Results 1 to 15 of 15

Thread: Long Live the (Speed) King

  1. #1

    User Info Menu

    Default Long Live the (Speed) King

    My brother purchased a second hand speed king on the Bay. When it arrived it was not quite as described. Not really that hacked up but the rocker assembly was shot. The wing nut had been replaced long ago by a drum lug that was too large for the hole. The existing hole swelled and the new screw was useless. Well the seller was cool and discounted the cost of an oem rocker assembly. As luck would have it there was one on auction that we purchased. After completely stripping down the existing pedal and many hours of work, here is the end result. It's kind of a modern take on a classic pedal. What do you think?




  2. #2

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Very nice. Love the polished uprights! I assume you disassembled the pushrods and springs to install the new rocker? Did you have a hard time getting the bearing caps off? I need to spend a day rebuilding mine.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  3. #3

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Nice! Sandblast the uprights?
    SONOR 6 pc Special Edition 3007's red maple, old Pearl Brass 14x6 FF snare, Yamaha Tour Custom maple 8 pc., Tama 4 pc., honey amber B/B, Ludwig Supralite chrome 14x6.5 steel snare, Paiste, Saluda & Zildjian
    Loaned out Slingerland upgraded 4 pc 1963 black, wrapped maple + 14" Pearl birch FT
    The Almighty Speed King pedal, Speed Cobra, Sonor Single

    http://www.screaminmelinas.com
    http://www.facebook.com/DerailedRockers/

  4. #4

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Two things I hate about the Speed King: #1 = The Chromed Yoke that holds the beater is also the main working part of the pedal and its made from Chromed Pewter~ I had one "explode" one night while playing with a hard rock band - luckily I had a spare Speed King and switched it out on break. It broke into a hundred small pieces when it exploded.
    #2 = There are only 3 adjustments - the first two are the tension screws in the bottom of the two Posts - - the last one is the beater height.
    The next day I went to the local music store and best I remember, I bought a Gibraltar Intruder chain drive single pedal and never looked back. I still have that old "spare" speed king - somewhere~ but I wont be using it. I might try and locate it, shine it up and offer it up for sale on here.
    Anyways, thats my .02 worth concerning the Ludwig Speed King pedal.
    Yamaha Oak Custom 22x17 with Brass Kick Port, Brass Hoop Claws,10-12-14 racks, 16 Floor and all toms have Brass Hoops and a Tama Starclassic Bubinga Elite 14x6.5 snare in Quilted Mocha Burst and Black Nickel hardware. All hi-end Zildjian Cymbals - K Dark Thin crashes & splashes, a Zildjian A crash & a Meinl 16" crash, Avedis Zildjian 1964 ride, K Custom hats plus New Beat hats on Closed X-Hat.


    If a Man offends thee - - give each of his children a Drum~~~!!!

  5. #5

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Nice looking pedal all cleaned up, shiny and everything.

  6. #6

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Thanks for all the kind words. It was...to say the least...one hell of a job. Getting the old rocker assembly off was brutal. Couldn't hammer out the push pins to save our lives so my brother got fed up, took a grinder and cut through it on each side. Someone said that their rocker assembly was chrome puter and shattered? This rocker assembly looked like pure aluminum through and through and was a pain the a$$ to cut through. Can't imagine this thing ever shattering. We stripped down the pedal completely, removed the bearings and the push rods and springs, cleaned everything and reassembled. The base of the pedal was sprayed with a black textured paint. The posts were not sandblasted but polished by hand...which took many hours. All in all happy with the result and it gives a sort of modern twist to a timeless classic.
    <a href="http://s1037.photobucket.com/user/purfektstranger/media/Speed%20King/HPIM2137_zpsa2e26b15.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/a460/purfektstranger/Speed%20King/HPIM2137_zpsa2e26b15.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo HPIM2137_zpsa2e26b15.jpg"/></a>

  7. #7

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    That's a sweet looking refurb!!

  8. #8

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Spectacular pedal, flawless. My favorite part is the near mirror sheen coming from the bass clamp. You did a really good job here, congratulations!
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  9. #9

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Look what I just got for $26!!!

    Last edited by marthared; 08-05-2014 at 03:41 PM.

  10. #10

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Quote Originally Posted by marthared View Post
    Look what I just got for $26!!!

    Congrats.................when will we see the "After" pics?

    Is it still operational?

  11. #11

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Does it still work?
    SONOR 6 pc Special Edition 3007's red maple, old Pearl Brass 14x6 FF snare, Yamaha Tour Custom maple 8 pc., Tama 4 pc., honey amber B/B, Ludwig Supralite chrome 14x6.5 steel snare, Paiste, Saluda & Zildjian
    Loaned out Slingerland upgraded 4 pc 1963 black, wrapped maple + 14" Pearl birch FT
    The Almighty Speed King pedal, Speed Cobra, Sonor Single

    http://www.screaminmelinas.com
    http://www.facebook.com/DerailedRockers/

  12. #12

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Don't know... was mailed yesterday. I'll let ya know.

  13. #13

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Ahh the speed king. You made that baby look nice, I like it. Warren said he bought a modern pedal, and never looked back. I had a hard time leaving my speed kings. I bought a Camco Tama, around 1985. I took it back after about a week, and traded it for a new speed king. A couple of yrs. later, I bought a Tama Pro Twin. It took a while to get use to it, but I've played Tamas ever since. I listened to a tape of me playing the other day, from 1979, and you can hear my speed king squeak like crazy in certain places. It made me smile real big.

  14. #14

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Beautiful Job !!!

  15. #15

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Long Live the (Speed) King

    Used my 1970's Speed King yesterday. Worked as well as the day it was made. I have tried other pedals over the years, and yes, maybe some are better, but the King works well for me. No, there is not alot of adjusment. It really isn't "pretty", but it gets the job done, time after time, year after year. And just like any other piece of gear, it just doesn't work for everyone. It's been around for a long, long time, and that means something in the days that gear changes almost day by day.

    If you are old enough to remember the choices in the early days of modern drumming, you understand what I mean. It was so far advanced for it's time. Compressing instead of stretching springs? Unheard of at the time. Direct drive? WOW! How I hated leather strap drives. Never know when and where the might break! lol Adjustable? Who needed any adjustment on a kik pedal?

    Will I miss the the Speed King? No, I won't. And thats because there will always be one out there for me to play on, because they will last alot longer than I know that I will be around to play them.
    "You can never legislate stupidity, because there is no power in this world that can prevent it."-My Dad after watching his golf partner trying to hit a ball through a grove of trees.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •