My Old Pedals

con struct

Platinum Member
People like to talk about their new pedal or the pedal or pedals they're thinking about getting, but I want to talk about my old pedals. I've had them for at least fourteen years.

They're DW 5000s, bass pedal and hihat.

Only piano players, harp players, vibrophone players, organ players and drummers have pedals as a component of their instrument. No, I think the orchestra chimes may have pedals. And of course the timpani.

Hell, there may be even more than that. Those are the only ones I can think of right now.

These things, my DW 5000 pedals, are built to stand up to all the slinging about that happens to them. They're always just the way I like a pedal to be. You set the thing and that's it. Set it and forget it.

We all like thinking about new stuff, I mean we all do, but I tell you...my pedals, they're like slipping on my favorite pair of jeans.

I love my pedals. I love my old stuff. It works.

So...heck, I'll hit the Submit button anyway.
 
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I played a Speed King for about 30 years. I retired it about 5 years ago.
I gave it away when I bought an Iron Cobra.
The Cobra is quieter and it has more adjustments but I do mis my Speed King sometimes.
I also have an old Tama Pedal from the mid 80s that I really like and still play on my jazz kit.
 
Yep........as "nice" as it is to have Gucci new stuff......sometimes it's a godsend, other times it's just unnecessary overkill. That is for each player to decide. As long as no one enters into any upgrade by thinking it will miraculously transform their playing overnight. It may help a little, it may even add an extra percent.....but it won't turn you into Buddy in one easy step.

I've quoted it before and I'll quote it again.....a wise man once said "It's the Indian, not the arrow"
 
Every piece of gear I own and play is very well made. It's all old though. And when I think about how my pedals are treated.

You know, when you're packing up after a gig you do it the way you've done it a millions times before, meaning that you could almost do it in your sleep. Disengage the pedal, fold up the legs and the hihat pedal/stand whatever it's called gets flung into the trap case. Same thing with the bass pedal, you unscrew it, take it off and throw it in the case.

And these things, my pedals, look great! I mean you can see that they're well-used but they're....

What the hell am I talking about?
 
I can't seem to get rid of my 10 year old Iron Cobra Jrs. I only play one at a time, the other is a backup since I was able to buy each of them used for $35. Love those pedals - smooth and my foot can fly on it. I can probably fly on any pedal, but as I get older, there's no point getting some newfangled pedal I'm going to make feel like my old ones....
 
People like to talk about their new pedal or the pedal or pedals they're thinking about getting, but I want to talk about my old pedals. I've had them for at least fourteen years.

They're DW 5000s, bass pedal and hihat.

Only piano players, harp players, vibrophone players, organ players and drummers have pedals as a component of their instrument. No, I think the orchestra chimes may have pedals. And of course the timpani.

Hell, there may be even more than that. Those are the only ones I can think of right now.

These things, my DW 5000 pedals, are built to stand up to all the slinging about that happens to them. They're always just the way I like a pedal to be. You set the thing and that's it. Set it and forget it.

We all like thinking about new stuff, I mean we all do, but I tell you...my pedals, they're like slipping on my favorite pair of jeans.

I love my pedals. I love my old stuff. It works.

So...heck, I'll hit the Submit button anyway.

ya know,
i really wanted my dw 5000 kick pedal to be that pair of old jeans...really i did. i've had it for over ten years too. but funny happened over these past two years. the hinge that connects the footplate to the base broke on me. that's fine. the pedal goes through wear and tear, i'll just replace it. it was one of the older hinges without the fancy ball bearings. so i go to the drum store and say i need a new hinge for my dw 5000. the guys there tell me it's a common ailment amongst these pedals. i see a bunch of hinges hanging in the dw parts section. there's a fancy red hinge there. the sales rep says this is the better one because it has the ball bearings and it's what's on the 9000s. so i pick one up and reassemble the pedal. not even a year from when the original hinge incident happened, this fancy new hinge breaks...in the same way. suffice to say, i was very disappointed. i'm not about to drop fifty bones every few months to patch up old jeans. it was time to finally go out and get a new pair. and so i got a new kick pedal and this one makes me feel like i have the footspeed of bonham. i hope this pedal will last longer...
 
What the hell am I talking about?

lol.......What the hell am I talking about??.....I spunked a bit of coin for a bloody Demon Drive not all that long ago.

Although it might seem like an old fashioned case of "do as I say, not as I do"....I assure you, my purchase had more to do with the need to replace a damaged pedal and the added fact that the price offered was too good to walk away from, than any unwaivering belief that the DD marketing hype of Ninja barings and what-not, would make me a better player.

:)
 
lol.......What the hell am I talking about??.....I spunked a bit of coin for a bloody Demon Drive not all that long ago.

Although it might seem like an old fashioned case of "do as I say, not as I do"....I assure you, my purchase had more to do with the need to replace a damaged pedal and the added fact that the price offered was too good to walk away from, than any unwaivering belief that the DD marketing hype of Ninja barings and what-not, would make me a better player.

:)

But that Ninja bearing video demo they did with the skateboard wheels was so dang impressive! Apparently skateboarding and bass drum pedal technique are closely related ;)
Love those Pearl marketing guys!
 
I play on a pretty new set of 9000s which i for see being in my arsenal for a long time coming and not just because how awesome of a pedal they are and how they feel like they were made for me. But the simple fact that pedals are just way to expensive to replace these days. Don't worry though i keep that old pair of jeans in the closet and slide them on everyonce in a while. That old pair of jeans being my 60's model speed king that i bring out for the jazz gigs i play every once in a while and dont feel like lugging around a pedal that needs its own case. I love that speed king ive recently worked it over with some new parts and some polishing so it works better than ever now.
 
Hello,

I just wanted to talk about my trick pro 1v's that I bought from Adrian Erlandsson. He used on the last at the gates reunion tour.
Sadly he left some scuff marks and some pieces of hair on the velcro on the bottom, I put his hair into a picture frame which sits above my throne.
That said they are as smooth as bourbon on the rocks, and when I hit the bass drum they help produce a nice "thud" sound. Well, that's all folks.
 
Jay, I played on a house kit a few weeks ago that had a DW5000 pedal. I fell in love with it so I can see your point. WHat would be the real benefit of a new pedal over that one. Not enough to make you a better drummer.
 
People like to talk about their new pedal or the pedal or pedals they're thinking about getting, but I want to talk about my old pedals. I've had them for at least fourteen years.

They're DW 5000s, bass pedal and hihat.

Only piano players, harp players, vibrophone players, organ players and drummers have pedals as a component of their instrument. No, I think the orchestra chimes may have pedals. And of course the timpani.

Hell, there may be even more than that. Those are the only ones I can think of right now.

These things, my DW 5000 pedals, are built to stand up to all the slinging about that happens to them. They're always just the way I like a pedal to be. You set the thing and that's it. Set it and forget it.

We all like thinking about new stuff, I mean we all do, but I tell you...my pedals, they're like slipping on my favorite pair of jeans.

I love my pedals. I love my old stuff. It works.

So...heck, I'll hit the Submit button anyway.

I feel the same way about my Iron Cobra. It's so comfortable to play.

I tried the new Speed Cobra recently and just couldn't get it to feel right regardless of what I did.

Like Bo, I think I'm just too old to be changing to pedals
 
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