Well I picked up an ADH 5k yesterday on the way to the gig. The first thing that I noticed is its really light, under 5 lbs which is about a pound less than the PEARL I've been using. A pound is pretty noticeable. This pedal is also petite due to no heel plate, which is another welcome feature.
Got to the gig and set the up the ADH's angles to match my PEARL and got the spring tension as close as possible. Im no stranger to 5000's played them for years exclusively after they came out in the 80's and occasionally on rentals so no hesitation having a go.
Looks like DW's not been sleeping in the RD dept, the cam on the ADH is a dual toothed affair hugging both chains down the center and it looks like they concentrated on making it low mass, its really light, Im not getting that weighty feeling in the center shaft area. The double chain is chrome plated and not that heavy, noticeably anyway. The chrome (or nickel) on the chain is a nice touch, gives the psychological impression of no dirt, grease, grime.
Its definitely an optical illusion this pedal, it looks small next to my PEARL P900 but I measured the foot boards and actually the ADH's is longer... sort of. The PEARLS is 9.5" useable due the the design of the heel plate hinge where as the ADH's board is 10" useable, the PEARLS heel plate adds a full 2 inches to length and the PEARLS bottom plate jets out another .5" So from bow to stern the PEARL measures 14" and the DW only 11" All other dimensions being right on with the industry standards, 7.5" hight to main shaft center, main shaft 5.5" long, foot plate close to 6" wide etc. etc. I'll highlite the ADH's operating features when I post pics... onto playing/feel.
Some pedals you meet don't make a great first impression, they come off as bulky, or robotic looking, too much make up or some sketchy colour(s) going on. The DW 5k ADH is non assuming, lines and curves classically beautiful, not muttley, put together looking in an industrial kinda way. The ADH 5k is the chick with a bob haircut, straight facial lines, petite but toned, in shape, confident but not cocky. The 'dw 5000' call out on the foot board lets you know she can perform and she does not disappoint.
First song what hit me was how smooth and light the ADH is, it seems lighter than any DW 5k I've ever played, but who knows, could be a popsicle illusion... "Whatever!" this pedal feels light. Me setting up the angles to match my previous stead makes for no issues with pedal burn in, the ADH felt really nice under my foot, no hesitation, no doubt, just a fun lets go! attitude is all I got from her.
The ADH excels when playing heel down IMO, since when heel up its like you're on any other horse in the game...duhh! Heel down, or getting close to it I did notice the straight back of the stern clipping the bottom of my foot (playing bare foot), an interesting feeling that I've never had b/f, it didn't cause panic tho.
Drop the heel to the floor and that's where the mechanics of this design (or lack of em) kick in, no heel plate means your foot goes (more) level, dare I say Moeller technique is enhanced(?), or so it seems anyways. Its a 'good' feeling, when your heel can touch the floor, it messes with your center of gravity in a subtle, progressively experimental way. I still need to do some tweeking, set the chain to its lowest hole setting, find my spring tension etc.
First gig impression- "Me like this little pocket rocket!".