So the other thread about quality pedals on a budget got me thinking...my pedal is cheap (Mapex P700), what do expensive pedals offer that mine doesn't? I'm fairly new, and never played another pedal...is it just durability? Feel? I just don't get what the difference is between a middle of the road pedal that swings a beater into a drum vs a high end pedal that...swings a beater into a drum.
Advantages of hi-end pedals are durability and adjustability. Feel is subjective across the board, I've played low end pedals under $100 that felt great.
The main adjustable points are foot board height and beater (shaft) angle, hi-end pedals offer these adjustments as 'independent'. Take a DW 5000 pedal as an example, we can consider it hi-end, tho on it you cannot adjust the beater angel w/o affecting the foot board angle, you 'can' move its chain to affect foot board angel, but its limited and its not convenient/easy, its sort of a half ass compromise.
The easiest pedal to adjust widely IMO for under $200 is the TAMA IRON COBRA, the latest version is I believe, the best (single) pedal you can get for under $200 and maybe even $300 due to the fact the adjustments are easy to make from you stool they're all independently adjustable by themselves, one adjustment does not affect another so to speak*, this is the ultimate IMO.
DW could remedy their (above mentioned) problem on the 5000 just by putting on a longer chain, the excess would tuck under the foot board and be adjusted there, this would vault the DW 5000 beyond the COBRA design for the simple fact that when you adjust the foot board angle on a COBRA, *you change the position of the cam in relation to the main shaft, not so much a factor on a round cam (ROLLING GLIDE), but on any eccentric style cam (POWER GLIDE) you totally alter the mechanics of the design when the cam is lowered.
Any pedal who's foot board angle adjustment affects the throw angle of the cam is not ultimate, its another half ass compromise, a lot of hi-end pedals are like this. So if DW put a longer chain on the 5000 and made the adjustment point under the foot board instead of on top of the cam (the worst place bc you affect the throw mechanics) DW could easily vault the 5000 to a new level, it'd be the 'total' bomb pedal, right now its hanging on to a 20th century design flaw.
Most drummers say
"Yeah, but I don't really mess with my pedal adjustments, and when I do they end up back to default/factory settings, or close." Maybe true, but having a completely, independently adjustable pedal is a plus. Ppl like to experiment, need adjustments, a great stage application is backline gear, Im pretty sure the most popular backline pedal is the IRON COBRA bc A. Its cheap and B. Its easily independently adjustable. Doesn't matter how popular backline pedals may be, they do exist in that form. Im much happier when I show up to a backline kit with an IRON COBRA, as opposed to a DW 5000 not adjusted to my liking.