Double bass drumming PROGRESS!
2005-05-12 by Stephanie Ellison
O M G!!! Unbelievable! Consider this a review for the Axis Universal Drive Shaft! I finally picked up the drive shaft for double bass drum pedals on Monday, and I have been working with it for the last two days. This can fit just about any brand double pedal out there. It replaces the stock shaft that comes with double pedals. It's about $133 each, so I had to save my money while it was on order. The problem with the stock shafts is that the u-joints wear out, usually within weeks of purchasing, because of how they are manufactured. The difference is that stock parts are usually molded and without consideration for durability. For example, The u-joints on the Axis product is machined out of block metal, threads for attachment to the ball are tapped in the c-arms, and allen-head screws attach these c-arms to the ball. This problem has hindered my progress on my double bass drumming. That results in play between the foot pedal and the beater, so it's hard to control where the beater is along the path of travel. I know a drummer who's with a band and has had his Axis double pedals for 12 years, and the shaft operates the same as it did when it was new. What is so unbelievable is that I had trouble playing 16ths above about 120 BPM on my Pearl Eliminator Powershifter double pedals, and within two days, I reached 170 BPM and held it for a few seconds before I got too tired. Since I got used to playing with a shaft with play in it (worn out), I had to relearn how to play the left pedal. It felt different playing, so I did an exercise in which I played straight 8ths with the left foot while playing out some beat and riding on the hats and on the other cymbals (left to right riding). I did this with a metronome and took it close to about 170 BPM. It made playing 16ths a lot easier and smoother. I really recommend this replacement part! Stephanie Ellison AKA Deaf Drummer deafdrummer.org