DW 9000 vs. DW 5000

ZRDrummer6

Junior Member
Ok, I play with a pretty damn decent PDP pedal, but i'm ready to upgrade to something that will increase my speed. I play Metal, and I want my kick speed to be fast, as in, Joey Jordison, Chris Adler, and Jason Bitner. I have $600 to spend on pedals. I haven't ever played on the Axis Pedals, so if someone could tell me where they rank with the DW's, I would really appreciate it. I play with a link pedal by the way. I played 2 different pairs of DW 9000 and they seemed very "loose" and "sloppy" because, the reaction time, as in how long it takes the pedal to bounce back up to be stomped down again, seemed really slow. I played on 1 pair of 5000's and they seemed great, nice sturdy, solid pedals with great reaction time. I don't know much about cam adjustments and all that, but I like my pedals to be sturdy enough where have to put a little bit of strength into my foot, but light enough so I can go fast. I appreciate anyone that cares to help me out.
 
1. The Axis pedals are good, but they are way over priced and break a lot.
2. The difference between the DW 5000's and 9000's are not worth the money
3. If you havn't tried out the Iron Cobra's yet, i suggest you do so, personally i think they were better then the 9000's and they were about half the price

the dw and axis pedals are way overpriced, the iron cobras are definatly the way to go, save your money and buy another cymbal or something

try a search, you will find many good things on both the IC's and the DW's, but you will find that more people use the IC's and are glad they saved the money
 
I prefer the DW 5000 series pedals over the DW 9000 series. I can't justify spending the extra money to upgrade when playing the bass drum is mostly about technique anyway. I haven't ever tried the Iron Cobras (the name sounds too silly too me - like they will make you into a martial arts guru like Pat Morita). At one Yamaha was making some of the smoothest double pedals available but I don't know if they are still available or not, I believe they were the 900 series and defintely before the Flying Dragons (what's with all the reptile names?).


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
5000s and Iron Cobras seem very similar to me, but Iron Cobras weigh like twice as much, and they're HUGE.

And if you play in socks, you'll have bruises on the tops of your feet from the iron cobras because the beaters seem to bounce around alot more than any other pedal I've played. The beaters always whack the top of my foot on upstrokes...

Go play every double pedal you can find until you find one you like.

Or, send me 100 bucks and I'll sell you my Pearl P100 double.
 
5000s and Iron Cobras seem very similar to me, but Iron Cobras weigh like twice as much, and they're HUGE.

And if you play in socks, you'll have bruises on the tops of your feet from the iron cobras because the beaters seem to bounce around alot more than any other pedal I've played. The beaters always whack the top of my foot on upstrokes...

Go play every double pedal you can find until you find one you like.

Or, send me 100 bucks and I'll sell you my Pearl P100 double.

i disagree with everything you said, they are not huge, the beaters only hit your feet because the tension is set wrong when you get them, im not sure about the weight but your making them sound like they're a waste of money, but ZRdrummer you must not listen to anyone on this site, go and try out all the pedals you can and grab the one thats best for you, our opinions do not represent your comfort preferences
 
I second what Ironcobra said. Go try them out and make your own decision. I played the DW 5002 for ten years without any problems. Only recently did I upgrade to the 9002. Plus do what I did and find them used for $300, though they were brand new. Deals are out there.
 
I used the ironcobra double pedal when I played metal and it was very comfortable and fast. I had that pedal for about 3 years before I stripped the insterts for the rod that connects the two pedals together. I could not get that part from anyone while on tour, but a nice guy at a Guitar Center in Alabama hooked me up with one from their pedals in stock and sent my part back as defective...AWESOME! Anywho, when I switched back to single pedal playing I went all out and bought the DW 9000. It was super smooth, very fast, and very well built. There was a lot of adjusting that had to be done to arrive at that point though because they are so over engineered. When I decided to get another double pedal I bought the DW 5000 turbo thinking I could get that feel. I can't seem to get the pedal set up just the way I'd like, it just feels a little heavy. When my band opened up for another group this last week, I had to use the headliners kit at the house's request. Their drummer had the Ironcobra pedal and it felt like home again. They feel lighter, quicker and smoother. But, the pedal did not feel as overbuilt as the DW, so reliability may be an issue as was my case a few years ago.
 
These are all good pedals -it’s really just a matter of what you like best.

