Bass pedal adjustment

[thebigcheese]

I have a Gibraltar double bass pedal, one of the Intruder II pedals. It's a sturdy pedal, but for some reason I can't seem to play on it as well as when I play with, say, an Iron Cobra pedal. I can't afford to go out and buy different pedals, so I thought I'd just replace the springs with new ones (the same ones the Iron Cobra uses). I got the pedal from my drum teacher a while ago, so the springs were pretty beat up. I can definitely tell that these perform better, but I still can't really play any better. Is it possible to get my pedal to play more like an Iron Cobra so that I can actually get good use out of it, or do I really just have to get a different pedal to make it work?

[genesisariana]

I have the intruders also, they are heavy as crap, and very bulky. I had to adjust the spring to max tension just to get a good action out of them. But now that I am used to them, I will never go back to lightweight pedals, they feel so solid. Just practice with them for a while, you will get used to them. Good Luck!!!

[Lethalxbeats]

Originally Posted by genesisariana

I have the intruders also, they are heavy as crap, and very bulky. I had to adjust the spring to max tension just to get a good action out of them. But now that I am used to them, I will never go back to lightweight pedals, they feel so solid. Just practice with them for a while, you will get used to them. Good Luck!!!

I agree- it just takes what soldiers would call "trigger time". The longer you practice with them the better you will get. I have seen some drummers on some hubbed out pedals playing some increadible double bass. I played axis a's for 15 years and recently bought a pair of DW8000's which have a heavier feel but so much smoother-the beater is heavier also but I am hooked on it now and cant stand the small IC beaters.

[genesisariana]

I have found that my kick drum sounds so much fuller with that heavier pedal behind it. But I dont play my left foot as much as I should...... Maybe thats "why I walk with a limp, Im alrit". Wow that was a stretch to use a 50cent joke. Sorry for that.

[thebigcheese]

Hmm... I decided I really had no purpose for the second pedal, so I traded them in to pay for most of a DW7000 single pedal. Much, much easier for me to play. Actually, I found it interesting that the same pedal (literally, I bought the floor model) plays quite differently on my drums than it did in the store, I believe because of the difference in head tension. I might have to loosen up my batter head a bit, although not as much as the store (I had trouble doing single hits there). But it was tuned so well... grumble grumble grumble.