DW Direct Drive Pedals

103
WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK JANUARY 2015 |
VERDICT: DW set out to make a pedal
that is ‘adjustable, versatile and highly
playable, without being over-
engineered.’ Consider the brief well
and truly met – the only price to pay for
this technical perfection is the price
itself, which is best learned when
sitting down.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
PRICES
DW MFG MDD pedals:
single, £479; double,
£979
DRIVE
Direct drive
BEATER
3 x interchangeable
beaters: fl at felt,
rounded felt and fl at
plastic faces
BASE PLATE
Yes
FEATURES
Fulcrum geometry
linkage; solid aluminum
direct-drive cam; Infi nite
Throw adjustment;
quick pivot adjustment;
perforated solid
aluminum footboard;
contoured Heel Plate;
Interlocking Delta™
Hinge; Floating Rotor
Drive System; Tri-Pivot™
Swivel Toe Clamp; 110
Control Weight/Impact
Adjustable Beater; soft
case included
CONTACT
Westside Distribution
0141 2484812
www.dwdrums.com
Essential spec
THE DIRECT DRIVE ASSEMBLY OF LINKAGES AND PIVOTS
MAKES A COMPLEX PIECE OF ENGINEERING SEEM LOGICAL
AND STRAIGHTFORWARD – EXACTLY AS DW INTENDED
BEATER
Further fi ne-tuning can
be achieved by adding
up to four weights to the
back of the beater head
FOOTBOARD
Perforated solid aluminium
footboard has been anodised
in a shade of gun metal then
highly polished
ADJUSTMENT
Spring tensioning
mechanism is
operated by turning a
bolt with a drum key
then highly polished. This tails into DW’s
patented Delta Hinge before continuing on,
ending with an elegant fold in the contoured
heel plate.
The direct drive assembly of linkages and
pivots that connects the footboard to the
cam is similarly striking and makes a
complex piece of engineering seem logical
and straightforward – exactly as DW
intended. A wide spread of adjustment is
again possible and, despite my best efforts,
there is absolutely no lateral play to be
found at all. Further fi ne-tuning can be
achieved by adding up to four brass weights
to the back of the beater head, which is itself
an all-new design with three different faces
to choose from.
Hands On
DW studied the geometry of direct drive
pedals and wanted the feel of the MDD to
appeal to chain drive players; it would seem
to have achieved this aim. The pedal can be
set up with a surprisingly natural and
smooth action that seems to glide the beater
into the head. At the turn of a few bolts it
can be reconfi gured at the other end of the
scale to reveal an aggressive speed-driven
machine more suited to barrages of blast
beats. In all the other points between these
two extremes it is the dictionary defi nition
of precise.
Once set at my preferred stance it soon
begins to feel like an extension of my foot
rather than a mechanical interface – if
anything is preventing me from carrying off
adventurous-to-the-point-of-mindless kick
fl urries, it’s my technique. The MDD is also
the quietest pedal I have ever played; it is
completely – and I really mean totally,
utterly, pin-drop territory – silent.
If the single MDD leaves me with the
hint of a smile on my face, swapping it for
the double fi nds me breaking into a near
manic wide-eyed grin. The sense of
equilibrium in the response is uncanny;
it is genuinely impossible to tell both sides
apart. Suspecting that I’m being a little
too credulous, I try playing the slave pedal
with my right foot but I’m not mistaken – it
really is that close. Clearly no stone has been
left unturned in the development of this
pedal and, while it is expensive, the results
are exceptional.
RHY237.gear_mdd.indd 103 24/11/2014 12:37