Possible Issue with Jojo Mayer Perfect Balance Pedal

scooter540

Member
I picked one of these up the other day and am really liking it. Super smooth, very fast, everything you'd want in a pedal. I have one concern though. There seems to be a bit of play in the hinge at the heel of the pedal. I've searched around and I guess I'm not the only one that has this issue.

What I want to know is if anyone who owns the pedal has this issue as well and if so has it caused any further issues? It doesn't seem to effect the play of the pedal, it's just an annoyance.

If you aren't sure if your pedal has this issue, refer to the 2:35 mark of this video. Someone posted a review and mentioned the problem at that point in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnBiO3lcuCc
 
I checked one of these out and the first thing I noticed was the slop in the fold-able hinge. Does it go away when you tighten it down on the bass drum?
 
I checked one of these out and the first thing I noticed was the slop in the fold-able hinge. Does it go away when you tighten it down on the bass drum?

Not quite sure what you mean by slop in the hinge. Do you mean the arm that snaps into place next to the spring? If so mine is rock solid when it's locked in even if it's not attached to a bass drum.
 
I'm playing a low-end Yamaha strap drive pedal at the moment for exactly those reasons. Very responsive, low resistance and effortless. the Jojo pedal is the logical improvement from what I'm currently playing. I love the idea of a high-quality, light, strap-drive pedal.
 
That's exactly what it is. It's the elite of the strap drives. It's nice that a company has finally taken charge with the strap drives because right now the battle between companies is in the chain and direct-drive categories. Hopefully more companies will step up to contend against Sonor and we'll see lots of great new products.
 
Not quite sure what you mean by slop in the hinge. Do you mean the arm that snaps into place next to the spring? If so mine is rock solid when it's locked in even if it's not attached to a bass drum.

Yes the arm the beater is on it had a little slop in it but it was not attached to a drum, it kind of looked like it would go away when it was clamped onto a drum tough.
 
Yes the arm the beater is on it had a little slop in it but it was not attached to a drum, it kind of looked like it would go away when it was clamped onto a drum tough.

Hmmm that's the first I've heard of the issue. I'm not completely surprised and hopefully it's just an isolated issue. The issue I was mentioning seems to be pretty widespread but I'll keep an eye out for anyone having the issue you mentioned.
 
That's exactly what it is. It's the elite of the strap drives. It's nice that a company has finally taken charge with the strap drives because right now the battle between companies is in the chain and direct-drive categories. Hopefully more companies will step up to contend against Sonor and we'll see lots of great new products.

So having had mine for a week now, I must say it is definitely the elite strap drive pedal out there.

Mine has none of the problems listed in this thread or on the Derek Roddy thread. Out of the box, the back hinge on mine is tightened just right (it isn't so tight that it stands on its own, nor does it slide around making squeaking noises) and the column locks securely into place with no slop whatsoever. I love the minimalist design of this pedal and I don't understand one reviewer who said they look "cheap and slapped together". This pedal to me looks like a work of art that is well-engineered and durable that will stand up to man gigs for years to come.

To each his own, though...he probably has Trick pedals that cost 3 times as much and look ugly as sin to me. ;-)
 
I have an update! So I finally spoke with someone from Sonor on the phone. He said that Sonor is well aware of the issue and I should head back to the drum store I bought it from to swap it out for another one. Hopefully I can find one that has no issues. If this happens again I'll definitely be taking it back for good.
 
So goes it for Sonor getting the bugs out before distribution. I was looking at the pedal again this past Saturday, again I left it sit there. I can imagine sitting there on the floor going through a half dozen boxes before getting a pedal without a problem, lol. Not to show brevity or lack of compassion with your problem, it's just a mental caricature in my mind, particularly after Sonor's fanfare announcement concerning their new pedal.

BTW, I really do love most of Sonors products.

Dennis
 
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I also picked up one of these pedals and like the feel of it a lot. However, I am having two different issues from the one mentioned above.

The first is that the button for quick release and removal from the bass drum hoop becomes very stiff when the pedal is attached firmly to the hoop, making it pretty awkward to push. This mechanism is supposed to make set up and strip down faster and easier, but I have found that it doesn't work as effectively as I had hoped.

The other issue, that bothers me more, is that the strap itself seems to have a lot of give in it and so stretches while being played. I managed to get the pedal set up nicely with footboard height, spring tension and beater angle, but then it appeared that the strap had stretched slightly through use. This caused the height of the footboard to drop a little, resulting in it hitting the metal floor plate when fully down.I'm assuming Jojo chose this slightly flexible strap material for a reason, but I'm concerned about the way it appears to stretch in this way and that it may not last very long.

Has anyone else experienced either of these issues?
 
I took my pedal back to the store and Sonor is going to send me a replacement pedal right to my house. I never experienced the stiff button issue but the stretch in the strap is fairly normal from what I've heard.

I've been in talks with someone at Sonor and they said that in about 3 weeks a new, much stronger strap is going to be available that eliminates the stretch issue.
 
I took my pedal back to the store and Sonor is going to send me a replacement pedal right to my house. I never experienced the stiff button issue but the stretch in the strap is fairly normal from what I've heard.

I've been in talks with someone at Sonor and they said that in about 3 weeks a new, much stronger strap is going to be available that eliminates the stretch issue.

Sounds like I should follow your example. I bought mine online but hopefully I can do the same and send it back. I appreciate the feedback. I was thinking about just returning the pedal for a refund but if they are genuinely going to resolve these issues I think this could be a great pedal.
 
Sounds like I should follow your example. I bought mine online but hopefully I can do the same and send it back. I appreciate the feedback. I was thinking about just returning the pedal for a refund but if they are genuinely going to resolve these issues I think this could be a great pedal.

I'm willing to give them another chance, I think you should too. If the retailer you purchased it from gives you any hassle contact Sonor directly. They've been very helpful and understanding and have gone out of their way to make me happy.
 
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