DW 8002B Longboard Pedals

Hello everyone - new to the forum here, and thought I would check to see if anyone has any direct experience with the DW 8002B longboard model double pedals. There's a local dealer near me who has them in stock, and I have tried them out twice now, but have also heard from others, that the longboard pedals give you speed at the expense of power.

Since I only tried these pedals out in the store, indeed I was amazed at the BPM I could achieve with them, but being that I was not in a live band scenario, couldn't exactly get a feel for whether or not they would provide adequate punch in that type of setting. From a physics standpoint, doesn't seem that it would matter a whole lot - granted the guy who told me this was trying to sell me the Pearl Demon drive pedals at another store!

I'm currently using the DW 5002's, and have used them for a number of years. I was just in the store browsing one day and sat down at a kit with the 8002's I'm speaking of, so now I'm really looking into making the switch.

Thanks in advance!

I don't know who you talked to... longboards don't give you speed at the expense of power, they actually (not surprisingly) do the opposite. Longboards put the fulcrum of the footboard farther back (at the back end of the pedal, which gives your foot more leverage to deliver a harder hit. The fact that there is more mass because there is more footboard, makes the pedal minimally more sluggish than a standard shortboard pedal.

The reason that Axis and Trick Longboards are so popular is because they use extremely light materials, like aluminum, to machine their entire pedals; by doing this, they are able to design pedals with tons of leverage and an extended footboard, but still keep the mass the same, or even less in Axis' case, than a standard pedal.

DW pedals have the notorious reputation, and it has been proven, of making noticably heavy pedals. 9000, 8000, 5000, 7000, 4000, even their PDP stuff... it's all made to last forever, and to do that, they had to use heavier parts. As far as I know, DW hasn't started using lighter materials on the 8000B pedals, which would mean it would logically be a little bit slower than the standard 8000 pedal, but you'd be able to easily achieve a super-powerful stroke.


However, all of that aside, you tried it out and said you were flying on the 8000Bs, so what more reason could you want! If you like them, go for them!

Thanks Jon, I appreciate your thoughts. I hear that DW did make a few limited edition pedals in the 9000 series (I believe?) that were made of titanium, but I could have my facts mixed up on that. I tried out the 9002's as well, and though they were extremely smooth and fluid, I just couldn't quite get the speed and consistency I did on the 8002b's. I do have big feet (size 12's), so perhaps the longboard is the way to go for me, it's just something I've never really considered in all my years of playing. I seem to be stuck on the DW brand, I suppose because it's what I know, and I've been playing them forever. I'd be willing to try out the Axis and Trick pedals but doesn't seem that any local dealers have them in stock. I did try out a Pearl Demon drive single pedal at Guitar Center, and though it was a fantastic pedal, don't think it quite lives up to it's hype (or price tag for that matter).

Halon451 said:

Thanks Jon, I appreciate your thoughts. I hear that DW did make a few limited edition pedals in the 9000 series (I believe?) that were made of titanium, but I could have my facts mixed up on that. I tried out the 9002's as well, and though they were extremely smooth and fluid, I just couldn't quite get the speed and consistency I did on the 8002b's. I do have big feet (size 12's), so perhaps the longboard is the way to go for me, it's just something I've never really considered in all my years of playing. I seem to be stuck on the DW brand, I suppose because it's what I know, and I've been playing them forever. I'd be willing to try out the Axis and Trick pedals but doesn't seem that any local dealers have them in stock. I did try out a Pearl Demon drive single pedal at Guitar Center, and though it was a fantastic pedal, don't think it quite lives up to it's hype (or price tag for that matter).

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I agree about the Demon Drive; it certainly doesn't live up to its price tag! You could get a Yamaha or Gibraltar direct drive pedal with similar build and features, for a third of the price!

Well, you say you're a size 12, which is the same as me, and I get along fine on shortboards, but I will admit they are a little too small for me!

All in all, though, trust your instincts. In the end, price, brand or anything else doesn't matter! If you like a pedal with virtually no adjustments better than one that can be adjusted in every way, get the first one! Not to say the 8002B isn't adjustable, of course, I'm just saying; and this goes for all things, drums, cymbals, hardware, cars, etc.

Trust your instincts! I know I would go for Iron Cobras over Axis any day! Bigger price tag doesn't always mean better pedal!

Halon451 said:

Thanks Jon, I appreciate your thoughts. I hear that DW did make a few limited edition pedals in the 9000 series (I believe?) that were made of titanium, but I could have my facts mixed up on that. I tried out the 9002's as well, and though they were extremely smooth and fluid, I just couldn't quite get the speed and consistency I did on the 8002b's. I do have big feet (size 12's), so perhaps the longboard is the way to go for me, it's just something I've never really considered in all my years of playing. I seem to be stuck on the DW brand, I suppose because it's what I know, and I've been playing them forever. I'd be willing to try out the Axis and Trick pedals but doesn't seem that any local dealers have them in stock. I did try out a Pearl Demon drive single pedal at Guitar Center, and though it was a fantastic pedal, don't think it quite lives up to it's hype (or price tag for that matter).

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The DW Titanium is in no way what you're looking for if you have a heavy foot. I don't know what DW was thinking really. A cubic foot of aluminum is lighter than a cubic foot of titanium. Their titanium pedals foot board will flex if you lay into it.

You may want to wait for the new Axis, which will be coming out soon.

What I would do if I were you is rebuild your 5002's new bearings, new hinge and new chain. You'll love it and won't be out lot's a cheese. You can get bearings cheaply at a bearing store, don't get sealed bearings, they're slower. DW has the hinge and you could easily soak and clean your chain yourself, but new is sweeter. Rebuilding your 5002's will increase BPM's and it'll also up the resale value.

Les Ismore said:

The DW Titanium is in no way what you're looking for if you have a heavy foot. I don't know what DW was thinking really. A cubic foot of aluminum is lighter than a cubic foot of titanium. Their titanium pedals foot board will flex if you lay into it.

You may want to wait for the new Axis, which will be coming out soon.

What I would do if I were you is rebuild your 5002's new bearings, new hinge and new chain. You'll love it and won't be out lot's a cheese. You can get bearings cheaply at a bearing store, don't get sealed bearings, they're slower. DW has the hinge and you could easily soak and clean your chain yourself, but new is sweeter. Rebuilding your 5002's will increase BPM's and it'll also up the resale value.

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I might try that actually - I ended up making some tweaks to the 5002's and have noticed some improvement. I don't know why I've never given this much thought to the pedals themselves, in all my playing I've basically bought what I thought were a good set of pedals, slapped them on and forgot about them. I adjusted the cam position slightly, so that the beaters hang just on the north end of 45 degrees at rest, adjusted the spring tension on both sides, and oiled the bearings and hinges, etc. I didn't quite think to tear it all apart and do a thorough cleaning as you suggest, but that may be a logical next step.

Hell, I've championed the notion that new is always sweeter.. Damn having to need money for all this new stuff though!

I just mentioned the titanium pedals as it was a little thing that stuck in my brain a while back when I first heard of them. From what I understand, the footboards are very thin and flexible, but overall the pedals are light and smooth - guess that's open to personal opinion, and I've never actually played them, so I have no opinion. I probably wouldn't bother with them though, all things considered I'm a heavy hitter, and want to feel something solid under my feet.