covinasurf
Well-Known Member
Chain. Don’t find it sluggish at all. Now the Tama at out practice room
JH
JH
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DW 9000 Pedal-chain drive or belt drive?
- Thread starter RyanLovesDrums
- Start date
I like strap a lot. I've been running the straps that came with mine 4+ years with no issues. I run the light LowBoy beaters at a loose tension and I've never played anything smoother in my life. Fantastic amount of throw and power for very little effort and the pedalboard moves with my feet so naturally you'd think I had vecro keep it to my shoes.
What pedal are you using ??
dsop
DFO Veteran
The straps that come with the 9000 seem really flimsy, with no reinforcement around the hole that the screw goes through. Many people claim that they work great and last, but I just didn't trust it.
Yup, as mentioned, I tore through three of them (after 1-2 gigs each). I am using a HEAVY beater (fully extended big DW felt w/ two DW beater weights all the way up), but have used that same beater on other strap pedals without an issue (Tama Iron Cobra with the kevlar strap, and an old Pearl pedal with the big round cam and the dark green fiber/plastic strap)
Yes. This post by @dontfeartheringo explains the process very clearly.
Love my DW pedal conversion to Strap Drive
i just converted my DW 3000 double chain drive pedal to a strap drive and i love the feel of it. It is now the quietest pedal i've ever played. The off-set cam makes it quick and smooth. I cant see ever going back to chain drive... Thoughts???
www.drumforum.org
9002 XF. I play heel up but stay pretty level with my feet similar to Gene Hoglan's style (
Edit: Shoulda known that would show as a video rather than a link and make the formatting weird.
You can but you have to change the cam on the pedal so you either need to order one from DW or get one off an old Camco/Gretsch floating action pedal.
I bought my initial strap drive in that format from the factory but have replaced the chain drive on two others I bought used. In both tbose cases I bought cheap vintage non-functional Gretsch FA pedals and used the cams off those for the mod.
I bought 50' of 3/4" wide nylon strap and make my own pedal straps.
hawker
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Did you mean to say 50 feet...feet! I've used the same Nylon strap for almost twenty years. Mind if I hit you up for a piece when this one fails?
Yeah, 50 feet of safety orange nylon web. I bought it on ebay for like $8. I'm set for pedal straps for life. I haven't broken one yet.
I also bought 100 meters of snare cord (nylon blind cord) since it was only $10 for the spool. I think that'll last me.
Getting back to the pedals... in the case of Tama/Camco pedals I prefer the chain drive. I have one that is the same pedal but with a strap and it doesn't feel nearly as good as the chain ones. Weird.
The thing with the 9000 is you use the same cam with either a chain or a strap. Maybe if it had a different cam for the strap it would make a difference. To me it seems as though it was 100% designed with the chain in mind and then they threw in a strap as an afterthought and an additional marketing point (chain or strap....you choose).
bigbonzo
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Good solid chain drive all the way!
Nothing better.
Nothing better.
RyanLovesDrums
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Yeah I’m not going to mess with it. Just leaving it the way it is. He’s happy with it and doesn’t know any better anyways
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In the mid-1970s (before chain drive was invented) I switched my Tempo-King and Camco pedals from leather straps to nylon straps. Although the nylon straps never catastrophically failed during a performance the way leather did, they did stretch around the attachment holes, which eventually caused the footboards to come in contact with the hoop clamps. So they required periodic replacement.
Chains rule!
TonyVazquez
Very well Known Member
Can Toe Stops be installed on the 9K?
If yes, that might help to keep your foot
away from the base casting.
Oh, DON'T take my advice.
Sometimes I drum with Work Boots on!
TonyVazquez
Very well Known Member
Back on Topic.
CHAIN for the win.
I've tried belts in the past. I cannot play
while worried in the back of my mind
that the belt (or belts, for dblkick pedals)
might suddenly break during a show.
Besides that, I'm more of a power player;
so I definitely NEED either chain drive
or direct-drive to handle my stomps.
