"Best" bass drum pedal ever?

[Dtucci]

As a few have already said, whatever works best for you is the BEST. Mine is the Drumnetics magnet driven pedal. No springs, whisper quiet, super rugged and great service/support when/if you need it from the inventor/owner Michael. They aren't cheap (nor should they be) but I have 2 and they're the only ones that see any action while a dozen or so others sit on the bench waiting to get called back into the game. https://drumnetics.com/

 

[kdgrissom]

Buddy Rich was asked the same question. He said whatever one his foot is on. Makes sense to me.

Buddy was always quick with a witty comeback, but he primarily used a Rogers Swivomatic with a one-piece footboard from the early 60's on.
My personal votes go to the Swivomatic and the Camco strap drive.

 

[Sequimite]

I used the Martin/Camco/Gretsch/DW Fleetfoot to 5000 for most of my life. It is remarkable that a pedal designed in 1939 should have lasted into the 21st century. https://www.drumforum.org/threads/1...s-the-same-martin-fleetfoot-to-dw6000.189746/

For me however, with my size 14 feet, the Trick Pro Bigfoot, is my best. It is so well made that I never carry a spare.

 

[Smittee]

I've always been partial to Yamaha hardware including pedals. I used a DFP720 for a lot of years, and every time I pull them out, they still feel like home. Absolute best pedal I've ever played is the Yamaha DFP9C (Double Foot Pedal 9 Chain). Close second is the Tama Speed Cobra.

 

[StewN52]

What is the "best" bass drum pedal ever?

Vintage,Current.

Quickest, smoothest, light, no squeak.

Premier 252. Wooden beater with metal pad on drum head for click. Don't need double pedals, you can be fast enough with one!

 

[jlzisk]

I like the Jojo M Perfect Balance-- Quick and light feeling, with plenty of oomph.

 

[Houndog]

Premier 252. Wooden beater with metal pad on drum head for click. Don't need double pedals, you can be fast enough with one!

Ain’t no way you are playing extreme metal beats with a single ……

 

[krazedmjk]

I have several Camco's and when I made my own dbl pedal I used a Camco for the slave.

My first Ludwig set had a Speedmaster, which by todays standards may be considered a longboard.
Guessing 3" wide, leather strap, if I had known better I would have kept it.

The Speed King does have a piece in my heart as it came with my first new set
I would consider them almost bullet proof unless you over compress the spring

I have a Premier 252 that I haven't come to a final like or dislike, as I haven't taken it on a gig yet

I had A Ghost for a while back in the 80's, smooth but I couldn't get the punch

 

[Drumming dog]

What ever works for you. Bonham used a squeaky old speed king and look what he did. There are pretty many great pedals out there. I guess to answer your question i like the pearl eliminator pedals with changeable cams. Ive been using them since they came out and still have original pair. No failures all these yrs later

 

[2J3L]

Most reliable: iron cobra and yamahas. They are ready right out of the box and feel great.

Despite that, Ive always wanted to make dw 5k work for me. It took some time but Ive settled on 5k and never looked back.

 

[GretschMan61]

The Sonor Perfect Balance pedals (both versions ) check off a lot of boxes for me . I really like , smooth lightweight feeling pedals .

I also like the Axis pedals as well - again smooth and lightweight .

I have finally come to the conclusion that chain drive pedals are just not for me . I far prefer strap or direct drive pedals .

 

[ruanddu]

The DW 5000 Turbo for me.

 

[FLratrodder]

Iron Cobra Strap Drive. It's perfect.

 

[Matched Gripper]

What is the "best" bass drum pedal ever?

Vintage,Current.

Quickest, smoothest, light, no squeak.

Pearl makes/made a pedal that was the smoothest, most perfectly balanced pedal between speed and power of any pedal I've ever tried. It was set up on the floor at the local Sam Ash. Amazing pedal! Don't remember the model. It was a substantial piece of machinery that I wondered would even fit between the lugs of a 10 lug bass drum. I think it was primarily aluminum. But, IIRC it was nearly $600 for a single pedal which I thought was unreasonable despite it's functional attributes. So, I picked up another IC for about $200.

 

[Houndog]

I have Pearl pedals I love as well .
All are some version of the Eliminator .

 

[Wolfman]

My favorite pedal is the vintage Camco. I remove the spring and use rubber bands instead. Very light, smooth and quiet.

 

[3.0]

What is the "best" bass drum pedal ever?

Vintage,Current.

Quickest, smoothest, light, no squeak.

I still have one of Frank Ipolito's original chain drive pedals; it's based on a DW5000 frame, along with a 1959 and 1963 Gretsch Floating Action, all three still work great

 

[karlcrafton]

I like a lot of things about a lot of pedals…. then there’s the “but if it was”…

For the last couple years I have been super happy with a $169 Pearl Solo Red Cam pedal.
It does what I love about a Speed King. Goes forward and back, and doesn’t “swing” for 8 extra motions. I don’t even want the 2 or 3 from my Eliminators , DW straps, or the Ludwig Speed Flyer. Just down and up so I can have it do what my foot does and that’s it.
The Pearl Solo is as sturdy as the higher priced models, and the footboard can be moved back and forth as well.
AND the heel is sloped downward, more like a solid footboard.
I adjusted the chain length so the footboard is steeper (like a SK), too—which I have done to every pedal anyway for my preference.

I tried the new Speed King, but the feel was lighter than what I am used to, the whole pedal was small under my wide foot, and the posts are shorter so the beater didn’t hit where I wanted… I was bummed when it just wasn’t going to work.

I have a ASBA Caroline and love it, but it stopped being made after I ordered a second one, and got a refund, and parts would be a PITA for me to get if needed.
I believe they are up and at it again, but, that ship has sailed although I love the feel and footboard design.
LOVED the Tama Flexi Flyer but didn’t like the heel piece.
DW 5000 ORIGINAL footboard ( and reissue) with a strap is great, but I like the Pearl more.
I still really like my Camco (by tama) single chain pedal which lets the footboard angle with your foot if it’s not straight on. Just couldn’t get backup parts if needed, and didn’t want to invest in it.

$169 these days is pretty cheap compared to some that get into $600 or more for a single pedal. I was actually surprised, and happy I got what I needed at such a low cost.

 

[paul]

The "best" pedal seems to be whatever the writer has settled on. I'll admit that my own experience, although pretty long (60 years), is not so varied as to constitute major research, but I too have opinions. Having owned one early on, I'm somewhat surprised at the love shown to the Speed King. My own favorite from that era was the Rogers Dyna-Sonic with the hinged footboard. Easy multiple adjustments, smooth operation, and fast. My goto in the 60's and 70'x. When I restarted in 1997 and went from two bass drums to a double pedal I wound up with a DW5002. 25+ years later, I own 3 of them, and am a happy drummer.

 

[REF]

oops, very old thread