WTB: DW Sidekick Pedal

[murph]

Howdy,

I've decided to take the plunge into a tall, cold cocktail. LOL Dennis at Phattie is going to hook me up with a killer 16x24 and I need a pedal to drive it.

After all the experimenting I've been doing, I feel that the DW Sidekick will work best for the drum placement I've been using with my trad kit (modified to play standing up).

I looked at buying a new pedal, and they are talking a 4 week lead time. I've got a paying gig on Aug 21 and would like to rock the new cocktail setup. So, in addition to scoring one cheaper than new, I'm trying to save as much time as possible

Anyone out there have one they are willing to part with??? Worst case, anyone out there know of a drum/music store with a side-kick sitting on the shelf?

Thanks in advance!

-murph

[Mr. Compactness]

I may have one Murph that I think I 98% will be selling. I got one with my Whitney just a few days ago but miss the direct feel of a regular reversed pedal.

It works just fine, nice and smooth. However, the 3 screws that hold the heel plate to the pedal plate are rounded out and damaged from trying to remove and the bottom of the pedal plate is dinged a bit. I have DW Heel Extensions and was trying to remove the screws which unfortunately on this pedal seem to have been made of cheese and welded on. The same happened with one of the screws holding the footboard to the hinge. I've never had this problem before, but in my rush and frustration I could have used something other than the brute force method to try and get them out

Anyway, they're still holding fast and in fact I was going to eventually get a screw extractor bit and replace all the rounded screws. But if you don't care that the pedal isn't a pretty site underneath but that it is still functional and won't fall apart on you (and the screws can definitely be removed with the right tool and some new screws if you're so inclined), I can leave it up to you.

[zorf]

might be interested if it's cheap enough.

[Mr. Compactness]

might be interested if it's cheap enough.

I was thinking along the lines of $150 + $10 shipping. Again if the rounded screws are an issue I can get an extractor to try and remove them and then replace them, but as they're the screws for the footplate and heelplate they still hold strong (too strong, that's why they rounded off).

Let me know.

[murph]

might be interested if it's cheap enough.

I was thinking along the lines of $150 + $10 shipping. Again if the rounded screws are an issue I can get an extractor to try and remove them and then replace them, but as they're the screws for the footplate and heelplate they still hold strong (too strong, that's why they rounded off).

Let me know.

Crap, hate that I missed out on your potential offer... would have been a lot cheaper than buying new (guess I missed you post)! I needed the pedal for a gig last Friday, so all's well that ends well, I suppose.

I am getting very skeptical about this pedal's durability. The cord on mine has frayed after just one gig... didn't realize it till last night, and I have another gig tonight! Jeez. I was trying to adjust things last night so the pedal doesn't work loose, when I noticed the fraying.

Not trying to prevent someone from buying your pedal, Mr. C., but if anyone is interested in reading my experiences from Friday, you can check my Monster Tiki Rocktail Kit thread in the "Your cocktail kit" section of the website. I figure it's good for cocktail players to learn about these pedals. Most shops do not stock them, and at $200+ new (and special order, so you can't return it), it's best to know what you're getting into.

I haven't given up yet... I really like the placement of the pedal in relation to the drums. But, if I can't resolve the issues I'm having, I'll have to bail on using the pedal. Needless to say, I won't be a happy camper.

-m

[Mr. Compactness]

Murph I still have the pedal if you're interested. No one has come forward to officially buy it.

[ratatattat]

I modified my sidekick using wire rope in place of the cord, after time even the wire rope will fray also, but it is a replaceable item & very cheap, you just need a cable cutter tool to make it convenient. It feels a little different, but if you can get used to the side kick with the cord, the wire rope will grow on you as well. The pedal is very expensive to have a piece of dang string to be the drive belt. Like putting a bicycle chain to drive a harley! Well enough of my rant. You can get vinyl coated wire rope at any home depot or hardware store, and buy enough to make an extra length to throw in your case just in case of total failure, nothing worse than haveing no kick!
Adios

[Mr. Compactness]

What I would have loved to been able to figure out is how to make this sort of a direct drive pedal. I tried to think of a way I could have replaced the rope with a metal arm or something, but having no mechanical skill, I couldn't think of anything lol

[ratatattat]

the wire rope is WAY better than the string!

