Speed King

J

Johnnyringo

Junior Member
I own a dw 5000, but lately I've been using my vintage Speed King, great pedal, no squeaks, indestructible, light and simple, the coolest looking pedal ever made IMHO. It takes a bit of time to get use to, but once you get it dialed in, it's smooth as silk.
 

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they're the Rip Van Winkle of pedals.
Put away for 20-30 maybe 40 years brought back out
and is like they never left and yes bearings seem to last forever

I brought my 74 out in 2023 and is now resides with and will be gigged again with set 3
and is taken as a back up with the other sets
 
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Johnnyringo said:
I own a dw 5000, but lately I've been using my vintage speed King, great pedal, no squeaks, indestructible, light and simple, the coolest looking pedal ever made IMHO. It takes a bit of time to get use to, but once you get it dialed in, it's smooth as silk.
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What takes time to get used to this pedal? Does it feel so much different than other pedals because of the way it is built?
 
it's mind over matter Striker
If you don't mind its look, it's way of construction or any detail, then it doesn't matter.
It doesn't feel that much different; it doesn't on-purpose vibrate or pulse, it's a very flat and wide footboard..
the spring back or forward- is similar to what you use
 
striker said:
What takes time to get used to this pedal? Does it feel so much different than other pedals because of the way it is built?
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It does feel different than a typical pedal, the first thing you'll notice is there's not much swing when you just push on the footboard, unlike the dw that swings forever. But, when I actually use the pedal, I feel like I have more control. It's more about what you can do than what the pedal can do, if that makes sense.
 
I used one a few times, but it never rebounded properly, always seemed to stay down. I kept missing notes. Just couldn’t get used to it.
My 5000 feels effortless and reliable by contrast.
 
Johnnyringo said:
It does feel different than a typical pedal, the first thing you'll notice is there's not much swing when you just push on the footboard, unlike the dw that swings forever. But, when I actually use the pedal, I feel like I have more control. It's more about what you can do than what the pedal can do, if that makes sense.
Click to expand...

My understanding from this explanation is that the Speed King is like the practice pad with very little bounce, and the DW is like the practice pad with more bounce. From your experience is this a correct analogy?
 
Neilage said:
the felt beater that comes standard with the Speed King is the best beater ever
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and Tama copied it with their 82 ish series of pedals King Beat etc. maybe even enlarged it a bit... Yes Speed King is the Standard altho the Japanese copies are as well.
 
Johnnyringo said:
I own a dw 5000, but lately I've been using my vintage Speed King, great pedal, no squeaks, indestructible, light and simple, the coolest looking pedal ever made IMHO. It takes a bit of time to get use to, but once you get it dialed in, it's smooth as silk.
Click to expand...
I've owned 3 or 4. I modified one quite a bit and it was a very good pedal. Sintered bronze sleeves and bushings in the pedal plate hinge. A custom fashioned direct drive with bearings. Polished races, cams, and spring cylinders. A floor plate. It was quick, controlled, and silent.
But the unmodified pedals were quite good when set up and maintained properly. I mean... Bonham 🏆
 
I tried one many years ago and found it was not for me. This thread has me curious about them again, but I wonder how many users play heel down? Also I remember the linkage was a problem hitting the head.
 
It's a great and historic pedal and i used one for years. I recently tried one of the news ones, they are beautifully built but it didn't jibe with my 20" kick that I had on a lift.... could never get it adjusted right. I had to pull it back to keep the beater shaft from tapping the rim of the drum. I was kind of bummed.

Lest we forget... Bonham's Squeak King...

Bass Drum Pedal Ludwig Speedking - JohnBonham.co.uk

Throughout Bonhams career he used Ludwig's SpeedKing bass drum pedal with tight spring tension. Bonham used a felt beater, switching to a wooden...
johnbonham.co.uk johnbonham.co.uk
 
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I went through a few pedals looking for something that felt just right. Dyna-Sync, DW5000, Pearl Eliminator, old Camco etc, and the Speed King just does it for me. The Goldilocks of pedals.

I’m actually fond of the Pearl and the Camco too, but I liked the Speed Kinging enough to buy two.

The linkage rubs the head on my 20” kick though. I have to pull the mounting back just a bit before I clamp it down. I’m still on the lookout for a proper spacer.

Awesome pedal.

IMG_1048.jpeg
 
I moved from a Speed King to a DW 5000 a few years ago, mostly because the Speed King felt worlds different from the pedals I'd play on other people's kits. But this thread is making me want to take it back out and give it a try. Will need some grease for sure!
 
I haven’t played a Speed King since the ‘80s, but I remember absolutely hating them. Super squeaky, felt flimsy, the pedal never stayed on straight (would get cocked to the side when playing hard), the direct linkage would always come undone, etc. Even if it worked perfectly, I still thought the feel sucked.

To each their own, but I’ve never understood why anyone likes this pedal.
 
I bought one of the new ones (after having had the old model for 15 years), and it's just the same. Yeah...newer bearings, drum key holder at the base & it's "shiny", but other than that, it's the same, glorious pedal.
 
Cmdr. Ross said:
I bought one of the new ones (after having had the old model for 15 years), and it's just the same. Yeah...newer bearings, drum key holder at the base & it's "shiny", but other than that, it's the same, glorious pedal.
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does it still have the two adjustment screws underneath the posts? I assume it does.
 
striker said:
My understanding from this explanation is that the Speed King is like the practice pad with very little bounce, and the DW is like the practice pad with more bounce. From your experience is this a correct analogy?
Click to expand...
Not really. The Speed King is considered the first legendary direct drive pedal (someone correct me if I'm wrong :) ). The distinction is the solid metal linkage between the beater and the pedal: no slack on the rebound as one may get with a chain or belt drive. This is neither good, bad or indifferent... it's all a matter of personal taste and what feels right/comfortable to the individual player.
 
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