Pearl Demon Drive - EUREKA!

Bo Eder

Platinum Member
So I've had my Demon Drive pedal for some time and although I initially liked it out of the box, there were times when it didn't feel right to my foot. On this forum I've heard many complaints about the pedal as well and even some folks just getting rid of them and returning them because of the inherent weak feel. At times I wondered why for such an expensive single pedal, should I have to alter my technique to make the pedal happen when I'm fine on, obviously cheaper pedals.

I've discovered a few things when I actually set some time aside just to work on this pedal yesterday. And it started with reading the Owner's Manual that came with it. I've included pictures in case my semantics get confusing. What I wanted was more power, but I didn't want to change my technique. I am happy to report that once you set the pedal up right, you will get that power you normally associate with other favorite pedals. So, the multitude adjustments you can make are both a curse and a god-send because out of the box, Pearl thinks you'll like it the way they've set it up. We as players just need to know that we can severely alter the way the pedal is set-up. So you, like others, probably will hate the way it is out of the box. Hopefully what I talk about will give you hope that it's not the pedal!

After going through the owner's manual, the first thing I did was convert it into a longboard set-up, since out of the box it comes with the heel plate in the down position (like alot of other pedals). Granted, now that I know what I know, you probably don't need the longboard conversion once you set up the rest of the pedal right, but I like it, and it matches my other Pearl pedals (I also have the P-930 single and double pedal sets).

If you look at the linkage from the footplate , the 'power' setting is the first hole on the linkage from the axle. Not the farthest one away. Like gears on a bicycle, you want to get closer to the axle to maximize the power stroke. Another setting is changing where the beater angle is. If you look at the mechanism that hold the beater, there's actually two places that tighten it up against the axle. Out of the box, Pearl sets this as the one at the rear, which pushes the beater actually forward of the axle. You want to loosen that up, and push it back so the beater is actually closer to the axle. Now the beater travels a little farther on its way to the head, but the extra travel is where the power comes into play.

Now my Demon Drive feels great, and I play the same way on it as I do my other pedals. Ironically, I just took a $300+ pedal and made it feel like my $90 Pearl P-930 (or DW5000, or Tama Iron Cobra Jr., etc.,...). But now it's slammin'!

Forgive me if a bunch of your owners already knew this. I was just wondering why there were so many negatives spoken about this pedal upon its debut. Now that I have it feeling the way I like it, I'm sure it's now my favorite pedal ;)
 

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My demon drives felt great, smooth, quick. just as good as my trick, or axis pedals. but they are not durable in my experience, unfortunately. The bearings were worn after a few months of use. but it's great you got them to your liking, but it looks like your beater will hit you on the return?
 
My demon drives felt great, smooth, quick. just as good as my trick, or axis pedals. but they are not durable in my experience, unfortunately. The bearings were worn after a few months of use. but it's great you got them to your liking, but it looks like your beater will hit you on the return?

Actually, if I set the pedal in motion by hand, the beater will slam back on to the top of my foot. But in reality, when my foot is on it, the beater doesn't slam back since my foot is stopping the action just by the weigh of my foot on the pedal. Because of my footboard angle to begin with, I like the fact that when I raise my foot, the beater comes back with me before I slam it back down for the stroke.

So I understand the bearings are some kind of really fast Ninja skateboard bearing, right? Did you just replace the bearings or try the lubrication that came with the pedal? I've owned lots of pedals using similar bearings and I've never had to replace them - so I'm wondering if you could've gotten a bad batch? I mean, my Tama Flexi-Flyer from 1978 is still stock and those bearings have never been lubricated. Coincidence?
 
....If you look at the linkage from the footplate , the 'power' setting is the first hole on the linkage from the axle. Not the farthest one away....


Does it state that in the manual? Because normally with a lever, the greater the distance that force is applied from the pivot point, the greater the torque or force.
Unless they've got something else going on that's not obvious.

But ya - you can really change the feel of a pedal with all of the adjustments available nowadays.
Once it's set to your liking, you don't have to fiddle around with it too much.
 
Does it state that in the manual? Because normally with a lever, the greater the distance that force is applied from the pivot point, the greater the torque or force.
Unless they've got something else going on that's not obvious.

But ya - you can really change the feel of a pedal with all of the adjustments available nowadays.
Once it's set to your liking, you don't have to fiddle around with it too much.

