Unhappy friction and spring on the TAMA 310 SpeedCobra

veecharlie

veecharlie

Senior Member
Hello drummers,

as the title says it.. I'm not happy with the tension of the spring and I find the pedal smooth but "heavy".

I set the spring to the loosest but it jumps back way too quick still. What can I do to improve this other than change the springs?

If I change the springs, which ones do you recommend me?

Also, I find that there is a lot of "dead movement" on the pedal. It's nearly impossible to make doubles or 3 strokes without the beater remaining in the air. Is it because I'm yet not used to it?

I have been with "normal boards" for 9 years, since February on the long board, but not having a kit only their respective pad mechanisms.. not so often on the pedals themselves.
 
Can you elaborate a little more? You said you don't like that the pedal jumps back even when the spring is on the loosest setting. Are you wanting a sluggish rebound? What pedals were you playing before? Can you post a picture of your pedal so I can see how you have it set.
 
axisT6 said:
Can you elaborate a little more? You said you don't like that the pedal jumps back even when the spring is on the loosest setting. Are you wanting a sluggish rebound? What pedals were you playing before? Can you post a picture of your pedal so I can see how you have it set.
Click to expand...

Yea I mean indeed I want it sluggish. I have tried the whole afternoon to put up picture but the resolution is too high.. (tablet). I can pass you some pictures of Instagram but it's kind of birdseye for feet. No useful to my point of view... I'll try to get a solution..
I have played Gibraltar,basix, unbranded stuff, pearl demondrive, pearl those black and white and ironcobras.. never had an issue adapting...
 
How far back on the pedal do you play? The sweet spot on that pedal, while quite expansive, is more toward the front than you might think.
 
cutaway79 said:
If you want a sluggish pedal, why on Earth would you buy one with SPEED in the name?
Click to expand...

because it depends what I play. If I'm going to play prog, then I will tighten it. If I'm going to play worship, sluggish. Another thing, about prog, just look how Portnoy uses his pedals. they are like 3 times more sluggish than mine, he also uses speedcobras...
lastly, I have a big feet.
Conclusion? you might find it useless or not, but we all have different requirements.
 
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bud7h4 said:
How far back on the pedal do you play? The sweet spot on that pedal, while quite expansive, is more toward the front than you might think.
Click to expand...

In terms of where I seat, I am pretty tall, so I sit higher and normally a bit more than 90° from my toes to my knee. Don't understand me wrong, but just a correct posture.
In terms of where my feet are on the pedal, normally they are on the front, but I have also tried to bring them to the middle or the back, which is cool on the long board because you can do different things with them, altough middle and back are more stiff than the front.

(Does what I say make sense?)
 
bud7h4 said:
How far back on the pedal do you play? The sweet spot on that pedal, while quite expansive, is more toward the front than you might think.
Click to expand...

Absolutely spot on. It took me a while to work that out with my Speed Cobra.
 
veecharlie said:
because it depends what I play. If I'm going to play prog, then I will tighten it. If I'm going to play worship, sluggish. Another thing, about prog, just look how Portnoy uses his pedals. they are like 3 times more sluggish than mine, he also uses speedcobras...
lastly, I have a big feet.
Conclusion? you might find it useless or not, but we all have different requirements.
Click to expand...

I never said anything was useless. Just saying that if you want sluggish, a round cam might be the better way to go. The offset (eccentric) cam on Speed Cobras and the like are made to be faster. A round cam will give you a more even feel, and will be easier to get that "sluggish" feeling.

I used to only buy pedals with offset cams (because they're supposed to be faster, yay marketing), but was never really happy with them. They always seemed to have a slightly out-of-control feeling, but I thought I just had to get used to them. I could play them fine, but they never felt "right". I then tried an 80s Camco pedal (round cam) that I got with a bunch of old drum parts off craigslist like 5 years ago. and while it was noisy, and not exactly the most solid pedal, it felt great! Since then, I started buying only pedals with round cams, and it's made a world of difference... Sonor Perfect Balance; 90s Yamaha (I forget the model number); Iron Cobra Rolling Glide; Pearl Eliminator (black cam) They all have their own feel, but they all also have that same balanced quality to their action.

Long story short, you may just be looking for the pedal to do something that isn't its forte. And you may be able to get close to what you want, but that particular pedal wasn't built to be sluggish. I mean, I've hammered a nail with a heavy wrench before, and it worked. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it was the best tool for the job. If you have two distinct feels you're going for, it may be your best bet to have a different pedal for each.

And no, I'm not saying "my way is right, yours is wrong". I'm just saying that every pedal has its own strengths and weaknesses. And it may just be a matter of one tool not being perfect for both of your jobs.
 
cutaway79 said:
I never said anything was useless. Just saying that if you want sluggish, a round cam might be the better way to go. The offset (eccentric) cam on Speed Cobras and the like are made to be faster. A round cam will give you a more even feel, and will be easier to get that "sluggish" feeling.
Click to expand...


The only Tama pedal with the offset cam is the Power Glide.
Speed Cobra cam is the same as the Rolling Glide (round).
 
bud7h4 said:
The only Tama pedal with the offset cam is the Power Glide.
Speed Cobra cam is the same as the Rolling Glide (round).
Click to expand...

Well F my A! I owned a Speed Cobra for about a week (sold it right quick), and it felt like an eccentric cam, so I guess I just assumed. I currently use an Iron Cobra Rolling Glide, and it feels so much more natural than the Speed Cobra. Maybe it was the longboard that made it feel awkward.

So make that... Every pedal I've played with an offset/eccentric cam, AND the Speed Cobra, never felt right to me.
 
Just above the spring, there is an adjustment that looks like a drum tension rod head. I have that on my pedal and would suggest loosening that screw and moving that oval piece forward and backward and see if it helps with the spring action.
 
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