Noobie questions about buying a new single pedal

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laxation

Member
I've been playing for 2 years on the crappy pedal I got with my kit, and with xmas coming up I thought I'd look into a new pedal.
I play punk and rock music, if it matters for whatever reason...

I live in Australia, and would want to spend around $300, so I came up with this list:
- Gibralter intruder ($349)
- Pearl Demon Drive (338)
- Axis X (360)
- Mapex Falcon (279)
- Tama speedcobra (319)

Questions about buying a new pedal...
Direct drive or chain, is it a matter of personal taste or is there something more substantial to it?
Is choosing a pedal just a mater of going to a shop and trying them out to see which one feels good?
Does anyone recommend or hate any of the pedals I listed?
 
Everything about a pedal is personal preference. Don't let anyone tell you any different.
Pedals are like shoes. If your foot doesn't like it, it won't matter that it's the most popular pedal in the world - you're gonna hate it.

I've probably owned hundreds of pedals (ok - that's an exaggeration, maybe 20-25) and I've latched on to pedals that feel like a DW 5000 single pedal. A simple, chain drive with an external spring. In fact, every time I try something new, I immediately make it feel like a DW5000. So I finally stopped trying all these new-fangled hi-tech pedals and found a nice cheaper alternative: the Tama Iron Cobra Jr. It feels just like a DW 5000 to me. (I got two of them for $35 each on eBay!)

I owned an Axis A once, loved it. But eventually made it feel like an old DW. I did the same thing to a Trick Pro-1V. I was in a store and tried the Pearl Demon pedal, and the cool thing about that pedal was how quickly I could turn it into a DW5000 (or an Iron Cobra Jr.)

So, really, whichever one you like, should be the one you buy. If you can try them beforehand, that's even better. Might I recommend, that when you go out to try a pedal you're considering, bring the most uncomfortable shoes you own. If you can sit at it, and play it with those shoes and sound good, it'll sound good with any shoes you might happen to be wearing.

And don't forget to try pedals in the store that you may not have been considering. You might find something you like that you didn't know about. Try cheaper pedals too - there are good pedals to be had for $75 (US) new too. The pedal that you play does not have to be expensive. You just have to like it, be comfortable with it, and kick the band when it's time! Good luck!
 
laxation said:
I've been playing for 2 years on the crappy pedal I got with my kit, and with xmas coming up I thought I'd look into a new pedal.
I play punk and rock music, if it matters for whatever reason...

I live in Australia, and would want to spend around $300, so I came up with this list:
- Gibralter intruder ($349)
- Pearl Demon Drive (338)
- Axis X (360)
- Mapex Falcon (279)
- Tama speedcobra (319)

Questions about buying a new pedal...
Direct drive or chain, is it a matter of personal taste or is there something more substantial to it?
Is choosing a pedal just a mater of going to a shop and trying them out to see which one feels good?
Does anyone recommend or hate any of the pedals I listed?
Click to expand...

Direct drive or chain, Chains and straps can have pedal float.
Direct drive pedal boards do not float

Is choosing a pedal just a mater of going to a shop and trying them out to see which one feels good?
Yes - but take your time, do not rush it.
Try it on a real BD if you can at the store, not the awful fake BD substitute

Does anyone recommend or hate any of the pedals I listed?
I just grabbed 2 deamon drives(just had a price drop), the AXIS came in a close second.
 
Thanks for that guys. I'll go have a look and see which ones work well!
(if I don't win the one I'm bidding on now on ebay ;) )
 
hey mate
all those pedals are great! keep in mind you have a mix of short/longboard pedals there. depending on what technique you use you might want to ignore some. for example i find it very difficult to play heel toe on longboards (some axis, speed cobra, demon drives) but i find it easier to do a sliding technique on them.

your best bet is to take your own bass drum into the shop and try pedals on that. there fore you get a taste on your own kit.

out of all of those the best i like are speed cobras or axis' or the gibraltars.

you should also definantly look at DW 5000's and the Yamaha Flying Dragons (both direct drive and chain drive)
 
In the end I got an Axis-X off ebay for cheap :D

I figure if I don't like it, I can always sell in on ebay aus for more than what I paid!
 
Havn't got it yet, will take a couple weeks to come because its from US. Looking forward to it though! I've fiddled with an Axis in a shop and its just different and springy compared to the one I have now...
 
Direct drive or chain, Chains and straps can have pedal float.
Direct drive pedal boards do not float


Please explain.




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Pedal Float >>

If you can hold your beater still (in its relaxed position) with one hand and lift the foot board with the other > you can have pedal float. A chain or strap can do that, a shaft will not do that.

For example >> I had a problem a few months back trying to do a certain fast bass drum pattern consistantly with a strap based pedal. When I switched to the Demon drive which does not use a strap (has a non flexing shaft) the pattern was easy. That is when I realized my footboard from my old pedal was not following the beater exactly.

No more chains or straps for me.
 
Just wondering here: Is the exchange rate that bad or has shipping gone absolutely crazy?? Three hundred dollars for a single pedal seems outrageous.
 
Jeremy Bender said:
Just wondering here: Is the exchange rate that bad or has shipping gone absolutely crazy?? Three hundred dollars for a single pedal seems outrageous.
Click to expand...

The exchange rate is fabulous at the moment. 1 Aussie dollar is currently buying around 99 US cents. That's as close to parity as we've ever been......there should be a few extra Aussie visitors to your shores as a result.

As for the price tag on gear......that's the price we pay for living at the arse end of the world JB. Example.....Ludwig Black Beauty, you pay around US$600 which equates to about A$610 (at current cross rates), yet they retail here for around A$1200-1300.

I wasn't aware the mark up was so severe until I joined DW.......sometimes, ignorance truely is bliss. :)
 
Exchange rate used to be around 60 cents to the AUD - so I guess all shops use that markup. Why would they lower prices? At least not until international shipping becomes easier for big items!

Doesn't help our two biggest retailers just merged... that'll get rid of some competition!
 
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