Wire Base vs Base Plate on bass drum pedal

Drummertist

Drummertist

Silver Member
Other than making the pedal lighter and foldable, what are the pro's and cons of having a wire base vs a full bass plate on a bass drum pedal?

I had this thought when I was looking at the new Ludwig Atlas pedals and saw the difference between the Classic and Pro series.
 
I have an old Tama Flexi-Flyer pedal, which is your basic pedal, with a wire underneath, but it also has a cam and a strap. I think it feels great. But the only advantage to this is how light the pedal is and how easy it is to transport it around. There's definitely a 'give' to the entire pedal when you play it on a carpeted floor. The bass drum also sits a little lower to the floor if you don't have a plate. I think the reason we went to the plates is because drummers rarely get a nice flat floor to play on, and the pedal helps with that stability. But, I've done lots of gigs with my ol' Flexi Flyer and flew on that pedal as well anyway.
 
... yeah, basically a plate is more stable on deeper pile carpeting, which drummers sometimes encounter, or did more so in the past.

W/o the plate on thicker rugs the pedal is not as stable.

Plates are very easy to make and affix to a non-bottom plated pedal tho.
 
Les Ismore said:
... yeah, basically a plate is more stable on deeper pile carpeting, which drummers sometimes encounter, or did more so in the past.

W/o the plate on thicker rugs the pedal is not as stable.

Plates are very easy to make and affix to a non-bottom plated pedal tho.
Click to expand...

I'd like to point out though, that a pedal with a plate is not a pre-requisite for playing well though. It certainly makes it easier, but the first time I hear a kid tell me "I can't play because the bass drum pedal doesn't have a plate...." ....why I oughta' (shaking fists at said kid)...!

Think of all the cool music you've listened to and visualize what their gear may have been like. If you grew up listening to stuff pre-80s, then you're hearing all drumming without a bass drum pedal plate. You make that bass drum part happen regardless of what kind of pedal is on there!

End 'macho' statement ;)
 
Les Ismore said:
... yeah, basically a plate is more stable on deeper pile carpeting, which drummers sometimes encounter, or did more so in the past.

W/o the plate on thicker rugs the pedal is not as stable.

Plates are very easy to make and affix to a non-bottom plated pedal tho.
Click to expand...

Anyone got a tutorial on making base plates? This got me interested.
 
Wire Bottom
Pros: Lighter, cheaper, and easier to transport.
Cons: Not as stable. Can wiggle around a bit if you play heel up and hard, especially on carpet.

Plate Bottom
Pros: Stable design, especially on carpet and unstable stages.
Cons: Heavier, more expensive and harder to transport.
 
I've had this Tama early edition "Rolling Glide" pedal for many years and it's very stable where ever I put it. I since replaced it with a DW 5000, but I may be putting it on my Ludwig kit. It's really a great pedal in spite of its simplistic design.

DSC_0631-1.jpg


Dennis
 
I was looking at the same Atlas pedal with the wire instead of the plate.

My old Camco wiggled more because of the single chain than it did because it didn't have a plate.

I'm more in the thinking stage than the "I'm getting one" stage, but since there seems to be only $7 difference, and with the plate you also get a drumkey clip (oooohhh haha!) and it has a better/easier hoop connector, the plate model pedal would be the one to get.

If it wasn't for the stupid drumkey operated hoop clamp mechanism on the wire base, I'd really consider that one, but, you re-design the whole line, and gimp out on a thing like that???? Just use the wing screw that IS on the other one, on THIS pedal too!

So far, that's my only real beef with anything though.
 
I had the same reaction when i saw the new Ludwig pedal with wire. In this day and age of materials to use why would you put wire on the bottom of a pedal? I would go with a plate just for the sake of stability no matter what surface you play on. I love my old Speed King but not having a stable "bottom" to it is it's only negative IMO.
 
Such a fascinating thread, I couldn’t help but bump it…

But seriously now, after years with a pedal with a floorplate, I think I might revert to wire.
Some thoughts that need confirming or not:

1) When playing heel up on a wire model, I remember the heel plate sometimes flipped up off the floor. If I remember correctly, this was on a very old model where the wire ran straight from the heel plate to the posts. However, it seems this problem has long been solved by the approximately 70° angle/bend in the wires just before they join the posts (see image of Tama pedal in Audiotech’s message). I trust this angle gives extra stability and prevents the heel plate rising up?

2) I understand the problem of very thick carpeting but I can’t remember ever encountering a venue or rehearsal space that was carpeted like my Granny’s living room. I have the opposite problem; the smooth underside of the floorplate tends to actually make my pedal glide over carpeting. The Velcro on the DW floorplate was a PITA but I realise now that it had a very real use.

3) I would have thought that a plate-less pedal would actually adapt better to uneven floors while a flat floorplate would in turn require a reasonably flat surface otherwise it won’t lay properly on the floor and cause instability? The plate on my DW 5000 is slightly warped which makes me think it’s been played a lot on uneven surfaces. The result is that it no longer lies perfectly flat even when on a perfectly flat surface. Not such a problem on carpeting but very annoying on harder flooring.

4) As long as the build quality of the pedal is good, especially the hinge between heel plate and foot plate, then the overall feel should be quite stable? I’ve never been a fan of super rigid pedals anyway, the ones that are built to have close to zero give between the different parts.

I vaguely remember playing fairly well on a simple, single chain, light plate-less Pearl pedal years ago.
You can tell I’m kind of set on a plate-less pedal but I just wanted to check that I’m not being swayed by my own bias only to find out that a floor-plate really does make a BIG difference. Can’t try before buying unfortunately, so any help is appreciated.

BTW, I’m looking at the Yamaha strap drive pedal, the FP8500B I think.
 
I don't play with a foot like Thor or a Yeti, so for me wire vs. solid base is not so critical. More the feel of the pedal for your foot and style is the real choice-maker.
I have a Tama Camco pedal, lovely feel, and light to transport. I also have its heavier cousin the Tama IC, kind of the same feel (for me) but far heavier and double chain. The difference in weight isn't really going to decide if you bring it to a gig, I think.
 
With my bass drum I have a little bit better luck with the wire base because my bass drum rim sits just a bit too low, making the solid base heel plate lift from the floor. The wire base allows the heel plate to sit flat on the floor.
A folded towel is enough to raise the bass drum so the flat plate pedals sit flat.

The problem with the heel not flat on the floor is it takes away energy from heel toe and makes you force the technique.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top