2x Pedal DW 3000 vs 9000 Hardly Different

dreambeatlegend

Senior Member
What I hear is aside from the adjustments (9000 being more adjustable) the 9000 and 3000 are constructed the same.

If this is true I would like to know. It will save me about 300 bucks in June when I get my new pedals...

I haven't been able to play any 3k's but the 9k pedals are amazing and I was ready to spend the 5 benjammins on them.

thanks
 
The 3000's are rebranded 7000s - rebranded because otherwise the numbering of the pedals might have confused people (although in reality it didn't). The differences are there - the 9000 has a better hinge, infinitely adjustable cam, and an independently adjustable beater angle. The 3000 does not have all these things.

To me, it wouldn't matter. I play a DW5000, an odd 'Jacques Capelle' pedal and an old Pearl P100 and I like them all. I would happily play a 3000 if that was all that I could play and having played on a 7000 several times, I can happily say that it is a quality pedal. Whether or not the extra features are necessary for you is really your call.
 
MFB hit on the only real differences...also, the 9000s say "9000" on the footboards :)

I have the 3000 double and it's awesome. I personally do not see a need to spend an extra $500 for the 9000 unless you're going to play some Cannibal Corpse type death metal.
 
Don't get me wrong, the DW9000 is a great product and in many ways it was an aspirational product (and still is to a lesser extent) but unless you're looking for something very specific in pedal feel, I don't think it's necessary to buy one. It would have been a nightmare a few years ago for me when I was a serial tweaker - although I'm over that now.

Does the 3000 (I want to call it the 7000, it just IS) function well as a pedal? Yes. Is it competitively priced? Yes, it is. I think the Iron Cobra Jr. is a pedal that is very much the same, but a fraction cheaper than the 3000 (if you can live with single chain, and yes - I could, quite happily) if you want a logarithmic cam (which I don't). Yamaha make a few pedals in this range as well. There are plenty of different pedals out there in the same price range if you look around.
 
To me the floating rotor on the 9000's feels pretty unique. I play a modified dw9000 double pedal (Axis universal connector/plastic beaters) for metal or a dw 5000 single for everything else.

The 5000 feels more solid like a good all around pedal, but I like the 9k's more loose feeling for playing fast. I know some people complain about the 9000 being to "buttery" but dang they get flying fast and still pack a huge punch. So sure for 98% of stuff I'm sure the 3000 would be fine, but the 9000's are a different beast. You don't NEED all the features it has but it's sweet to have them to dial in the perfect feel.
 
The one time I owned a 9000, it made me get a matching 9000 hi-hat because I just wanted the pedals to match when I looked at them ;)

If you can live without all the infinite adjustments, the 9000 is unnecessary. But I have to admit, putting the spring assembly on the inside of the post was the dumbest idea I've ever had to deal with. I would have kept it if it was on the outside of the post where I could easily get to it without having to manipulate my fingers to get in there!
 
I recently picked up a 9000 double, traded the Speed Cobra for it. I switched the beater to a Yamaha felt beater. Like the feel of this thing a lot, very smooth and very easy to go very fast. I'm also able to do quick heel up patterns easier than before. I have been a heel toe guy for years.

The one negative about this pedal (about all DW pedals really) is the heel plate. Its incredibly bulky and annoying for heel toe. I am probably going to sell the pedal because of this.
 
That's mainly what I don't care for with DW pedals.
The heel plate!

I had (my son uses it now---he stole it from me 5 yrs ago when he was 4) a 5000 Strap drive pedal that felt GREAT.
When I went to get another Strap 5000, the feel was GONE, the heel plate felt like...bad.

I don't know what they did to that 5000 line, but it did not feel anything like the original one. I set it up exactly the same too. The wider foot board didn't bug me as much, but the heel was awful.
The old 5000 still feels great (it's maintained).