I Just wanted to back up to the original post here for a sec, though. If you want to get faster, buying a new pedal isn’t the best way to do it. This is especially true if the one you’ve already got is pretty decent, as you say. You may notice a difference, but it’s certainly not going to bump you up to the next level or anything.

You’ll make a bigger difference in what you can play by trying to improve your technique. The guys who are real double bass monster players can do what they do on any pedal and the gear they choose is really just a matter of preference, or, for the bigger name guys, it can be in part a business decision when it comes to endorsing a particular brand of gear.

Anyway, I’m just trying to be helpful -I don’t mean to come off sounding condescending or anything. I’d honestly say to save your money and just shed your butt off. If you really want to get something for yourself, spend on lessons. What you can get out of a good teacher will benefit your playing far more than any piece of gear ever will.

Hope that helps!
 
i disagree with everything you said, they are not huge, the beaters only hit your feet because the tension is set wrong when you get them, im not sure about the weight but your making them sound like they're a waste of money, but ZRdrummer you must not listen to anyone on this site, go and try out all the pedals you can and grab the one thats best for you, our opinions do not represent your comfort preferences


Hey man, I was just stating my opinions that were created from my own personal experiences. As far as the spring tension being the cause of the beater hitting my foot... that's how I set my pedals, no matter what they are, and the Iron Cobras are the only ones that do that. That doesn't make me wrong, it makes me different...

I also said exactly what you said in your last sentence in my previous post.

Of course, with a name like "ironcobra" I almost expected you to defend Tama's pedals, which are of the highest quality. I tried them and didn't like them so I figured I would post my experience with them here where my opinions might help someone else... I thought that's what these forums are for.

Anyway, like i said before, the only way you're going to find the right pedal for YOU is to go to your local store and play with all of them...
 
Hey man, I was just stating my opinions that were created from my own personal experiences. As far as the spring tension being the cause of the beater hitting my foot... that's how I set my pedals, no matter what they are, and the Iron Cobras are the only ones that do that. That doesn't make me wrong, it makes me different...

I also said exactly what you said in your last sentence in my previous post.

Of course, with a name like "ironcobra" I almost expected you to defend Tama's pedals, which are of the highest quality. I tried them and didn't like them so I figured I would post my experience with them here where my opinions might help someone else... I thought that's what these forums are for.

Anyway, like i said before, the only way you're going to find the right pedal for YOU is to go to your local store and play with all of them...


ya i agree, i think i was a little grumpy when i posted that
 
Thanks for all the really good feed back. I have played on the Iron Cobras many times and I really didn't like them. They felt extremely heavy and slow for me. I have played on a pair that felt really good though, my friend owns them and him and I have similar interest in spring tension and all that stuff I guess. See, I wonder if I just messed around with the 9000's a little, if they would be perfect for me. That is, If I choose to buy them. I'm going back to Guitar Center next weekend, so I will try and find whatever I can.
 
I have an IC single. I tried eliminators, aixs, gibraltar (their best ones), and some yamaha flying dragons. At the time I definitely found the ICs the more comfortable pedal. I tried some 5000s and 9000s a month or so later found them to be better. I also really like the Yamaha FDs now. Don't get me wrong the ICs are a great pedal and there's nothing wrong with them, but I liked the DWs better. The 9000s were just sooo smooth.
 
Nothing wrong with getting a "better" pedal. But the cats you mentioned, Joey Jordison, Chris Adler, and Jason Bitner, they'd burn a hole in your kick drum with your own pedal. They're just plain fast. And they'd play fast with any pedal, even though I'm sure they each have their own "favorite" as well. Get your feet on as many pedals as you can. I played all the top contenders. Had both a DW 5000A3 and a Yamaha FP9410 (Flying Dragon Direct Drive - agree'd, stupid name) in my studio for over a month, and A/B'd them. The Yamaha won. Sold the DW and bought a second Yamaha. Only you'll know what feels best for you.
 
I can never resist checking out these threads about DW pedals, and finally had to post. Why does nobody ever mention that the DW9000 pedal footplates clank into the cam if you, say, swap from the left kick pedal to the hihat? It's really annoying, and if it was on an acoustic kit in the studio it would be unacceptable. I play a Roland V-Pro kit, so the noise is not such an issue, but it was still very aggravating. It is very hard to find a setting that minimises this problem, and I have heard of people gluing rubber pads to the toe part to silence this racket, but still, no mention of it in these threads.

