DW 5000 SERIES BASS DRUM PEDAL

108
| JANUARY 2013 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
GEAR REVIEW
B
ack in the early ’70s, Drum
Workshop purchased the tooling,
moulds and dies from the Camco
drum company and reintroduced
the popular nylon strap pedal, retaining the
5000 model number and awarding it a DW
badge. The ‘Camco’ brand name itself was
sold, eventually fi nding its way to being under
the ownership of Tama. The reintroduction of
the 5000 pedal gave the fl edging DW a solid
foundation and many years later, after several
design enhancements (notably with a chain
drive), it became an industry standard.
Build
At just a glance it seems little has changed
from the previous incarnation of this
‘Accelerator’ model. The most noticeable and
immediate physical difference being the fi nish
of the bearing/pedal shaft itself – this now has
a red anodised fi nish instead of the plain alloy.
DW has remained faithful to the colour
scheme overall with the red-painted base
plate and black powder coating beater/
bearing posts. Also retained are features such
as the ever-handy drum key (located in its clip
attached to the base plate), the conveniently
placed wingnut for the pedal clamp, pointed
‘DW’ embossed spikes and the foam insert
into the pedal spring for a quieter operation.
So, what’s new? Well, lifting up the pedal
for a closer inspection reveals the underside
of the hefty steel base plate now has a
rubberised pad following the shape of the
actual plate. This has a criss-cross pattern to
help grip most surfaces, rather than the
Velcro-like strips of the previous model. Those
strips were brilliant at anchoring the kick onto
a carpeted surface but turned any last-minute
bass drum repositioning into a palaver with
the base plate a bit too lovingly attached!
The foot of the pedal clamp itself has
been redesigned with three
individual rubberised pads which
are attached to individual
rounded shafts giving
360° movement. This
’Tri-Pivot’ toe clamp
perfectly follows the
shape or contours of
an acoustic bass drum
rim while also being
suitable for a fl at plate kick bracket found on
many electronic kits. The lower fi xing is now
an ingenious fl oating mechanism which allows
the lower part of the spring to move with the
pedal. This rocking motion is said to speed up
the pedal and make the action smoother.
Hands On
With the new Tri-Pivot
system, clamping the pedal
to the bass drum rim is a
breeze – applying its fi rm
grip while seemingly
centering itself in position. The
subtle additions appear to
give the pedal a ‘pendulum’
type motion which actually
rocks for a good while longer
than the previous model. With
the pedal’s adjustable chain
drive left ‘as is’ from the
factory, the unit is much
quicker and has the ability
to fi re rapid
Bonham-esque
style wallops
with little
effort.
£209 The 5000 series pedal on which DW built its reputation has been
enhanced to make it even smoother
DW 5000 SERIES
BASS DRUM PEDAL
WORDS: DAVE HOLMES
VERDICT: The 5000’s subtle design
improvements make a surprising
difference to the pedal motion, giving it
improved speed and feel.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
PRICE
DW 5000AD4
(Accelerator), £209
DRIVE
Duplex Chain and Sprocket
DRIVE TYPE
DW Eccentric Accelerator
Sprocket
BEATER
Dual headed – Plastic/Felt
BASS PLATE
Steel with rubber base and
steel spikes
PEDAL MODEL
AVAILABILITY
Double pedal – right or
left-handed player, turbo
or Accelerator drive
COUNTRY OF
ORIGIN
Taiwan
CONTACT
Westside Distribution
0141 248 4812
www.dwdrums.com
Essential spec
TRI-PIVOT CLAMP
Toe clamp perfectly
follows the contours
of an acoustic bass
drum and is also
suitable for a fl at plate
kick bracket found on
many electronic kits
BASE PLATE
The hefty steel base plate
now has a rubberised pad
following the shape of the
actual plate
COLOUR
DW has remained faithful
to the 5000’s red and black
colour scheme
RHY211.gear_dw.indd 108 11/21/12 4:28 PM