Speed King Question

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Provided you're not heavy footed, it should be alright. You kind of can't tell though in that pic itself, may be contact the seller for some better pics?

The unfortunate thing about the speed king is you can't really adjust the pedal angle so you've kind of got to bend the the linkage. Other wise when you play the pedal gets pretty flat when the beaters flush with the head. I believe the linkages are replaceable though. I'm having a pain trying to find a link though. I know there was one around though, I saw it when I picked mine up about a year and half ago.
 
I bought a refurbished Speed King from an ebay seller who finds older Speed Kings and replaces the grease, bearings, etc..
His SK pedals were more expensive than some of the others, but they also work like a new pedal. I've had no problem with the
pedal since buying it and for all its age, it's still a pretty fast pedal. I like the base plate mod on the SK in Harry's post.

I also put a Tama beater on my SK because the beater face moves to align itself with the head.
 
Probably a good choice. I recall seeing the price of that one in particular and thinking to myself, "that's disturbingly cheap, suspicious in fact". One shotty pic and limited information, I'd let that one go as well. I bought mine via ebay for ~$50 or so and it's still hanging in there. I periodically put it on my kit and screw around with it. It's kind of worth spending a little extra on it if you're set on getting one.
 
wsabol said:
I have started thinking about the Speed King Hi Hat stand. Has anybody had experience with this guy?
Click to expand...

Yep.....and the bass drum pedal. They were what my old man used (and still does if he ever plays) and they were what I learned to play drums on. I look back on both items fondly and feel a strong sense of nostalgia when I see them to this day. They will both still get the job done (providing they're in good working condition)....no worries there.

However, they've both had their day. There are far better options available in this day and age.

So if you're buying out of a sense of nostalgia or because you want them to visually enhance the 'vintage feel' on a vintage kit, go right ahead.....they still work just fine. But if you're buying them because you think they're still the best option out there, then I advise you to keep looking. ;-)
 
Pocket-full-of-gold said:
I look back ... fondly and feel a strong sense of nostalgia when I see them to this day. /quote]

Same here. I can't compare it with the Trick I now have because it's been too long since I had the Speed King, but the fact that I don't remember the pedal means it gave me no problems ... unlike the Dixon I bought when I started playing again after the long layoff.
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Pocket-full-of-gold said:
Yep.....and the bass drum pedal. They were what my old man used (and still does if he ever plays) and they were what I learned to play drums on. I look back on both items fondly and feel a strong sense of nostalgia when I see them to this day. They will both still get the job done (providing they're in good working condition)....no worries there.

However, they've both had their day. There are far better options available in this day and age.

So if you're buying out of a sense of nostalgia or because you want them to visually enhance the 'vintage feel' on a vintage kit, go right ahead.....they still work just fine. But if you're buying them because you think they're still the best option out there, then I advise you to keep looking. ;-)
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I'm really looking to find a cheaper alternative to hi-end bass pedals. Especially since this will be my first direct drive... I don't want to blow all my money on the newest best thing when I can get a Speed King for half the price. I also think the SK would fit much of what I'm looking for in a pedal. I just want to try it out.

There is also something about vintage gear that I love. I just feel more comfortable sitting behind vintage gear.

I understand what you are saying though that vintage gear can have problems, etc. There is someone that "soups up" Speed Kings and sells them on ebay; sort of brings them back from the dead. Maybe I'll try and find one of those.
 
There's a few cats who "re-build" them ... and tutorials on "how to do it yourself", also .... and Ludwig still make 'em brand new .... they go for about $120-$130.​
If "vintage" pedals is your thang, the Camco is certainly worth looking into ..... it's the "basic" design/ancestor to the DW pedals, and most modern chain drives...​
If "direct drive" is where you wanna be, also check out the Ghost pedal .... and the Tama King Beat pedal ...​
 

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harryconway said:
There's a few cats who "re-build" them ... and tutorials on "how to do it yourself", also .... and Ludwig still make 'em brand new .... they go for about $120-$130.​
If "vintage" pedals is your thang, the Camco is certainly worth looking into ..... it's the "basic" design/ancestor to the DW pedals, and most modern chain drives...​
If "direct drive" is where you wanna be, also check out the Ghost pedal .... and the Tama King Beat pedal ...​
Click to expand...

I had one of those King Beats! I thought it was pretty cool back in the 80s. I wonder if I could find one today....
 
harryconway said:
There's a few cats who "re-build" them ... and tutorials on "how to do it yourself", also .... and Ludwig still make 'em brand new .... they go for about $120-$130.​
If "vintage" pedals is your thang, the Camco is certainly worth looking into ..... it's the "basic" design/ancestor to the DW pedals, and most modern chain drives...​
If "direct drive" is where you wanna be, also check out the Ghost pedal .... and the Tama King Beat pedal ...​
Click to expand...

What a trip that you show this pedal because it's what replaced my Speed King in the 80s. I bought the re-built SK mostly for nostalgia.
The seller who rebuilt it said all the "new" SKs are made in China (what isn't these days?), and that all the ones he sells are the older
US made pedals. I've not tried any of the Chinese made ones, so I don't know if there's any real difference in them.
 
mikeg said:
I've not tried any of the Chinese made ones, so I don't know if there's any real difference in them.
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I've tried one out at the local store, so I've only spent a whole 5 or so mins on one....but to be honest, it still feels just like the old SK.

It didn't squeak like an old one, but I figure if I had've spent another 5 mins.... :)
 
I played the same Speed King for decades,
never a problem except for the squeak.
The other draw back was the lack of adjustments that many modern pedals have.
 
Bo Eder said:
I had one of those King Beats! I thought it was pretty cool back in the 80s. I wonder if I could find one today....
Click to expand...
I've got one in my pedal collection ... you can find 'em on eBay for pretty cheap ....
 
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