x22, unported, and I use the beater that the pedal came with. Also I use heel-toe technique a lot, but that shouldn't have to do with anything.
 
Last edited:
I'm with larry too on this one. IMO, the main thing people complain about on the DW9000 is that they're way too buttery smooth. I've had mine for over 2 years and it's pretty solid.

Just what is the actual problem you're having? Is it dragging? Loose?

Seems like you've covered all the adjustment angles.
 
As BigD is asking, what is the specifics of the problem? What is it that you feel is similar to your "crappy" pedal and how are they different than the pedals you enjoy at the store?

And don't discount what Arky was saying. Your bass drum is unported, so the drum beater is going to bounce off of your heads more than a ported head. If the pedal you enjoy was played on a ported BD, then you need to put your pedal on that same drum and see if you still dislike your pedal.

If you do still dislike it, see if you can adjust your pedal to be like the one you enjoy. If, after all of that, it still doesn't work out? Sell the 9000 and buy the pedal that feels best.

I have a 9000 and have had it for many years and love the pedal. But, maybe it isn't for you.
 
I would take your pedal to the store and reset the adjustments to the factory settings. Then try it side by side with a pedal you like. Use them both on the same drum. You might find that you like 9000 again.

Now there could be something wrong with your 9000 such as worn out springs, but they should last several years for most people.

I would tend to think that maybe your bass drum could use new heads and a retuning. Is your batter head really loose?
 
The thing I liked about the pedals I tried at the store was that when I used the heel-toe technique, it was effortless. They responded better to my foot than I was used to. There was nothing special about the pedal I'm remembering; it wasn't a longboard or anything. The 9000 just takes more effort for me to use, and I don't know why. I've ordered a new spring, so if that's the problem it will be fixed soon. If that doesn't solve the problem, I'll probably take it in to the store and reset the settings. Also I could try the 9000's they have at the store to see if there's a difference.... And I never really thought of it, but you guys could be right in saying that the dw9000 just isn't for me. Thanks for the info though, it helped!
 
2 things about your dilemma:

  1. If you happen to have larger-than-average feet then there's a chance you could be rubbing up against the spring. For some reason the 9000 has the spring on the inside of the frame which can sometimes cause the larger-footed player to bash into it. Even if you're making the slightest contact it could make a difference.

  2. The 9000 boasts (amongst other things) an "infinitely adjustable" cam. If you're used to playing on a blue-collar pedal that cannot be adjusted and suddenly have an "infinite" amount of variation - that may not necessarily be a good thing. Sometimes too much choice can be bewildering. You spend your life tweaking something that was probably fine when you took it out the box, but after a while that nagging feeling that something-isn't-quite-right won't go away until you begin to even doubt your ability as a drummer.

I recommend buying a simple good quality vintage pedal like an original Camco - something with less stuff to fiddle with. Then just hook it on to your bass drum and rock the shit out of it.
 
Back
Top