They say in the manual the power setting is the one closer to the axle. I was looking at it like gears on a bicycle. The ones that give you more power are the smaller ones putting the chain closer to the axle on the wheel. I figured that's what they were doing here. Maybe they don't see it as a lever, but a gear? Since when you put the chain farther away from the center on an axle, the wheel spins slower?
 
Bo i think the longboard option is the key here. I had a look at mine as well and discovered that when converting to longboard as you undo the screws underneath the base to slide the hinge back away from the footboard i did need to give it a tap with a rubber mallet to get it to come away from the footboard. Maybe this is where people give up and just try to adjust the pedal without sliding back the hinge.Because as you say this is where the more powerful action lies. Just a thought. So don't give up on these pedals so easily and really have a good play around with them before you give up on them. I have mine on a 24" by 16" Gretsch hitting a coated Powerstroke Pro and it's damn good.
 
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Wow, that's great. TBH this is part of the reason I'm not into my DW 9000 so much anymore- I put the strap drive on when I bought it and tightened the springs, and the only other adjustments that matter are the cam shape (regular circle for me) and I guess default beater distance. The Demon Drive both looks and (seems like it) adjusts better, with more variety. Have you had the opportunity to check out the chain version?
 
Wow, that's great. TBH this is part of the reason I'm not into my DW 9000 so much anymore- I put the strap drive on when I bought it and tightened the springs, and the only other adjustments that matter are the cam shape (regular circle for me) and I guess default beater distance. The Demon Drive both looks and (seems like it) adjusts better, with more variety. Have you had the opportunity to check out the chain version?

No, but I'm sure it'll be a more familiar point for most drummers. However, now that I've found the 'sweet spot', I'm not even sure it matters what the linkage actually is.

When I started playing, I spent several years with the Ludwig Speed King. Then after that on my first proper Slingerland kit, I was using the leather strapped Slingerland Tempo King. Then consequently went back to direct drive with the Tama King Beat after I broke the Tempo King - and played that pedal from 1979 'til 1985, when I got my first DW5000 with the round sprocket and single chain. In every instance, I just found where my spot was and used it. The Demon Drive is no different, it just took alot more work and experimentation to find it.
 
I too started on a Speed King and just recently bought a refurbished one to play with my Legacy kit.. So maybe starting on a direct drive pedal gives us the notion that it's not the linkage it's the drummer. I have 6 different pedals and not one is my favourite but i do do prefer some pedals with certain kits. Here's a couple of pics of the Evolution, strangely i find the Speed King looks more modern than the Demon. If we could have interchangeable linkages on the Speed Kings for better beater angle that wouldn't be bad. Oh by the way anyone notice one of JB's Speed Kings for sale on the bay for 5 grand?
 
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I'm one of the folks who sold off a demon drive. I played with all the settings, pretty sure we all did. The most effective thing was using a heavier beater but it was never going to get the power of a chain pedal. It only goes as fast as you move your foot.. Like riding a bike in one of the lowest gears. A chain pedal with a power cam changes to a 'higher gear' at the end of the stroke, makin it more powerful (I heard and felt the difference as soon as I out my other pedals on. And the footboards move exactly as the beater which makes things awkward if you lift off the footboard at a bad time. The pedal works but I would rather get the chain version anyday. You see so many guys selling their demon drives online, surely that means something.
 
I'm one of the folks who sold off a demon drive. I played with all the settings, pretty sure we all did. The most effective thing was using a heavier beater but it was never going to get the power of a chain pedal. It only goes as fast as you move your foot.. Like riding a bike in one of the lowest gears. A chain pedal with a power cam changes to a 'higher gear' at the end of the stroke, makin it more powerful (I heard and felt the difference as soon as I out my other pedals on. And the footboards move exactly as the beater which makes things awkward if you lift off the footboard at a bad time. The pedal works but I would rather get the chain version anyday. You see so many guys selling their demon drives online, surely that means something.

I felt the same way when I played a Ludwig Ghost pedal. I came away wondering how anyone would buy it and actually use it because I just couldn't play it, and I don't think there were that many adjustments to be made. And then I saw Ed Shaughnessy play with that pedal totally ripping up the bandstand with it, and that was a big lesson day for me.

But you say you played with all the adjustments, and I think the two that made the biggest difference was where the beater angle was, and where the linkage was. Once I put the beater holder closer to the axle, the feel totally changed. When I put the pedal linkage at the hole closest to the axle, it got even better. It feels very much like one of my cam-shaped chain drive pedals now. I'm gonna set the heel hinge back to its normal place to see if that made as big a difference as well, because I can usually fly on pedals with a heel plate, so I'm not sold on the idea that making it a longboard really helped me. I'll report in on that later.
 
