Strap vs Chain

drummingman · #1 04-30-2012, 06:54 AM

How does a strap feel vs a chain on a pedal?

audiotech · #2 04-30-2012, 01:57 PM

I have one pedal made by Yamaha that's a belt drive, actually it's convertible to both. In my opinion the strap drive has a more fluid feeling to that of the chain drive. For response I would rate it between a chain and a direct drive pedal, I like them a lot. I'm going to be getting the Tama Iron Cobra "Flexi Glide" pedal in the near future.

Dennis

Deathmetalconga · #3 04-30-2012, 06:05 PM

Honestly, I have never been able to tell the difference. I converted my DW 5000s from chain to strap just because I didn't want to get grease on my hands anymore when packing up.

konaboy · #4 05-01-2012, 02:03 AM

I'm with audiotech. I changed the chain to strap on my DW9000, just felt better and actually a little lighter.

Mad About Drums · #5 05-01-2012, 02:17 AM

I would agree with Dennis and Konaboy, a lighter feel and a more direct response than a chain driven pedal, but more forgiving than a direct drive pedal :)

drummingman · #6 05-01-2012, 10:35 AM

Can you get the same amount of power using a strap as you can using a chain?

niacin · #7 05-01-2012, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummingman

Can you get the same amount of power using a strap as you can using a chain?

In my experience - no! The feel is lighter, but there IS a loss of power. The past month I have been experimenting with my Mapex Falcon. It comes stock with chain and strap drive. When I switched to strap I was quite happy how light and natural it felt. I played several weeks like that. Then I reverted to chain for a change (with the same settings) - the increase in power was quite noticeable. I guess the chain - with its weight - brings the beater with greater velocity to the drum. On to way back, however, the weight puts a bit of a drag in the response.

dmacc · #8 05-01-2012, 12:43 PM

For me, strap 100 out of 100 times. I despise chains on any pedal or hi hat if I can help it.

RcKDrUmm3R · #9 05-10-2012, 06:17 PM

This is a litte off topic but I've noticed the strap on the pearl elimators is made out of a material that makesit more like a direct drive assembly. It seems to be less "elastic" haha.

audiotech · #10 05-10-2012, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROcK DrUmmeR

This is a little off topic but I've noticed the strap on the pearl eliminators is made out of a material that makes it more like a direct drive assembly. It seems to be less "elastic" haha.

Compared to the Kevlar strap on the Tama Iron Cobra "Flexi Glide" pedal, the Eliminator strap does feel a bit stiffer. I bought the Flexi Glide this past Saturday.

Dennis

Bo Eder · #11 05-11-2012, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiotech

I have one pedal made by Yamaha that's a belt drive, actually it's convertible to both. In my opinion the strap drive has a more fluid feeling to that of the chain drive. For response I would rate it between a chain and a direct drive pedal, I like them a lot. I'm going to be getting the Tama Iron Cobra "Flexi Glide" pedal in the near future.

Dennis

I may do this as well! I tried the Iron Cobra Flexi Glide pedal at my local Guitar Center and it felt great. I'm currently playing the new Iron Cobra Jr (HP300) that has a chain, but this Flexi Glide took me back to my youth when I had a Slingerland Tempo King (leather strap), but the Tama provides all the modern niceties and monster build. I'm definitely getting one.

As far as the arguments here, chain does seem to translate the movement faster, but the follow-through I remember with a strap, for me, feels better. I can feel the beater accelerating towards the head with a strap, but when I deal with a round sprocket and a chain, the I don't feel that much acceleration. This is why DW has an "Accelerator" pedal where the cam is offset, but you're still using a chain.

wildbill · #12 05-11-2012, 01:34 AM

So, if you wanted to convert a chain pedal to a strap, what kind of material would you use?

audiotech · #13 05-11-2012, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildbill

So, if you wanted to convert a chain pedal to a strap, what kind of material would you use?

I don't know if this is possible with every pedal. I bought a Yamaha pedal, FP9315, about three years ago which came with both the chain and strap drives. I tried it once with the chain and since then, I've been using it with the strap. I guess it's possible to modify a chain driven pedal, but I believe that the pedal's cam or design will dictate whether it will work or not. I never tried it.

Dennis

wildbill · #14 05-12-2012, 03:00 AM

OK - but I was asking what kind of material would be used. I think maybe traditionally, it would be some kind of tough but thin leather. But there's probably some type of synthetic materials being used now - I don't know.

konaboy · #15 05-12-2012, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildbill

OK - but I was asking what kind of material would be used. I think maybe traditionally, it would be some kind of tough but thin leather. But there's probably some type of synthetic materials being used now - I don't know.

the one that came with my 9000 is made out of a woven nylon. I know some other straps that were used in the past were a slick plastic/nylon

wildbill · #16 05-12-2012, 04:16 AM

Thanks.

I guess it wouldn't need to be overly strong for the amount of stress it gets. Probably just have to make sure it isn't something that would tear through after drilling through it.

audiotech · #17 05-12-2012, 07:02 AM

Sorry wildbill, I misread your question even after quoting it. Leather was used for many years, but the Tama Iron Cobra "Flexi Glide" pedals come equipped with a Kevlar strap. I'm not sure what material Yamaha uses on their pedals. My first choice would be the Kevlar, but I wouldn't know where to get it or how easy it would be to work with. Leather you can get at any shoe repair shop or hobby store.

Dennis

Bo Eder · #18 05-12-2012, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildbill

OK - but I was asking what kind of material would be used. I think maybe traditionally, it would be some kind of tough but thin leather. But there's probably some type of synthetic materials being used now - I don't know.

Actually, if you were just looking for some generic strap, Gibraltar actually makes a nice replacement strap that could be used on other pedals (they use it on their own strap-drive pedal). It even has holes pre-drilled so you wouldn't have to fuss with making any holes yourself. The length seems a perfect match for alot of the older cams used on other pedals (like the Gretsch floating action cam, or the original Camco cam). So if you were to convert a pedal from chain to a strap, you would have to have a cam as well to replace the chain sprocket.

It might be easier to find an old Tama Flexi-Flyer, or just get a new Gibraltar strap-drive pedal than it would to do all the work after you obtained a cam that fit and the strap. It might end up costing about the same.

KarlCrafton · #19 05-12-2012, 05:08 PM

The IC Flexi is one of my favorite pedals.
I had one for a while, but the heel bothered me a bit.
Great action and power with a Flexi.

After the Flexi, I went with an Eliminator (Red Cam).
On the Eliminator, I shortened the chain by a link. I changed it recently to the strap (shortened that too), which I like the feel of better (after almost 10 years).

Then I got an Atlas Pro.....

cDark3r · #20 10-30-2012, 11:13 AM

I have a pearl P-100 chain pedal and its pretty cheap. its working out even thou I it brakes in a new way every month. But yesterday i played a similar pedal but with a strap. i think it was a P-100 as well but an older or newer model. I´m sold. the foot board was broken on the "heel rest" or what i should call it. butt still! i mean it was not my pedal and i would set it up way different but it was sooooooooo smooth. a big question about straps is if they have enough power. trust me, they have. they are lighter so you can trow the beater faster and harder to the head.

so i will probably buy the jojo mayer perfect balance pedal or the old pearl eliminator with the strap.

its awesome