The best double-kick pedal

[BINARY]

Last weekend I got an opportunity to try the AXIS double kick pedal. They never seem to have them in the stores, but I had a friend who special ordered one.

I'm here to tell you that this pedal is the best double kick pedal I've ever tried. I've tried them all, from the DW5000's and 7000's to the Iron Cobras, Ludwigs and Yamahas - ALL of them.

I've NEVER found one that I liked, as it always seems that all of them have the same problem - the slave doesn't feel like the mastar pedal.
EVER.
There's a lame ever-present lag with the slave that's not there on the master.
Maybe I'm picky, because I focus more on double kick than anything else I play, but the AXIS was just so much better than any other pedal, I was stunned.

This thing is endlessly adjustable, and the action is smoother and faster than any other double-kick pedal I've ever tried. The way it was adjusted out-of-box was a little messed up (REALLY messed up, actually - it had that 'pedal hits the floor before the beater hits the drum' thing going on), but after taking a look at how all the adjustments work, and spending about ten minutes or so setting up so everything felt right, the thing was awesome.

I'm not sure if anyone is even in the market for a new pedal, but if so, I just wanted to mention this on the board. The pedal isn't cheap - we're talking about 400 to 450 bucks for this thing - but if quality is your main concern, this is the pedal to get.

BINARY

[tak]

i did a little pedal shopping this weekend and having heard a lot about the axis pedals, i wanted to check one out. so i looked at the single axis first, along side the dw 5000 and the Tama Iron Cobra.

i found the dw to be exactly what you'd expect. good design, nice feel, stable, etc.
i thought the axis needed some adjusting and you know you cant do too much of that in- store. the axis also looked weird to me. now i know for some of you look has little to do with quality, but for me it was an ascthetic, that threw me off a bit. the action was good but not anything as smooth as the power glide iron cobra.

this pedal, for me, had the most comfortable action of all. and contrary to BINARY, i found the slave on the dble pedal to have 0 lag and found it very responsive. it is rock solid, and the way the chain drive works, it actually throws the pedal into the head at the end of the swing rotation (without you feeling it).

i ended up buying the Iron Cobra powerglide dble pedal at $269.00. i highly recommend this pedal. and this is coming from someone who doesnt usually prefer Tama products and has all DW 5000 hardware otherwise. its just a damn good pedal.

BINARY says axis and i found the iron cobra to be smoother. it comes down to personal taste. but it helps me to get a couple opinions from a source like the vdrums board before i go shop. that way, i know i have several options that have been recommended.

-tak

[This message has been edited by tak (edited April 02, 2001).]

[Arriguy]

That just shows you how subjective these things are, and why it's impossible to answer these questions that we are constantly seeing such as, "What's the best thing I can buy?" I played the Axis pedal a friend of mine had for sale and it just sucked in my opinion. I spent some time playing with the adjustments and could never get it to feel good. Granted, the thing was used and there may have been something worn out, but after my try out of the Axis, I didn't look at it again, especially for the money. I'm glad it works well for you though, Binary. I liked the DWs myself. There's certainly no one thing that works for everyone.

[ufotofu]

Binary,

Which model Axis did you try, the X or the A? And, does anyone know if there is a difference in playing the 2 models, or is it just the "heavy-duty-built-to-last" factor?

[redarrow]

I have owned both A and X Axis pedals and the X feels much better to me. After reading through some news group postings I read the A pedal design causes the beater to actually slow down just before it strikes the head. That is, for a specific amount of pedal travel, the beater actually moves less distance when it nears the head, This translates into a "slowing down" feel. I have not scientifically verified this but after using both pedals I can say that this accurately describes the difference in "feel" between A and X. I also found that I did not need (or like) the extra adjustability of the A model. The X costs less and feels better to me, imagine that......

The marketing of the X pedal makes it sound/appear in some way inferior to the A model. Pity...

as always,your mileage may vary.



[This message has been edited by redarrow (edited April 02, 2001).]

[mfmia]

Axis is a great pedal, about 6 years ago I was playing at a Jazz festival and met Will Kennedy -Yellowjackets - this guy can play! He was nice enough to take me back stage where he had a small kit set up and was warming up - he also just started using the Axis pedal and was raving about it. I was impressed BUT how do you get parts for this thing when it breaks? That's my biggest gripe and the cost (WOW)! For that reason I bought the Iron Cobra chain and I love it - tough easy to get parts and it's smooth. I have had problems with the screws stripping out but nothing that couldn't be fixed.

[BINARY]

I'm not sure which model I tried. Like I said, it was a friends pedal.
The pedal definately needed to be adjusted a bit, but after that, it was like no other pedal.

Obviously, opinions will vary. I've tried the Cobras, and I've never liked them at all. I use DWs now, but may eventually switch to AXIS as time and money allow.

I think the reason I like the AXIS is that they're FAST and SMOOTH. The single pedals are CRAZY fast, and the double I tried was fast also.
I feel virtually no resistance under my feet when I play them, until the beater hits the "head." (ahem...trigger.... )

This means, for me at least, that I can play (theoretically) as fast as I can move my feet.

Don't get me wrong, I like my DWs, but there's a certain bounceyness and clumsiness with all non-axis pedals that drives me nuts.

I'll give you an example:

If you stomp your foot down on any pedal and immediately lift it off, what happens?
It's all,
...KaChang, KaChang, KaChang....
While the big beater sways back and forth, and the pedal bounces all around...
Now on the AXIS pedals, if you do the same thing, the pedal still moves (obviously), but not as much, and it's all smooth and quiet.

It's frigging precision is what it is.

I love them.
I'm all getting excited sitting here talking about them, I'm about to go buy the damn things right now.

BINARY

[puttenvr]

What's best. To me a kick pedal is very personal. There are guys who still play with Ludwigs Speed King pedal because they like the metal attachement and compression springs. Other drummers prefer a light feel or some bouncyness. Today almost all pedals are of good contruction. Only in the budget prize range there still are some misfits around. The best way to find out is to test a pedal intensively.

Ofcourse the Axis pedals are very good, but I wonder if you don't pay for the design. Just like with B&O stereos. To me any professional Tama, Pearl, DW, Yamaha pedal will suffice as well...

[Spides]

Anyone tried The Duallist? That looks impressive.

[puttenvr]

Not tried yet. But reviews say you will have to practice a lot before you can play with it. And since the pedal always gives 2 beats: what about 5 stroke bass drum patterns?

This month Sonor introduces a similar pedal called Giant Step

[rus]

Originally posted by Spides:
Anyone tried The Duallist? That looks impressive.

Two words class... Gim Mick. Learn to play doubles on your own "normal, not new, unimproved" pedal. (which by the way is also capable of 5-stroke rolls and anything else your mind can imagine that your foot can play) I'm all for learning something new, but in this case there is no point.

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[This message has been edited by rus (edited April 03, 2001).]

[Sky10]

Pearl powershifter Eliminator. I can't get enough of this pedal. Endless options. Quick change cams, Now I can do buz parradiddles.
That was humor. Seriously, a great pedal.
Kyle

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[szvook]

The Yamaha DFP880.
Solid, accurate, fast and smooth.

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szvook

[mcconaghy]

Premier EDP300.

Reliable, solid, fast, smooooooooooooooooth, and quiet.

Stu

[Oz DrumR]

mcconaghy

Is that the one that came out a few years ago with the rubber insert thing going on (instead of a spring) . . . if so - I was very impressed in the shop, certainly one of the smoooooooooothest pedals I've played, but the price was quite high.