Is a new pedal the next logical upgrade?

[ZildjianKid234]

Hey guys!

I have a sort of question/situation that some of you may be able to help me with. After the years of slowly acquiring nicer drums/cymbals, and after my most recent buy of my Sabian 19" AAXtreme China (), I have pretty much got my set up to where I have always dreamed it would be.

It's nothing fancy, by far. Just a really solid intermidate-level kit, in my opinion. Here are the specs:

Ludwig Accent CS Custom [Birch]:

10", 12", 14" toms, 14" Snare, 22" bass. I love the sound of them. Perfect to my ears.

Sabian Xs20 medium-thin crashes (16", 18"), Xs20 14" medium hats, Xs20 medium ride, AA 8" splash, AAXtreme China 19". All sound fantastic, no immediate problems.

Annnnnd finally, my bass pedal. I have the same $100 PDP pedal that most beginners have.


I'm wondering if getting a nice pedal would be my best upgrade. I'm no expert on double pedals, but I can feel like this one is holding me back.

Also, if I were to go for a new pedal, (My 17th birthday is Friday. Still haven't decided what to ask for. ) what would you recommend I should look into? I don't need anything crazy, just a solid pedal in the preferably sub-$300 range. Also, would buying a pedal used be a good idea? I know there are great deals for used cymbals/drums out there, but are pedals any different in the used market? I guess I just feel like there is a greater likelihood of failure due to the moving parts.

Thanks for the help!

ZK

[Russ]

I'd check out the Pearl P902 if you're buying new. Otherwise try to get a p-2002 under 300 used.

[almostmatt1]

That was my first pedal too. I bought a Pearl P-2002. It's a heck of an upgrade! I can't say I'm a huge fan of Pearl in general but their pedals are very well made and quite adjustable.

[GoyaDrumr!]

Pearls pedals werent responsive compared to Mapex or the Tama's. I checked out most pedals out there before i got my Raptors. The falcons were better than the Raptors. The iron cobras and the falcons were close, but i was sold on mapex by the little thing that stops your feet from going forward. The Gibraltar solid drive felt cheap so did the chain drive ones. The Dw's were alright but still found myself going back to the Mapex's & the Cobras. I also didnt go alone to test the pedals i went with another seasoned drummer who has played for 20 years and he agreed. Check out the Mapexs, the Tamas and the new ludwig atlas db, i tried a single Ludwig Atlas and it blew my mind, the balance & feel was so great. Mapex just announced the release of their new Falcon it has interchangeable Drives so u can change from Solid to chain drive in minutes and also their solid drives almost feels like a chain but u have the security of a sloid drive. By the way it took like 2 hours for 2 of us to try out all the pedals at the store. We are all diffrent u might just be better of going to your music shop and asking them to set up a bass drum so u can try all of your options, Good luck homes

[Russ]

It's hard to pedal shop in store really. You should take into account that most of the pedals are set one way, and different drummers might like different feels. You figure with all the customers in and out of a drum shop, you might be playing on a pedal that's too tight or too loose for you, because the guy before you set it that way. I mean with all the adjustments an eliminator has, there's something for everybody - unless you need a different footboard for a bigger foot.

[atomcorr2]

two words ,,,,, iron cobra .....

[wolvie56]

Go used. You can get a DW 5002 double used for under $300.00. GC has some used doubles right now. E-Bay as well. Heck, save your pennies for another month or so and buy a new pair for $420.00. Then your set for life.

[SpatzST]

If you can...

Get last years model DW5002 (DW5002AD3). Where I am, we are selling it for under $300. It is difficult to find it online now because sites list it as "no longer available". However I'd go physically check stores. There are a few minor differences in the new model and the old, none of which warrant you spending an extra $100 for the newer model.

If you can't find one. Without a doubt the DW3002, i've seen it around $220 or so. Sturdy, double chain design, very similar to a 5000 series.

Personally, I'd steer clear of the Pearl P-902 or Tama's Iron Cobra JR's. But thats just me. They aren't much of an upgrade from what you have.

As suggested in this topic, I'd check out the Pearl P-2002C, but those are over $300, maybe used (but make sure it comes with all the interchangeable cams)? I'd also check for an older model Tama Iron Cobra, which I know go for around $300.

[Russ]

One thing to remember is you pay for cheap, you get cheap, and later want something better to last you through the years. You look for something a little more, you pay for something quality that you can count on. Isn't that worth it?

[zzzdanz]

Hard question to answer,being not everyone is going to like the same pedals. I've bought more pedals that I've ended up hating once I used them for awhile on my kit.
I keep going back to Iron Cobras.

If you have a store that will let you mess around with a bunch of different brands,spend the time doing that, and get what feels right to you.

I'd rather just kick my BD with my foot then use some of the DW, and other brands I've wasted $ on, just to toss them in a pile.

[Brain The Minter]

You can certainly upgrade to a better (also more expensive) pedal, but the pedals in your pics seems OK to me, they seem to have all the adjustments features of more expensive pedals.

You're saying this pedal is holding you back? In what sense if I may ask?

Do not forget that you can play around with the setting of the pedal, some changes can dramatically change the feel of a pedal for the better, try also something as simple as changing the beater, put a lighter or heavier one and see how it feels.

You can ask for something else for your birthday, like drum cases for transporting your kit, a remote hi-hat, a side snare drum.

Pedals are pedals, yes some are very famous and have a solid reputation, but don't knock down cheaper pedals, some are very good indeed.

[Russ]

I think that's a stock photo.

[kay-gee]

Speaking strictly to the issue of buying used.

In this economy "used" dosen't have to mean beaten to pieces. Often people buy something they can't afford and sell simply because they need the $$

all the best...

[ZildjianKid234]

You can certainly upgrade to a better (also more expensive) pedal, but the pedals in your pics seems OK to me, they seem to have all the adjustments features of more expensive pedals.

You're saying this pedal is holding you back? In what sense if I may ask?

Do not forget that you can play around with the setting of the pedal, some changes can dramatically change the feel of a pedal for the better, try also something as simple as changing the beater, put a lighter or heavier one and see how it feels.

You can ask for something else for your birthday, like drum cases for transporting your kit, a remote hi-hat, a side snare drum.

Pedals are pedals, yes some are very famous and have a solid reputation, but don't knock down cheaper pedals, some are very good indeed.

I feel that it is the one part of my kit that I'm not happy with. It just doesn't feel the way I want, if that makes sense. I'm not knocking the pedals, I mean they've served me well over the past 3 years or so. I think that as my foot speeds increase, that a new pedal might make sense.

[late8]

I don't need anything crazy, just a solid pedal in the preferably sub-$300 range.

Used pedals:

Used Tama Iron Cobra 600 series double pedals going for $180-$200.

Used DW5000 series double pedals going for $180-$250.

New pedals:

Pearl Demon Drive double pedal $629 new

Axis AL-2 long board double pedal: $595 new

DW9002 double pedal : $580 new

DW5000 double pedal: $419 new

Tama Speed Cobra double pedal: $400 new

Pearl 2000C double pedal: $385 new

Tama Iron Cobra 600 double pedal: $250 new

DW3000 double pedal: $209 new