New Ludwig Speed King

vyacheslav said:
Has Ludwig solved the problem of the "feet" being too deep on the hoop? I was playing with an older one the other day, I had to keep backing it off away from the hoop before I clamped it down, otherwise the drive mechanism would scrape against the head. It seemed like it was barely clamped on the hoop. On other pedals, I slide them under the hoop as far as they will go and it's perfect. The older Speed Kings had to be backed way off, so they were only about 50% (or less) under the hoop while clamped.
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You used the pedals for he deeper Ludwig hoops...other models don’t have those short “feet” or “wings.” Put a pencil between the hoop and pedal to solve the depth problem.
 
balishag said:
Hey I just scored one! Lone Star Percussion had one in stock. Seen it on the Reverb site and I snagged it. Came in a few days ago but haven't had a chance to play on it yet. I'll update soon...
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Played on it yet?
 
I haven’t played the speed king, but I did get the speed flyer and it’s a killer pedal. Great smooth feel
 
I have a vintage one that becomes rather smooth once I cleaned off the grease the seller had put all over the ball bearings. Been thinking of buying either a new this or a Rogers, and relegate the vintage one as a backup. I suppose the ball bearings will take it to even another level.
 
Iristone said:
I have a vintage one that becomes rather smooth once I cleaned off the grease the seller had put all over the ball bearings. I suppose the ball bearings will take it to even another level.
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I watched a guy take one apart & do an overhaul of an original.
I did what he did & it plays like new. New grease, tight hinge points & clean parts.

I should've left it squeaky like Bonham, but the new grease took care of that. :LOL:
 
CommanderRoss said:
I watched a guy take one apart & do an overhaul of an original.
I did what he did & it plays like new. New grease, tight hinge points & clean parts.

I should've left it squeaky like Bonham, but the new grease took care of that. :LOL:
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I have my dads from the 60's, and the squeak is still threr too...it is it's signature sound
 
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX said:
I have my dads from the 60's, and the squeak is still threr too...it is it's signature sound.
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Exactly! I failed to realize the 2 points of squeak before I oiled them.
That'll teach me. :LOL:
 
Justinhub2003 said:
I haven’t played the speed king, but I did get the speed flyer and it’s a killer pedal. Great smooth feel
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The Speed Flyer is a totally different pedal though. Modern and refined. The Speed King...not so much, haha.

I recall seeing a video from NAMM saying the Speed King could only rock band and forth like 4-7 times before it comes to a stop. Modern pedals can go for like 12-15 revolutions before coming to a stop.

I think the Speed King is beloved because it's what people grew up using. It's far from the best performing pedal these days, but it's the nostalgia and/or the feel older drummers are familiar with that makes it so popular.
 
IBitePrettyHard said:
I recall seeing a video from NAMM saying the Speed King could only rock band and forth like 4-7 times before it comes to a stop. Modern pedals can go for like 12-15 revolutions before coming to a stop.
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Part of it is the cam assembly. There are two springs controlling forward and backward motion, so once it gets past the balance point it contacts the other spring and dissipates part of the energy. Mine only rocks 3-4 times, but the rocker assembly itself easily rocks 10+ times (with springs removed for maintenance)
 
I was kinda sad when I divorced my speedking and started a new relationship with my I.C. flexiglide. I ain't met a gosh dern pedal yet that's turned my head.
 
IBitePrettyHard said:
The Speed Flyer is a totally different pedal though. Modern and refined. The Speed King...not so much, haha.

I recall seeing a video from NAMM saying the Speed King could only rock band and forth like 4-7 times before it comes to a stop. Modern pedals can go for like 12-15 revolutions before coming to a stop.

I think the Speed King is beloved because it's what people grew up using. It's far from the best performing pedal these days, but it's the nostalgia and/or the feel older drummers are familiar with that makes it so popular.
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That doesn't mean it's a worse performing pedal. The reason it doesn't rock as many times is because it's a different spring mechanism. A well-maintained Speed King doesn't feel any less smooth under the foot than modern pedals IMO. I actually find the relative lack of rocking makes it more sensitive and easier to control.
 
theseer2 said:
You know its gonna squeak and the beater will fly off so you can punch a hole in your Bass Head.
Then the lube inside will wear and dry and leave you limp.

If it does not do these things, its not a real Speedking
Its the best, but its like a Garrity Flashlight or iphone, its disposable unlesss you can fix it somehow.
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?
 
Has anyone played one? I'm curious if the bearings in the heel plate improve things any more than greased up plastic bushings (like the Vitalizer ones).
 
balishag said:
Hey I just scored one ! Lone Star Percussion had one in stock . Seen it on the Reverb site and I snagged it . Came in a few days ago but havent had a chance to play on it yet.. I'll update soon ...
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UPDATE,,,, SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG .but ive been really busy with hardy any time to play.

Ok after setting the new pedal up adjusted spring tension etc etc.. This version is extremely lighter and I had to put on a beater weight ,the feel was just too light for me at first .. its also faster with the improvements they made. The main question is ; do I think its worth 200 bucks ? No I dont. Honestly the improvements are really nice but I dont think not worth the xtra bread , in my opinion . It does have a very similar feel to it compared to the older versions but just lighter and somewhat smoother.
Ludwig does give you a nice pretty white burlap bag to carry it in and they now have a drum key clip with drum key mounted on the metal base under foot board I do like that . They give you little rubber ears to put over the metal tabs that go up against the hoop vertically and they give you a rubber pad to put on hoop where the clamp comes down . Ludwig also has 2 rubber pads mounted on base where the hoop goes over base. They also have glued a strip of velcro on bottom of pedal.
The improvements are really nice with the newer teflon? bushings and they made it so you can easily replace bushings at the rear of the foot board now. I dont think they are worth the xtra hundred bucks nicer.. What was the black older version going for 99 bucks? something like that? . I have one of those too and kept going back n forth for comparison ,, yes new pedal has a lighter feel and smoother .. If your a speed king die hard fan you will love the new pedal...

any questions ? lay em on me I'll get back as soon as possible.
 
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