Perfect Balance Pedal-- I played it, thoughts

That Perfect Balance hihat pedal JoJo is using in his new foot technique DVD - does somebody have any more details on it? It doesn't seem to be available yet but should be so in the nearer future. It's just the perfect match to the PB bass pedal that I didn't like too much at first but have got used to it and love it now.
 
I would guess that he just swapped the footboard of a standard Sonor hh stand.

This is what he did. It's a Franken-hihat, a Series 600 hi hat stand with the PB pedal and strap grafted on. However, much like his prototype franken-pedals that turned into the PB pedal, I wouldn't be surprised if something like this comes out someday.
 
This is what he did. It's a Franken-hihat, a Series 600 hi hat stand with the PB pedal and strap grafted on. However, much like his prototype franken-pedals that turned into the PB pedal, I wouldn't be surprised if something like this comes out someday.

I actually would be surprised, to be honest. On his foot DVD, he says that the biggest thing he looks for in a hi-hat stand is slinkiness of the top cymbal when the foot is lifted off (same way as when you take your foot off the bass drum pedal and the beater oscillates a number of times). I bet my money that he switched out footboards because the standard Sonor footboard on hi-hat stands come with a toe-stop, which is a personal pet peeve of his.

Knowing this, if you want to get that same kind of feel, you have to go try out hi-hat stands. I found this same kind of action he got with a Tama Iron Cobra 200 series hi-hat stand.

Back to the actual topic though...

I don't bury the beater when using the PB pedal. If I'm at a gig where I need to bury the beater, I use either my Franken pedal or my Camco (1980s), because these gigs where I have to bury the beater are gigs that I practically have to stomp on the kick pedal, and the PB, under my foot, wouldn't take that abuse well.

I'll actually be getting a second PB pedal soon as my primary pedal, and one strictly for practice.

Oh, and for those wondering, Sonor is working on a double-pedal model of the PB pedal.
 
Late to the party, but I just tried this pedal at NAMM and fell in love.

I have been playing the old Yamaha 700 series strap drive (early 80ies model), but these are not easy to find anymore (not that I break them, but I like to have one for each set + a spare in a bag). The PB could be a way out of this problem, as I really liked the feel of it.

Now, someone else at the NAMM show pointed out that the early models had issues with the folding mechanism and it seems from the posts here that this is true. Any updates on this? How many of you are still using the PB and should I worry about the quality?
 
I REALLY like the PB pedal for lighter playing. For heavy rock, it doesn't feel right to me. For jazz and fusion-ish stuff, I love it. I just wish there were a double pedal version....I am back to playing double pedal which means the PB is off my equipment list unless a double version comes out. If anyone has any news on this, I'd definitely be interested....
 
Late to the party, but I just tried this pedal at NAMM and fell in love.

I have been playing the old Yamaha 700 series strap drive (early 80ies model), but these are not easy to find anymore (not that I break them, but I like to have one for each set + a spare in a bag). The PB could be a way out of this problem, as I really liked the feel of it.

Now, someone else at the NAMM show pointed out that the early models had issues with the folding mechanism and it seems from the posts here that this is true. Any updates on this? How many of you are still using the PB and should I worry about the quality?

I'm still using my PB and love it. I got mine used so not sure if it was an earlier or later model, but I've had no issues with the folding mechanism at all (touch wood!) I also have an older Yamaha 700 series which I still use and love - great pedals them!
 
Well i played the PB for a year now ,and for its for me the best pedal i played.
I really like the footboard just nothing on it is the best.
I made some adjustment on it i did not like the spring attachment ,so i replaced it with the Canopus ballbearing .[see photo]
Now its silent and even smoother,.
Also because i like to play with highest spring tension .
 

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Anything specific to look for buying a used one then besides squeaks, or loose hinge?

I have been playing a lot of fusion / funk lately and really enjoy how slick this pedal is.. Most of the direct drives are smooth like this (demons, axis, trick, speed cobras) so it should be an easy transition back to the real world.
 
I REALLY like the PB pedal for lighter playing. For heavy rock, it doesn't feel right to me. For jazz and fusion-ish stuff, I love it. I just wish there were a double pedal version....I am back to playing double pedal which means the PB is off my equipment list unless a double version comes out. If anyone has any news on this, I'd definitely be interested....

+1 on this. I bought one of these pedals for my cover band which covers a lot of styles but centric around classic and modern rock - the PB pedal was TOO smooth and light to really get that substantial, under-the-foot feel especially when doing 4 on the floor's... I sold it and got a DW5000 Turbo which is very nice. I would not hesitate to get another PB one day for home studio Fusion work.
 
