Pedal replacement for youngster

Harepy

Member
Looking for a new pedal for my 8 year old son. The Pearl Export Kit I recently acquired for him came with a p-100. While it's a really smooth and well performing pedal, it is the model that has no beater angle adjustment which I think is crucial while my boy has a small foot. I'm considering the p-530 and the p-930. Leaning towards the 930 because of its range of adjustability and the fact that the foot angle is not affected by a beater angle adjustment. Not sure if this is the case with the 530. I also prefer the way the p930 mounts to the hoop and that it has a floor plate as my son has not yet learned to keep his foot in a consistent position. My only concern is would the longboard be more difficult for him than a short board because of his small foot? Thanks in advance for any responses. FWIW I'm looking to buy used and get either a 530 or 930 for $50 in excellent condition.
 
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personally I’d get
Looking for a new pedal for my 8 year old son. The Pearl Export Kit I recently acquired for him came with a p-100. While it's a really smooth and well performing pedal, it is the model that has no beater angle adjustment which I think is crucial while my boy has a small foot. I'm considering the p-530 and the p-930. Leaning towards the 930 because of its range of adjustability and the fact that the foot angle is not affected by a beater angle adjustment. Not sure if this is the case with the 530. I also prefer the way the p530 mounts to the hoop. My only concern is would the longboard be more difficult for him than a short board because of his small foot? Thanks in advance for any responses. FWIW I'm looking to buy used and get either a 530 or 930 for $50 in excellent condition.
Personally I’d get the new 530 and have him learn how to play it he way it is. Or set up his existing pedal to its optimum and have him continue to play it. Independent everything is cool, but a lot of people learn how to play on lesser gear and still become great players. Your son can do the same. My reasoning is that when he gets old enough to sit in with people, he won’t have his own stuff to play. So the more he learns how to play on anything, the better.
 
You should be able to adjust beater angle at the spring. The giant screw at the top should have 3 options to screw into. Closer to the bass drum will put the beater closer to the bass drum, farther is farther. No one ever does this, so it should be in the default center position. It's not a huge difference, but it does change the angle.

If you want to adjust footboard angle, this is done at the cam. Remove the little metal part that holds the chain, you can now alter the length of chain, thus raising or lowering the footboard.

Some of these pedals (later ones) do have an angle adjustment. Again at the spring, if the top has a drumkey screw and 3 notches on the part the spring hooks on to, you loosen that screw on the top to make the adjustment. This type of adjustment will change the footboard angle also.

If you have no idea which it is, post a pic of the pedal and we can help you.
 
You should be able to adjust beater angle at the spring. The giant screw at the top should have 3 options to screw into. Closer to the bass drum will put the beater closer to the bass drum, farther is farther. No one ever does this, so it should be in the default center position. It's not a huge difference, but it does change the angle.

If you want to adjust footboard angle, this is done at the cam. Remove the little metal part that holds the chain, you can now alter the length of chain, thus raising or lowering the footboard.

Some of these pedals (later ones) do have an angle adjustment. Again at the spring, if the top has a drumkey screw and 3 notches on the part the spring hooks on to, you loosen that screw on the top to make the adjustment. This type of adjustment will change the footboard angle also.

If you have no idea which it is, post a pic of the pedal and we can help you.


Here is a pic. Don't see where I can make those adjustments. I believe the p-100 had 2 pedal versions and the earlier one did not have a beater angle adjustment. Here's a couple of pics.
 

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Okay yeah, it's the older one. The big screw that the top of the spring hooks around, unhook the spring. The pedal will fall. Look at the opposite side (inside) of that piece the screw is attached to. If you see three small holes, that's the beater adjustment. Just move the screw to a different hole and reattach the spring.

Not every pedal has this, but if memory serves me yours should.

If not, the P900 pedal can be picked up for next to nothing, and it has a beater angle adjustment and footplate. Don't give up on this pedal yet though. It's a good pedal to learn on.
 
