PEARL DEMON CHAIN DRIVE PEDALS

101
WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2013 |
W
hen the original Demon
Drive made its debut at
NAMM 2009, its ground-
breaking features had it
voted ‘Best in Show’. What made this
show-stopper so radical wasn’t necessarily
down to its direct linkage drive, or the fact
that it was indeed wickedly fast and (with the
assistance of NiNjA skateboard bearings)
smoother than eels in a bucket of silicone –
it was (and still is), a piece of engineering
brilliance which awards the pedals their
immense versatility.
Build
Instead of the direct drive, these new models
sport a more conventional chain drive system
consisting of a ‘perfect circle’ linear response
cam (inspired by motor racing), and a dual
chain, complete with NiNjA rollers. The
modular construction starts with a steel
baseplate on which the various cast
aluminium components attach with Allen
bolts. Beaters feature an internal ‘elasticore’
which acts as a form of shock absorber. Pearl
has retained all of the features which makes
the pedals so unique – the ‘Duo-deck’
footplate allows it to be used either as a
standard ‘short’ pedal or extended, giving
extra power but with less control. The beater
stroke can also be positioned further away
from the batter head or closer to it – again a
compromise of power over controllability.
The double pedals attach to each other via
the zero latency ‘Z-link’ (also inspired by
motor racing) aluminium drive-shaft with its
smooth gyroscopic joints. The pedals’ modular
construction allows the double to be
converted into a right-hand remote – giving
lefties the chance to enjoy the pedal too! It is
interesting to note, if initially purchasing a
single pedal (but later deciding to go for a
double), the single can be easily converted
into a double with the optional components
available from Pearl.
Hands On
Within a second or two of performing with the
pedals (double and single), it became clear I
previously must have been playing in some
From £305 Pearl’s new Eliminator Demon pedal now comes with a chain drive
PEARL DEMON CHAIN
DRIVE PEDALS
WORDS: DAVE HOLMES
VERDICT: The speed at which these
pedals interpret each step is incredibly
smooth, fast and accurate. Although I
had previously played with the
direct-link Demon a year or so ago, to
me, the ‘chain’ seems to give a slightly
more organic feel – a little less like
attempting to connect to a machine.
Impressive!
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
stodgy treacle, with my old pedals holding me
back. To check whether I would experience the
same type of feel on the double, this was
given some additional testing where I played
the left remote with my right foot and
managed equally impressive results.
After playing for a short while (back in my
usual seated position!), things felt so
comfortable that I had to remind myself I was
playing on some new models with frequent
‘did I just play that?’ moments.
PRICE
Single Demon pedal, £305;
Double Demon pedal,
£770
DRIVE
Chain – dual linkage
BEATER
Control core, compressed
felt
BASE PLATE
Steel
FEATURES
Duo-deck convertible
footplate, modular design,
beater stroke adjustment,
NiNjA bearings, ‘linear
response’ cam, ultra-light
chain, Z-link drive shaft
(Double only), click lock
spring, removable toe
stop, height adjustable
footboard, adjustable
traction plate
CONTACT
Pearl Drums
www.pearldrum.com
Essential spec
BEATER
Beaters feature an
internal ‘elasticore’
which acts as a form
of shock absorber
FOOTPLATE
Duo-Deck footplate allows it to be used
as either a ‘short’ or extended pedal
Z-LINK
Double pedals attach via
a zero-latency aluminium
drive shaft with smooth
gyroscopic joints
RHY212.gear_pearl.indd 101 12/18/12 10:07 AM