Carpet under pedal, problem?

MaryO

Platinum Member
So this may be a silly noob question but here goes. My kit is in our basement and it sits on fairly thick carpet that has a pad underneath it. The bass drum pedal I have is the one that came with the kit (inexpensive GP kit that was given to me). However the drummer that gave it to me really hated to give up the pedal because he said it had been a really good back up pedal for him so it must be a fairly decent piece of equipment.

I have never liked the feel of the pedal. I don't know how to describe it other than its too spongy and I don't feel the rebound on my double kicks is very good. Now I know some of this is that I'm new and still learning speed and such on my doubles but I also realize that when I go to lessons I do much better on my teachers practice kit than at home. His kit sits on a concrete floor on a drum rug. I have tried adjusting the tension on my pedal but it doesn't seem to help.

Soooo, could part of the problem be the thick carpet and if so, do you think putting something like a thin board or piece of rubber under the pedal might help? If you have any other suggestions before buying a new pedal, that would be great! thanks!

Mary
 
Does the pedal have a plate under it or just two steel rods going from front to back.?
 
Just the two rods. No plate
 
I assumed that was the case. I don't know what pedal you have and it's not relevant but the more expensive pedals will have a base plate for this very reason. It makes them more stable.
 
I assumed that was the case. I don't know what pedal you have and it's not relevant but the more expensive pedals will have a base plate for this very reason. It makes them more stable.

I would agree with this, a plate will stop or refrain the pedal to "sink" into the carpet and minimise the "spongy" effect you're experiencing :)

You may try to put something underneath the pedal, it could work, but a piece of carpet with the typical foam backing is as good as any drum rug, do you really need such a thick carpet with a pad underneath?

My kit is in the basement too, with a concrete flooring, I just layed a large piece of aglomerated wood with an old blanket over the top, no problem for the BD pedal, even if I'm using the old Camco which has no plate :)
 
The carpet covers that whole section of the basement, which is really the only place I had to put the kit. I would rather have just a rug but that would mean cutting up the carpet that's laid there and we really don't want to do that. Just trying to find a solution that doesnt involve ruining the carpet.
 
Someone on this forum has made a plate for their pedal. It may be in the Drum Modification thread, but they made a plate for the bottom.
 
The carpet covers that whole section of the basement, which is really the only place I had to put the kit. I would rather have just a rug but that would mean cutting up the carpet that's laid there and we really don't want to do that. Just trying to find a solution that doesnt involve ruining the carpet.

Get a piece of plywood, lay it on the carpet, lay a thinner drum rug over the top. Problem solved.
 
Thx guys, I'll give a few different things a try and let you know what works.
 
A DIY floor plate on a Speed King.​
 

Attachments

  • 135-3599_IMG.JPG
    135-3599_IMG.JPG
    69.3 KB · Views: 479
  • 135-3598_IMG.JPG
    135-3598_IMG.JPG
    70 KB · Views: 487
Ply board with a drum rug over it seems to have done the trick! Thanks everyone.
 
Back
Top