Belts are better suited for light Jazz
drummers, and drummers of soft
Folk or Americana music.
CHAIN for the win.
I've tried belts in the past. I cannot play
while worried in the back of my mind
that the belt (or belts, for dblkick pedals)
might suddenly break during a show.
Besides that, I'm more of a power player;
so I definitely NEED either chain drive
or direct-drive to handle my stomps.
Belts are better suited for light Jazz
drummers, and drummers of soft
Folk or Americana music.
My first professional pedal was a Gretsch Floating Action in 1974, which of course was a Camco pedal. I tried a Speed King and others after that but always came back to my Gretsch.
I moved to an original DW 5000 chain drive in 1980 and used it until about 1987, then switched back to the nylon strap version. I was working at DW at the time and I remember noticing a significant difference in how much smoother the strap was over the chain.
I gave the chain another try a few years ago with a DW 9000 and couldn’t make friends with it. Too heavy for my weak foot I suppose. I tried the 9000 with the strap and it felt better, but still not good. Now I’m full circle with a bunch of vintage Gretsch Floating Action pedals.
The chain gives you more throw, which equals more power with less effort, but in my experience the strap is smoother and faster. Terry Bozzio would agree
Strap drive. Final answer.
I moved to an original DW 5000 chain drive in 1980 and used it until about 1987, then switched back to the nylon strap version. I was working at DW at the time and I remember noticing a significant difference in how much smoother the strap was over the chain.
I gave the chain another try a few years ago with a DW 9000 and couldn’t make friends with it. Too heavy for my weak foot I suppose. I tried the 9000 with the strap and it felt better, but still not good. Now I’m full circle with a bunch of vintage Gretsch Floating Action pedals.
The chain gives you more throw, which equals more power with less effort, but in my experience the strap is smoother and faster. Terry Bozzio would agree
Strap drive. Final answer.
Vintage Old School
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I purchased a DW9000 in the 90's shortly after they were released. To be sure it was the best pedal I've played to date, but no matter how hard I tried to like it, it just didn't feel right to me. It felt sluggish to me. That's not a slight in any way on the design or quality of the DW9000 chain drive pedal whatsoever. It was just a personal issue of "feel." Money being tight in those days I played it for about 10 years until I sold my kit. I'm glad I bought it and tried it, but it just wasn't for me.
In 2007 I purchased my current kit and I began a search for a new pedal. I heard from another drummer who had a friend working at the DW factory who could play any pedal he wanted in their line up and his pedal of choice was a USA DW5000 strap drive. As fate would have it a Like New
DW5000 strap drive (early 90's USA model) turned up on Reverb three days later. A bass guitarist had purchased it new for his home studio and it had only been used twice and placed in storage. I rolled the dice and snagged it.
Best. Pedal. Ever. So incredibly smooth and fast out of the gate. Even faster after installing a Canopus Speed Star Bearing. I have tried other pedal brands/models since then for comparison, but the DW5000 Strap is my pedal for life.
The concerns of a strap breaking on a gig can easily be dealt with. First, inspect and change the strap on a regular basis. Don't wait for it to fail. Second, always bring a back up pedal with you. Always. If things do go south it's a quick swap out.
In 2007 I purchased my current kit and I began a search for a new pedal. I heard from another drummer who had a friend working at the DW factory who could play any pedal he wanted in their line up and his pedal of choice was a USA DW5000 strap drive. As fate would have it a Like New
DW5000 strap drive (early 90's USA model) turned up on Reverb three days later. A bass guitarist had purchased it new for his home studio and it had only been used twice and placed in storage. I rolled the dice and snagged it.
Best. Pedal. Ever. So incredibly smooth and fast out of the gate. Even faster after installing a Canopus Speed Star Bearing. I have tried other pedal brands/models since then for comparison, but the DW5000 Strap is my pedal for life.
The concerns of a strap breaking on a gig can easily be dealt with. First, inspect and change the strap on a regular basis. Don't wait for it to fail. Second, always bring a back up pedal with you. Always. If things do go south it's a quick swap out.