Well i played the PB for a year now ,and for its for me the best pedal i played.
I really like the footboard just nothing on it is the best.
I made some adjustment on it i did not like the spring attachment ,so i replaced it with the Canopus ballbearing .[see photo]
Now its silent and even smoother,.
Also because i like to play with highest spring tension .

I also found that the original spring didn't have enough tension for my liking. So, I replaced mine with a DW spring. Just recently though, as I was inspecting it, I noticed that the bearing had taken a crap. I ended up also replacing that with a DW one.
 
It's cool how everyone can customize the thing with different springs and bearings to get the feel just right. I've become accustomed to a very loose spring on this thing.

I put the Canopus bearing on mine, but I didn't notice much of a difference in the feel. Just a little difference, but not $60US worth.

The thing that I'm not really adjusted to is the modern pedals all have a flat base. The older pedals had a set of rods holding the footboard to the frame.
with the rods, if the bass drum was canted, the heel of the pedal would still sit flat on the floor. These new pedals with a solid base will raise the heel if the bass drum has any cant. When the heel is raised, the action suffers.
I've had to remove any hoop padding on the bass drum to make sure the pedal will sit flush to the floor. This happens with all new pedals with a solid base, so it's not indicative of the PB.
My favorite pedal previously was a Sonor Phonic from the 80s. It had a similar round cam action to a PB but a little heavier.
 
I also found that the original spring didn't have enough tension for my liking. So, I replaced mine with a DW spring. Just recently though, as I was inspecting it, I noticed that the bearing had taken a crap. I ended up also replacing that with a DW one.

well that spring has just enough for me ,and the standaard bearing was really not up to par for me .Can you make a photo of your replacement thanks.
 
It's cool how everyone can customize the thing with different springs and bearings to get the feel just right. I've become accustomed to a very loose spring on this thing.

I put the Canopus bearing on mine, but I didn't notice much of a difference in the feel. Just a little difference, but not $60US worth.

The thing that I'm not really adjusted to is the modern pedals all have a flat base. The older pedals had a set of rods holding the footboard to the frame.
with the rods, if the bass drum was canted, the heel of the pedal would still sit flat on the floor. These new pedals with a solid base will raise the heel if the bass drum has any cant. When the heel is raised, the action suffers.
I've had to remove any hoop padding on the bass drum to make sure the pedal will sit flush to the floor. This happens with all new pedals with a solid base, so it's not indicative of the PB.
My favorite pedal previously was a Sonor Phonic from the 80s. It had a similar round cam action to a PB but a little heavier.

well its very personal ,but when you play high tension on the spring that old bearing is gone make noise and yes its a lot of money for a ballbearing ,but i did not see a other alternative for that problem,and with high tension it will make a different in feel .
 
Jojo was collapsing on me while I was rehearsing.

I didn't bother to check out what the problem was. I just slammed it back and it cured itself, but I'm wondering if I didn't get the thing to click in properly.

Does the lock get finicky or dirty and need to be cleaned out?

I always make sure it's clicked into position. Could it have unlocked itself?

I'm thinking if it does this again, I'm shopping for a new pedal, but I love the feel of this thing.
 
Jojo was collapsing on me while I was rehearsing.

I didn't bother to check out what the problem was. I just slammed it back and it cured itself, but I'm wondering if I didn't get the thing to click in properly.

Does the lock get finicky or dirty and need to be cleaned out?

I always make sure it's clicked into position. Could it have unlocked itself?

I'm thinking if it does this again, I'm shopping for a new pedal, but I love the feel of this thing.

I've had the "pedal suddenly comes unlocked and folds up" issue a few times. This usually happens if you have attached it to a kick drum and haven't taken the time to dial in the clamp mechanism just right. I have a riser on my 18" kick and the PB pedal just doesn't line up properly with the pedal attachment plate at the bottom. This makes it so that I have to really push on the top of the pedal to get it to securely lock in.

I played the Perfect Balance pedal since they came out. I still think is is a great pedal, but I have had a few small issues with it over the years. I picked up the updated version of the Iron Cobra that came out a few months ago and for what I'm playing right now, it seems to be a better fit for me.
 
thanks Brad!
That probably makes sense because I tightened the clamp screw just before it came loose and folded on me. I must have not pushed it into place firmly enough.

I'm also coming from an Iron Cobra, but I might consider the Speed Cobra because the IC board is too short for my taste.
With the new Cobras having rubber pads now, I'm considering it more.
 
I really like the idea of this pedal but this thread and others are showing me I shouldn't make the investment.

Then, having to customize it even further just means I would rather stick to my out-of-the-box DW 5000, which is my preferred feel with the accel cam.
 
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