Okay yeah, it's the older one. The big screw that the top of the spring hooks around, unhook the spring. The pedal will fall. Look at the opposite side (inside) of that piece the screw is attached to. If you see three small holes, that's the beater adjustment. Just move the screw to a different hole and reattach the spring.

Not every pedal has this, but if memory serves me yours should.

If not, the P900 pedal can be picked up for next to nothing, and it has a beater angle adjustment and footplate. Don't give up on this pedal yet though. It's a good pedal to learn on.

Will give that a try. I can get a p530, p900,p930, or even a p120 for about the same price if I can't adjust it. I figure if I do have the non-adjustable p100 I can either sell it and recoup 1/2 the cost of the replacement, or just keep it as a backup. Thanks for the tips.
 
The 900 is a nice pedal. In your case, that's what I would buy for him. And, definitely keep the old pedal as a spare. I guarantee you that if your son keeps playing the drums, he'll need it eventually.

GeeDeeEmm

FEATURES
  • True Round Cam: Offers smooth linear feel and balanced action
  • Chain-drive: Offers speed and durability
  • PowerShifter: Allows the footboard to move forward or backward to three presets to change the leverage of the pedal and thus the feel from light, normal, or heavy
  • Beater angle adjustment: Allows infinite angling of the beater for perfect positioning
  • Duo Beat beater: The Duo Beat beater features a plastic (hard) and felt (soft) face for added versatility. It's like getting two beaters in one


1575743500909.png
 
The 900 is a nice pedal. In your case, that's what I would buy for him. And, definitely keep the old pedal as a spare. I guarantee you that if your son keeps playing the drums, he'll need it eventually.

GeeDeeEmm

FEATURES
  • True Round Cam: Offers smooth linear feel and balanced action
  • Chain-drive: Offers speed and durability
  • PowerShifter: Allows the footboard to move forward or backward to three presets to change the leverage of the pedal and thus the feel from light, normal, or heavy
  • Beater angle adjustment: Allows infinite angling of the beater for perfect positioning
  • Duo Beat beater: The Duo Beat beater features a plastic (hard) and felt (soft) face for added versatility. It's like getting two beaters in one


View attachment 88821

I was able to try a few pedals today. Pearl 920, Pearl 930, Tama Speed Cobra HP 310L, Tama Iron Cobra 600. Didn't really notice much difference between the 2 Pearls but leaning towards the 920 as I liked the longer heel pad as my son will typically rest his foot there when he gets fatigued and the 930 doesn't have as much room there. Much preferred the Tama 600 over the 310; seemed much smoother to me. There was another guy in the drum room playing a kit very well so I just rotated between the various pedals mimicking his beats to try and get a real feel for each pedal. I'm somewhat torn between the Tama 600 and the Pearl but am leaning Pearl. I'll get a lifetime warranty with the Pearl while the Tama only goes 2 years. I've seen many more anecdotes of Tama's failing than Pearl, and when I take into account my son's age and the possible beating it's going to get, the 920 looks to be the winner. I honestly don't feel there is much difference between the 2 Pearl pedals other than the aforementioned heel pad on the 920 and the livelier color scheme of the 930. They were both priced at $99.99 but I should be able to get a price match of $79.99 on the 920. FWIW the Tama was $129.99. It just was not $50 better performance wise and the warranty seals the deal for me.
 
The difference between the P920 and P930 is the footboard. The 920 is a shortboard, the 930 is a longboard. The hinge position is what makes the difference.
 
Decided to go with the 920. GC had it on clearance for $52. Typical GC customer service; took 10 minutes to get helped and the associate seemed angry that I wouldn't purchase their warranty. I explained to him that it wouldn't be necessary since Pearl has a lifetime warranty and he still tried to sell me on it for 5 minutes. He would not even help me get a box to carry it out in (it was an open box item). While I'm very satisfied with the deal I will only visit GC from now on as a last resort. I'm really tired of their lack of interest and professionalism. In other words, just another day at GC..
 
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