I think setting it up as long board will make it feel lighter again. You'll have less of the loaded up slingshot feel and more of a 'stomp' action.
 
I think setting it up as long board will make it feel lighter again. You'll have less of the loaded up slingshot feel and more of a 'stomp' action.

You're probably right. I also have the P-920 Demonator pedals, and those are ready-made as longboards, and right out of the box, those felt great. So I was frustrated for quite sometime with this Demon Drive. No longer. It pays to read the instructions, I guess ;)
 
I converted to the long board when I purchased the pedal. Then bought the slave pedal. After about a year or so, the long board screws sheared through the aluminum. The screws were steel and the board was aluminum. This is not the right way to do that. A local drum shop replaced the boards free of charge because of the lifetime replacement that Pearl has. I now use the short board instead. The long board converted to only two bolts whereas the short board has four.

Also, I left my pedal over at a practice place and when I came back, the linkage screws that hold and adjust the universal joints were stripped. This is also a problem with the steel screws in the aluminum thread. In this case, someone else used my pedal when I was not told about it.

I have been designing machines for over 30 years as a mechanical engineer. The conventional way to use an aluminum housing with steel screws is to use steel inserts into the aluminum. Screwing into aluminum will not stand up to the test of time. Aluminum is too soft of a metal that does not have the strength that steel does. Of course there are some examples of using steel in aluminum, but it does not make it correct. It is a cheaper way for them to do the job.

My problem with the pedals are these aluminum threaded holes without inserts. I still have the demon drive, and like it, but do not take it out of the house too often. Instead I have a few cheaper pedals that I do not care too much if they break that I use around.
 
I can't talk for the double version as i only need a single. Good point about the aluminium and steel , could be where some of the dissatisfaction with these pedals lie. But to shear the threads there must have been some serious stomp'n on it. I still like the pedal though.
 
I'll see how it goes with the steel vs aluminum issue. I also play the P-930 single and also have the double-pedal version as well, so maybe as I spread the work out over three pedals I should be ok ;)
 
I can't talk for the double version as i only need a single. Good point about the aluminium and steel , could be where some of the dissatisfaction with these pedals lie. But to shear the threads there must have been some serious stomp'n on it. I still like the pedal though.

I am not sure that I stomp it in a very strong way. I think my technique is that I kind of slide my foot up into the pedal when playing, and thereby giving a pushing motion to the foot board. I do this when I do doubles and triples. This is a technique that was not taught to me, but that I learned on my own before the internet was thought of. I think this may be something a lot of players do when doing doubles and triples on the bass drum. At least that is what I see when I watch things now on the internet.

My instructor, when I was younger never showed me any technique with the pedals other than a few high hat routines. I kind of picked this technique up when trying to play Led Zep Immigrant song.

There are three different forces on a metal member. 1. Compression, is when you take a rod and you try to compress it into a smaller length, like a shock absorber getting shorter. 2. Tension, is when you pull the part from both sides and try to lengthen the part. Like when a shock absorber gets longer. Shear, or Torsional Shear, is when the member is cut in half or twisted in half. My foot board had the aluminum sheared off and leaving the bolts without damage.
 
I'll see how it goes with the steel vs aluminum issue. I also play the P-930 single and also have the double-pedal version as well, so maybe as I spread the work out over three pedals I should be ok ;)

Just be aware of the weakness of the aluminum and that should give you an advantage.

If find you want to do something about the Al weakness, you could take the board to a local machine shop and have them install Helicoil inserts, they will drill the holes larger and install these steel inserts. It is a typical way to prevent the problems.

http://www.stanleyengineeredfastening.com/brands/heli-coil
 
Just be aware of the weakness of the aluminum and that should give you an advantage.

If find you want to do something about the Al weakness, you could take the board to a local machine shop and have them install Helicoil inserts, they will drill the holes larger and install these steel inserts. It is a typical way to prevent the problems.

http://www.stanleyengineeredfastening.com/brands/heli-coil

Well, hopefully it won't come to that. It's always funny how I always seem to go back to my Tama Flexi Flyer, though ;)
 
Its a great pedal. Love the direct drive double pedal. I have never had any issues with it, and I just took it out of the box, set it up, and have had to make no adjustments on it in two years.
 
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