Ludwig Atlas Bass Drum Pedal

RodneyZepa

Senior Member
Hello…I'm being a rebel and posting my topic here as opposed to "Pedal" thread as it seems that this thread receives more action…So, my apologies if any drummers out there don't like…Anyways, I have a DW 5000 kick pedal and have found that it is very limiting in what I can do with it…I've adjusted and tested settings to no avail…So, I was planning on getting a "vintage" Ludwig Speed King as when I last used Speed King (40 years ago) I could play anything I so desired…Instead I bought the Ludwig Atlas Classic pedal and discovered that the Atlas came with a "strap" and "chain" drive…I switched chain over to strap and, Eureka !!!, my problem solved…With the strap, the dexterity, speed and control has improved my kick drum playing to what I had expected compared to my Speed King from years ago…This, naturally, led me to believe that if I had replaced my DW 5000 chain, with a strap, that I would have same results as the strap driven Atlas…Does anyones experience confirm this..?..I guess I could have bought a strap for DW 5000 and found out for myself, however, it does seem that majority of drummers do use chain driven kick pedals and have no concerns…The Atlas with strap is great..!!..I was going nuts trying to do bass drum triplets with DW 5000 to no avail…I will switch over to straps for all of my kick pedals, although, I also have DW 3000 chain drive (Single & Double pedals) and have better results than 5000..??..I am switching over to entire Ludwig Hardware as their newer lines are to my liking…One more thing, my 16x24 kick drum sounds so much better with Ludwig stock batter and I've tried the 3 manufacturers and found, for my kick, that Aquarian Super Kick I does the trick as well…Didn't envision writing a novel here, but, this is what happens when one doesn't work (Disability situation) (Disability, Thank God..!!..doesn't affect my drumming but does affect my stamina…)…Thank you all…Peace...
 
The DW500 I have with the strap is great.
HOWEVER, it is an older model before the wider footboard change, and when the 5000 became slugish feeling.
Mine is probably what a 7000 is, with a Delta hinge. I don't know what they did to the 5000, but when I went to get another one as a back up, it felt like crap.
Wound up with an Eliminator (red cam, strap) instead, and have loved it for I can't remember how long now.

Changing a cam is fairly easy, and the DW strap is very durable. Never had to change mine and it's really old now (probably a '94-'95).

I had an ATLAS Pro also, and basically, I liked it, but I couldn't get on with the swinging spring action at the bottom. Tried everything for almost 2 months, and went back to flying on the Eliminator.
 
Hello…I'm being a rebel and posting my topic here as opposed to "Pedal" thread as it seems that this thread receives more action…So, my apologies if any drummers out there don't like…Anyways, I have a DW 5000 kick pedal and have found that it is very limiting in what I can do with it…I've adjusted and tested settings to no avail…So, I was planning on getting a "vintage" Ludwig Speed King as when I last used Speed King (40 years ago) I could play anything I so desired…Instead I bought the Ludwig Atlas Classic pedal and discovered that the Atlas came with a "strap" and "chain" drive…I switched chain over to strap and, Eureka !!!, my problem solved…With the strap, the dexterity, speed and control has improved my kick drum playing to what I had expected compared to my Speed King from years ago…This, naturally, led me to believe that if I had replaced my DW 5000 chain, with a strap, that I would have same results as the strap driven Atlas…Does anyones experience confirm this..?..I guess I could have bought a strap for DW 5000 and found out for myself, however, it does seem that majority of drummers do use chain driven kick pedals and have no concerns…The Atlas with strap is great..!!..I was going nuts trying to do bass drum triplets with DW 5000 to no avail…I will switch over to straps for all of my kick pedals, although, I also have DW 3000 chain drive (Single & Double pedals) and have better results than 5000..??..I am switching over to entire Ludwig Hardware as their newer lines are to my liking…One more thing, my 16x24 kick drum sounds so much better with Ludwig stock batter and I've tried the 3 manufacturers and found, for my kick, that Aquarian Super Kick I does the trick as well…Didn't envision writing a novel here, but, this is what happens when one doesn't work (Disability situation) (Disability, Thank God..!!..doesn't affect my drumming but does affect my stamina…)…Thank you all…Peace...

I'm using a direct drive pedal so I can't give valid input there....but I noticed your comment on the 16.24 and wanted to say I love my lud cent 16.24 with stock batter...put an evans patch on there and its my favorite kick drum....stock reso too.

I've also noticed that I love the stock ludwig snare heads....so I've resigned myself to thinking...."man these guys know what they are doing"
 
I am assuming that any pedal, with strap, will have more flexibility with the "action" being much more sensitive than chain driven..?..Then, I suppose, more drummers would prefer strap over chain..?..I could see that adjustments to diminish "sloppiness / too much action" would then be done depending on drummer using the pedal…When I was a kid whenever my kick strap broke, I had an old leather belt that I'd cut to fit…Cheap fix, however, I'd also gauge "gigs or hours" played on kit and change strap before it broke…Karl, I've an off-topic question for you: You play Paiste, I believe, and I was interested in 19" Thin 2002 crash, have you ever owned one and what is your opinion, please.?.I listened to Paiste cymbals at their web site, specifically for crash and 19" thin sounded very nice…I will also be scoring for 24" Paiste Ride and of the Three choices the Alex Van Halen model seemed to cover it all nicely…Hey Shemp, I agree with you on Ludwig heads especially on kick…Ludwig batter seems to bring out low end cleanly and with more "thump"…I also have Evans patch on 16x24 kick…With my new Atlas pedal, my whole kit seems to sound better (It really does..!..) and so puts me back with my first ever Rock n' Roll band, Black Spice…Thanks guys and comments appreciated...
 