I have the 3500T (1), which WAS a 5500TL (have 2)...
The 7000 pedal is real nice--Oh yeah, now it's the 3000...it's the OLD version of the 5000, which if I wasn't extremely happy with my Pearl Eliminators, I'd just get one of those, put on the strap cam and a Delta hinge on it.
I put a Delta hinge, and a round heel on my main gigging hat stand. I may do it to this newest hat stand because it's for a gigging kit for another group and I like the feel better.

I never did see what the big deal was with the 9000, but it does look nice. I don't like the feel of the pedal at all, but the hat stand is nice.
 
I have a 9000 at home. It is silky smooth. I use a DW 5000 for gigs. It's the workhorse of pedals for non extreme bass drum playing. I never think about my pedal and haven't touched the adjustments in years. That says it all. If you play extreme bass drum, then I think pedals may come into play, but most anything you buy will do the job for most stuff. Pearls, IC,s any DW, they'll all work.

I'm with you Karl, I don't like the DW heel plate either. I play in socks and that thing is shaped like a meat tenderizer. I wish they would make something more barefoot friendly. I epoxied a piece of old tool pouch leather to mine because I hurt my heel on it once when I came down on my heel on the last note of a song way too hard. Dam near broke my heelbone, which, as you all know, is connected to the anklebo...nevermind
 
well i sold out and bought a 9000..

out of the box it was amazing, with some adjustments its "perfect" at least for me.. I think it just suits my style.I played almost every pedal imaginable in the city and these were on sale and just seemed like the way to go.. no remorse.
 
Ive seen the new(ish) 3000 and it looks really good, double chain, sturdy ect ect. Im thinking of getting one soon. I was looking at a 5000 and a 9000 but really for the money you save i dont see much difference in the three pedals. Im thinking at the end of the day its the drummer not the pedal that makes it good!
 
I have a 9000 at home. It is silky smooth. I use a DW 5000 for gigs. It's the workhorse of pedals for non extreme bass drum playing. I never think about my pedal and haven't touched the adjustments in years.

I think we should start a club. 'DW5000 Owners that Haven't Adjusted in Years'. I don't think I've changed anything (bar the beater) on my DW5000 since 2007 or so!
 
Lil thread bump here...Got my van stolen recently, lost some drum gear including a spare DW 5000 single pedal I kept in my truck for emergencies. So I'm in GC looking to replace it, and I am comparing the DW 3000 to the DW 5000. Except for the footboard and some red coloring, I can't tell the difference. Same base plate, same cast shaft support, same hex shaft, same side operated hoop clamp, same cam, spring, chain, same adjustment cam on the outside, same drum key holder...I paid $99.00 for the 3000, the 5000 was $159.00 USD.
I couldn't justify the extra 60 bones. Maybe the hinge is different? That's the only thing I can't tell. The 3000 hinge looks plenty solid to me. It's like a 5000 for a hundred clams.
 
I have the 9002s and they're great.

I have a 7000 single pedal that is the same as the newer 3000. It has a great feel. Not quite as silky and smooth as the 9000 but it feels real solid and there seems to be a little higher spring tension.

Maybe I need to get a shorter spring for my 9000.

The 3000/7000 is a good pedal for $99.
 
I got a DW3000 (single) and it was an upgrade from my original DW pedal, which worked for the better part of 20 years.

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I sat down in Guitar Center one day and played with all three (DW 3000, 5000, & 9000) pedals. I honestly could feel a small improvement going up from 3000 to 5000 to 9000. I do agree that most any pedal will get the job done. Look at what the many great drummers of the past had to work with. But I do dream about having a DW 9000 double pedal.
 
All solid pedals. Though the price is different it is more about feel.

I've had my 5002 for years and it took a while to get used to my new 9002.

I haven't really adjusted much. My 5000 is an accelerator and the 9000 came set that way.

Working the balnace and playing barefoot like I do the 9000 has a bit more potential. The plate is offcourse nice that it's flat, but that's not really been an issue for a long time.
 
I have a 3000 and a 9000. I think the biggest difference is that the 9000 has infinite adjustments. That said, if you are the type of player that just plays it right out of the box without really tinkering much with it, then any of them would be fine. They are all solid. The 9000 is smoother, but not enough to justify the extra money.
 
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