It's a beautiful smooth pedal as long as you keep your feet on it, but that one glitch made me sell it on eBay and get myself a Trick Pro-1V double pedal, which was lightning fast - a different feel, more like a runaway sports car, but the things you can do on it once you are used to the action...!!! Then again, I have just boxed that up this morning and posted it after selling it on eBay too. That was only because I have sold the expensive V-kick pad and gone to the mini KD9 triggers to get the multi-pedal setup closer together, and the Tricks do not work well with the upside-down beaters supplied by Roland, nor do the quick-release clamps fit securely to the metal lip. Oh well, not much luck with pedals lately, eh? :)

I have gone back to single DW5000's now, as you can link the triggers together eliminating the need for double pedals at all, and I LOVE them - better feel than the 9000's and not a hint of clanking. Will miss the Tricks on my next acoustic kit though...

So after all that waffling, what was said earlier is bang on - it's technique, not the pedal - but watch out for the clanky 9000's - for that reason alone I'd say out of the two, definitely go with the 5000's.
 
I sit at Guitar Center every day...considering I work there and try out every single pedal we have there. I've been doing it a lot lately because Im trying to decide between the 5000 and the 9000 double pedal. In MY opinion, the difference between the 5's and the 9's are huge, i've played them both side by side, countless amount of times. I love the resistance the 5's give me but I think thats due to the fact that Im used to the feel of my old Iron Cobras. I've had the 5's and the IC's, and used them both as my main pedals, switching them out from time to time. When I'd get tired of the feel of one, I'd go to the other...(I know, weird, but cool because I'd get stoked all over again) I posted a thread awhile back on how I busted the foot board in half on my 5's, don't really know how or why, but they were the old versions of the 5's, i.e. 'Chain Drive'..not 'The Drummers Choice'. Im sure they've made them better over time, so im not to worried about that. Im pretty sure I've settled on the 9's, I've messed with them enough, and was able to find the right settings, which feels amazing by the way, because I can get that resistance but they have the super smooth 'buttery' if you will feel to them..amazing. Still can't decide if I like the IC's over the 5's though, its a toughy. Eliminators aren't bad and the YFD's aren't bad either. The options the 9000's offer are definitely worth the extra $140 bucks IMO. Give your feet what they want and need, do not settle.
 
I really like boh but i found the 9000, yes, TOO SMOOTH for me. I needed more resistance. Maybe that came with the years i spent on my Pearl 120.

This seems to be the case for many drummers; especially those of us who came up on the Speed King pedal. back in the day, some guys went to the Slingerland YellowJacket and brought it back, saying it was too smooth for them!



Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
...I have both a 5000, and 9000 single pedal.

My only complaint about the 9000 is that I can't set the beater height as high as I would like to when using my 24" bass drum.

Also, I have to re jig the thing when using it with my 20" bass drum, in order to get the right feel from it.

If I had to choose one over the other, I would lean more towards the 5000.

Just my two cents.

barry
 
So, I'll revive what looks like a dead thread, since I just did the 5000 vs 9000 test myself, this weekend.

It just goes to show that even when you try gear in the store, you don't really know what you're in for until you get it home and spend time getting to know it.

Why does nobody ever mention that the DW9000 pedal footplates clank into the cam if you, say, swap from the left kick pedal to the hihat? It's really annoying, and if it was on an acoustic kit in the studio it would be unacceptable.

It's a beautiful smooth pedal as long as you keep your feet on it, but that one glitch made me sell it...

This is the first thing I noticed. The cam is so huge on this pedal, the toe of the footboard smacks right up against it if you get the pedal going full-swing. This seems like really poor design to me. Even after sliding the chain all the way up the cam, I still had this problem. This doesn't happen on the 5000.

I really like boh but i found the 9000, yes, TOO SMOOTH for me. I needed more resistance.

This is what kills it for me. This pedal is so buttery-smooth, you almost can't feel it under your foot. It feels like it lacks all of the power and thrust that the 5000 has. I spent about 6 hrs. dinking w/ it this weekend and just can't bring myself to like it better than the 5000 AD3.

Also, and this is just a total nit-picking thing - when clamping the 9000 to your BD hoop evenly (without tipping the pedal left or right), your beater ends up way out in right field, on the head.

Unfortunately, I'm returning it for a refund. The 9000 gets a big "thumbs down" for me!
 
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