I like the Ludwig heavy coated (no muffle ring) on the 16x26, but it has a deeper tone than a Remo so it doesn't come across as well on the deeper 18 and 20" depth bass drums I have. It's a great feeling head though. It's also a very easy head to get "ready to go" I've found.

I like their heads on the snare (snare side especially) too.

The strap, and that cam always felt best to me, and it wasn't until I got the DW strap that I realized that it had pretty much the same shape as a Speed King. I also shortened the chain (then strap) on the Eliminators for more angle on the foot board and a while later I looked and Wow, it was about the angle of my old Speed Kings...
The SK is OK, but the posts are shorter than what's offered (on pretty much everything) today, and I don't think I could get used to that again.

Don't have a 19" 2002, but I do have 2-20's, a 22 and 24" CRASHES.
They are great sounding and feeling cymbals.
I have the AVH ride as well, and it's like a Giant Beat on steroids. Great bell, stick sound and the crash is beautiful. The crash gets out of the way pretty easily though, so it is a good "ride" cymbal.
I mainly use the 24" 2002 CRASH as my ride though.

If you like the 19" 2002 in the sound files, in the store they will pretty much sound like the file. there's some variances, but no where near as much as a B20 cast cymbal.
 
Thank you so very much for the feedback…I've a collection of 16" (I use these for Hi-Hat) and 18" (Paiste 2002-602-Alpha) and hoping to take them in except for 602's (20" Ride as well) for some trade in cash and get 24" AVH (For ride and crash) with either 22" crash or 19" thin crash)…Hi-Hats.?.I really like 16" 2002 crash (top) with Sabian AA (bottom) but almost feel like should have standard Hat, for diversity, and would probably go with either 15" Giant Beat or 2002…I'd like to do 602's but I'm going on a budget basis…Finding the types of cymbals were talking about, used and for decent price is very difficult…My son , being involved in hockey in Michigan, is in Detroit off and on and I'm hoping to head in that direction within the next year or so…If at all possible, your advice on Detroit area Drum shops would be great…When time comes…Jack White uses Ludwig and Paiste (Modern Drummer article) and I do believe all he uses are 20 to 24 2002…Larger cymbals seem to offer more in terms of musicality and I mostly play Alternative and Rock…Again, thanks for your feedback...
 
Huber and Breese Music in Fraser MI is where I buy everything. GREAT, knowledgeable staff. I've been going there for more than 30 years now.
They have Paiste in stock.

The 15" GB hats are real nice, but, if you are wanting to keep in the same "sound level" range the 2002 would probably be a better choice.
602's...don't get me started haha! I wanted the 602 15" SE's bad but they are more than I want to spend at this point, and they aren't right for the type of music I'm playing right now either to justify the 500+.

If you want to mix a Paiste with a cast cymbal as a bottom, keep in mind that something like an Alpha or 2002, or whatever is going to be 15,16, 17" whatever size, and a cast cymbal might not match up exactly.
I had that happen, and it was a bummer. The Alpha 16" top, on a 16" Twenty series bottom sounded really great, but the Twenty series cymbal off sized just enough to make a bad size match that did not work.
If you find a set that matches in size, it's a cool combo--but was $100 more at GC compared to what I was getting at the shop...guess which pair DID match up :-( Geat sound, but not $100 more of good haha!
The 15" 2002 SE's I have are beauties, and I wouldn't part with them.

JW used a 24" ride in 2002. I think he used a RIDE though. The article liste 2 24's and sometimes a 16 and the 24.
Mine is a CRASH that I ride on.
The AVH is a touch higher than the CRASH, and the regular GB24. Slightly larger bell than the CRASH, similar to the GB, but it's a more solid sound, and gets louder too.
Not as pingy as the RIDE, but better for the crash and smoothness of the initial hit and the decay.
 
I had the same epiphany as you. Bought a DW 9000 pedal and didn't mind it, as I hadn't minded the Iron Cobra I had previously, but after I switched the chain drive to the strap drive I was shocked at how good it felt. A year later and I haven't changed a thing about it- it just plays really well. I love how straps respond to feet, especially with round cams. I want to try a Mapex Falcon pedal sometime, because they have a strap option as well and there are a few things about the DW that I dislike. Anyways, glad you like yours, and welcome to the strap club :)
 
I guess having started out long time ago on strap kick pedal, I found chain drive to be too rigid for my liking…Just me but once you have the nuisances of strap driven pedal worked out (much more play in it than chain) it feels, IMO, the way pedal meant to be…Toughest part of picking up new cymbals, wife, has been broached and cleared, so, on to next phase…Thank you Karl and I will let you know how it all goes...
 
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