[murph]

Does the "arc" in the cable make the pedal-->beater connection feel a little sluggish? Overall, I am pleased with the "feel" of the rope/cord, but I need it to not fray and be reliable. I bought the pedal knowing it wouldn't feel like a direct/strap/chain drive type pedal, but jeez, I didn't expect things to start working loose and literally cutting the cord in half, just from playing it.

Thanks for posting the pic... gives me an idea of what the cable looks like installed.

-m

[ratatattat]

YOU play the drum, it doesn't play you. There is no sluggish anything, when you step on the pedal, it straightens out, works everytime, just like Malt Liqour! Its the cheapest fix for the skimpiest part of this pedal, I also have a DW 5000 inverted also with toe weights & heel elevator etc etc, I can use either one to the best of my ability. You just have to get used to the play, and use YOUR ability to make it cool. otherwise I'd buy some more rope of the similar type and keep the tools handy to change it while you are at a gig and it fails.
Coool drum set BTW......
Adios

[ratatattat]

Just occured to me, maybe a chain may work and have the more immediate feel. Just a thought.

[murph]

Just occured to me, maybe a chain may work and have the more immediate feel. Just a thought.

Thought I'd follow-up on the fraying/working loose issue(s).

1) Fraying - I wrapped the cord with a single layer of black electrical tape where it enters the mounting/anchor assembly. For those with one of these pedals, you'll know that the machining on the piece results in a very sharp edge. I believe this is the primary reason the cord gets frayed. I thought of filing it down, but instead used two-layers of electrical tape to cushion and take off the edge of the assembly. This seemed to work great, and the cord/tape looked good as new after the gig a few weeks ago. I don't know how durable it will be long-term, but it seems like a good first step. Also, because the cord and assembly is black, you don't even notice the tape.

2) Working loose - I really studied the way the beater assembly, cord, and pedal work together. I rotated the drum counter-clock-wise about 20 degrees, which positioned the mounting leg closer to my body. This allowed placement of the foot pedal such that the downward force exerted on the beater assembly is as close to straight up and down as possible, during the latter part of the stroke (which is when there is maximal force needed to overcome the return spring). I believe the cam/beater assembly was working loose from the mounting leg because of lateral forces, resulting from pedal placement.

Anyway this seemed to help a LOT... I played ever so slightly less aggressive (was mic'd, so this was possible), and everything stayed solid for two full 50-minute sets. I am going to be woodshedding this weekend, and plan to play a bit harder, to see if the new alignment has solved the problem, or if it will also require a slightly lighter touch while playing.

-murph

[Bruce (the K)]

It's already been mentioned but the problem is that there is a sharp edge at the end of the pedal where the cord passes over it. My cord started to fray so I took it apart, filed down the edge with a flat bastard file, and voila! I've been playing it for several years now with no fraying.

Bruce the K

[murph]

It's already been mentioned but the problem is that there is a sharp edge at the end of the pedal where the cord passes over it. My cord started to fray so I took it apart, filed down the edge with a flat bastard file, and voila! I've been playing it for several years now with no fraying.

Bruce the K

Interesting... my cable frayed at the other end... where it mounts to the beater assemble. Guess I need to check the end nearest the pedal also. LOL

While I seemed to have solved the fraying issue, the cam assembly constantly works loose from the leg. The other issue I have is the leg itself is working loose from the leg mount. I think this is partially because I'm using the larger diameter leg supplied by DW (to help solve the problem of the assembly working loose), but the leg mount is intended to work with a smaller (non-DW) diameter leg.

I am going to purchase a Pulse pedal and try the reversal trick. If I can still position the cocktail drum and pedal such that it works for me, I'm going to abandon the DW pedal all-together. We are working with a new upright player, so currently I'm only playing the cocktail kit in rehearsal (where I can stop every few songs and make adjustments). This just isn't practical in a performance situation.

If the Pulse pedal doesn't work out (placement-wise) , I plan to try using an aircraft-style (nylock) nut instead of the supplied wing-nut, to secure the cam assembly to the DW leg. If that works, I will probably consider ordering a DW leg mount, to replace the standard one that's on my cocktail drum. I'm guessing this will involve drilling the shell, which I would really like to avoid. Maybe I'll get lucky and the DW mount points will line up (not holding my breath on this one).

-murph