DW9000 strap

[drumming sort of person]

Has anyone tried using a Gibraltar "Kevlar" strap on a DW9000? The nylon strap that comes with the DW pedal is a joke of a strap. I wouldn't trust it to last more than 5 minutes.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion/gibraltar-bass-drum-pedal-kevlar-strap

 

[Duck Tape]

I didn't notice a strap in my carry case but why don't you just try the one you have?

 

[konaboy]

I used the nylon strap that came with my 9000 for 5 years with absolutely no problems, no wear or tears in it. Have you tried it?

 

[drumming sort of person]

No, I haven't tried it, but it seems really, really flimsy. I've read (can't recall where) of others who have had issues with it stretching and breaking pretty quickly. Guess I should just try it if you've used it for that long successfully.

 

[konaboy]

No, I haven't tried it, but it seems really, really flimsy. I've read (can't recall where) of others who have had issues with it stretching and breaking pretty quickly. Guess I should just try it if you've used it for that long successfully.

Way I see it you have it so can't hurt to try. Worst case scenario it breaks or doesn't work for you, you still have the chain to put back on till the kevlar one arrives. You'd be surprised how durable a nylon strap can be.

Just like everything there are good reviews and bad reviews. 9 times out of 10 people will post their bad experiences before someone who has a good one will. Just food for thought.

I really liked the feel after I changed from the chain to the strap!

 

[drummerjims]

I had a DW9000 for 5 years and used the nylon strap the whole time. It did stretch but after a month or 2 it stopped stretching I just kept moving it to a different hole. I currently have a Yamaha with a nylon strap same deal. I personally like the feel of the nylon more than the kevlar ones. I like the give it has to it. But I would try it. You shouldn't have any problems with them breaking and you can pick some up cheap to take with you

 

[drumming sort of person]

I used the strap with my Yamaha pedals for years, but that strap was much more "substantial" than the DW one looks.

 

[porter]

I've been using the DW strap for about a year with no issues.

 

[Red Menace]

I just made one out of some tooling leather. Holds fine and I really didn't feel any stretch to it.

 

[BillRayDrums]

No, I haven't tried it, but it seems really, really flimsy. I've read (can't recall where) of others who have had issues with it stretching and breaking pretty quickly. Guess I should just try it if you've used it for that long successfully.

Don't believe everything you read. That strap works fine, I've got a stock DW strap drive that's about 15 years old and it works perfectly.

 

[drumming sort of person]

Don't believe everything you read. That strap works fine, I've got a stock DW strap drive that's about 15 years old and it works perfectly.

I played a strap drive DW back in 1980 for a while, but that strap was heavy duty, not like the one that comes with the 9000, which is really flimsy.

http://store.dwdrums.com/p/dwsp046-4-nylon-strap-4-pack?pp=10

I'll give it a shot soon.

 

[Starship Krupa]

A couple of years ago I bought a pair of old battlewagon DW5000's, one single chain and the other nylon strap. The strap was worn to the point of being frayed, so I went in search for a superior replacement.

I did an in-depth study and comparison of different nylon webbings for use as bass pedal straps, and I came to the conclusion that the best qualities the webbing should have are flexibility along the length, but then stiffness from side to side. This makes for the most efficient force transfer without the pedal feeling soft or loose.

The stock nylon strap has plenty of flexibility, but it has it in both directions. This is probably just fine for a DW9000, with the big aluminum plate and ball bearing hinge, but for an older style pedal, say with a radius rod (like the DW5000's I had), it's kind of wiggly.

The best nylon webbing I found came from dog collars I got at the dollar store. I could have bought a roll of it from my webbing supplier, but I got 2 straps from one collar.

The Gibraltar kevlar one is great, stiff as hell from side to side, but it's about a 16th of an inch too wide to fit the DW cam. I trimmed it with a utility knife and it works great.

DW's stock strap is not "flimsy," as in easy to break or wear out, but it is pretty floppy.

They're cheap, and I had fun trying different ones out.

At the moment, though, my favorite pedal is an older small footboard DW5000 with a round "turbo" sprocket and single chain. I may go back to the strap drive, as I like how quiet it is.

Yes, I am very fiddly about my bass pedal. Endlessly tweaking it.

 

[Beam Me Up Scotty]

I replaced my Speedcobra double pedal's chaindrives with DW9000 straps about a year ago, and I haven't looked back since. No stretches, tears, etc.

The bad reviews are more likely to stand out as opposed to the thousands of good reviews, IMO.

 

[drumming sort of person]

I switched my pedals from chain to strap, and I gotta say, DW really has some work to do on these pedals.

First of all, like I said before, the strap is pretty much a joke. There is no reinforcement around the holes, no supplied washers, nada.

Secondly, if you adjust the pedal so that the beaters come back further (and thus, require a longer stroke), chances are, the footboard will bottom out before the beater strikes the head. This means you can only adjust the throw to a limited degree.

Thirdly, the bolt to adjust the beater is ON THE WRONG SIDE! Normally, you adjust the beater height while you've got the beater pressed into the head. This is impossible with this pedal.

Lastly, adjusting the pedal is NOT easy. As you tighten various bolts, things will tend to slide or move, making adjustments a complete P.I.T.A!

I'm selling the pedals now. Anyone interested? You can have them for $400 plus shipping. I'm going back to the Yamahas.

 

[Ghostin one]

I realize this is an old thread, but I've been having issues with the strap on the 9000. It failed during a gig. I noticed it when there was a bar of bass drum quarter note "solos" occasionally in the song - I thought the foot board would start smacking the base of the pedal. Got home and saw that the strap was badly abraded.

It turns out I was using the wrong screw! The screw to hold the chain to the pedal won't work on the strap without a washer, so I originally used a tension rod washer on the screw (meant for the chain) on the strap. That won't work for long (ten weeks / 17 three-hour gigs,+/-). It turns out there's a flanged screw (w/built-in washer) meant for the strap in the bag of parts and pieces. There's no mention of this in the instructions. I guess I was in a hurry when I put it together... I'll post later if this fails too, but I think it'll work now.

 

[Jasta 11]

replaces a strap I broke on a Ludwig atlas pro pedal. Went with the Kevlar and had no issues. The stock strap ripped in half! No DW but im sure its a similar material.