New SpeedKing

Is that what this picture is? A remake of the 1970's ones that had the two piece foot plate?

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I'll be honest, every time I go back to something I've played before, I'm reminded of why I've moved on in the first place and it never ends well with me. When I got to check out the new Speed King, I thought it was cool, and many people still want one and that's great. When I sat down to play it, it felt too 1976 for me. I guess I'm like Sammy Hagar - he's always wondering what the attraction to old stuff is and he hates old guitars because they always had problems he had to fix or live with. I never thought I'd have anything in common with Sammy.

Now I apologize, because I always say I make every pedal of mine feel like the old Camco, and that's true. I have my feel dialed in. I just make modern pedals conform to my feel. I guess with the Speed King, because of it's inability to be adjusted, always feel different, even though I grew up on one and can play it. It's too weird for me now.
 
Yeah that one Bermuda posted a picture of is the one I remember playing on back in the day, since then I've played Yamaha pedals since the 1980's.
 
I just noticed they got rid of the flat spring by where the footboard connects to the linkage. I guess they eliminated the need for it?
 
So i just picked up a new Speed King. So far i'm liking it more than my DW5000. I'm a fairly new drummer so i feel like the Speed King is a bit more controllable for me and gives me back what i put into it. The Ddub is so quick i had trouble controlling it. More my issue than the pedal for sure. Is the heelplate on the new SK's adjustable? If so, do most people use it in a fixed position or loose?
 
Is that what this picture is? A remake of the 1970's ones that had the two piece foot plate?

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No. That is a different pedal. The new pedal looks almost identical to the original. This is right from Ludwig's website. You really can't tell the difference.

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So i just picked up a new Speed King. So far i'm liking it more than my DW5000. I'm a fairly new drummer so i feel like the Speed King is a bit more controllable for me and gives me back what i put into it. The Ddub is so quick i had trouble controlling it. More my issue than the pedal for sure. Is the heelplate on the new SK's adjustable? If so, do most people use it in a fixed position or loose?
I like it loose and flipped over but I think most people leave it locked. It makes a surprisingly big difference in the feel, I'd definitely suggest trying it both ways.
 
I like it loose and flipped over but I think most people leave it locked. It makes a surprisingly big difference in the feel, I'd definitely suggest trying it both ways.

I have mine set to the heel plate version. If you flip it, it makes it a longboard of sorts (shown in the pic). As it's a direct drive, it can take some getting used to. But it's a classic & if you travel, how it breaks down for a gear bag is just great.

Oh...it's gotta have the Bonham squeak" too. ;)
 
Not really, had a Speed King back in early 70’s on my Rogers Holiday set, eventually went to a Rogers Swivomatic which ran circles around the Speed King! Think current pedals will do the same.
 
When I played rock in the 70s, the Speed King was IT. You could generate a lot of power with it. I even had a technique I called the "Foot Flam" with it, which nearly doubled the power. The idea was to drop your leg onto the pedal, heel landing first. If you do it right, you have your ankle abolutely slack, so when the heel hits the back of the foot board it acts as a lever for the front of your foot, which generated a lot of power and force.
 
Any pedal you have to accustom to the "feel of it". I have mixed emotions about pedals with lots of adjustments. I'd rather not a bunch to fool with-but then again if it gets where you like it is nice. I like the simple mechanics of the old Speed King-it does look just like the one I played in 60s. Probably just took away all the "advancements" they tried since to go back to original. It could be an example of "If ain't broke why fix it". LOL.
 
I bought the new Speed Flyer instead after initially considering the Speed King. I'm impressed with it, to my preference it's more go and less show than my DW 5000. Nothing fancy or revolutionary but plenty efficient to my liking. Would have been cool if Ludwig evolved the SK over time instead of re-issuing it, imagine if DW reissued the 80s 5000 pedals when you can buy super duper cutting edge new ones.
 
Would have been cool if Ludwig evolved the SK over time instead of re-issuing it .....
Put a plate on it, and maybe move the hoop clamp tension adjuster out from under the footboard, and I'd buy one in a hot minute.
 

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Hi all, been reading this forum for a while, just joined.
I played the Speed King back in the late 60's thru the early 80's and loved it. When I heard that Ludwig reissued the SK I couldn't wait to get one.
Back in August I ordered one. The original delivery date was to be early Oct., but after several delays, I finally received it on Christmas Eve.
Ludwig put some thought into the improvements they made to the pedal. Firstly, they added Velcro to the bottom of the footboard for added stability.
Included with the pedal is an adhesive backed rubber strip to protect the inner surface of the hoop when clamping the pedal, along with two snap on rubber bumpers that attach to the front of the pedal stansions to protect the outer rim of the hoop. Also included is a drum key with the Ludwig logo that fastens under the foot board.
With great anticipation, on Christmas day, I played the pedal and was rewarded with the feeling that brought me back to my youth! It played just like the SK's of old!
Overall, I think Ludwig did a great job in updating the Speed King along with keeping it's old school feel.
Happy New Year everyone!
 
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