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New member: kick tower question.

New member: kick tower question.

2003-02-07 by Darren Lo

Hello all,

I'm a complete newbie (both to e-drums and to drums in general) who
bought a used first-generation DTXpress off eBay in the spirit of fun
and experimentation. Everything seems to work great, except for the kick
tower, which is completely dead. The cause of death may have been the 
"tender" ministrations of UPS. In any case, I'm now in the market for a
new kick trigger (preferably cheap), and was looking at the KP65. I have
a few questions, to wit:

1) Will the KP65 work with the old DTXpress module?
2) How is the noise level compared to the KP60, which seems quite
loud and clangy?
3) Are there any other good options in a similar price range? (Seems
unlikely.)
4) What does the KP65 actually look like? Is it a large circular rubber
pad atop two "buttresses", or does it look kind of like the KP60? I've
seen pictures of both called the KP65, so at least one of them must be
wrong.
5) Not really related to the previous four, but some kick towers are
labeled as stereo. What advantage would a stereo kick tower have? Double
bass?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me.

Darren Lo
lo@...

Re: New member: kick tower question.

2003-02-07 by underneathheaven <realvast@swbell.net>

Hey darren, we welcome you and your questions!  I'm a newbie to e-
drums as well, about one month old on the edrum world and loving 
every second of it!  I can give ya a little help though!  The KP65 
is the black circular kick pad that can be used with a double bass 
pedal.  Hitting the actual pad is not "clangy" but it does provide a 
little sound of course, nothing worse than hitting a tom pad 
though.  If you want to see a pic of it check out my photo folder 
called "underneathheavens set"  I'll have new pics posted soon too!  


--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, Darren Lo <lo@m...> wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I'm a complete newbie (both to e-drums and to drums in general) who
> bought a used first-generation DTXpress off eBay in the spirit of 
fun
> and experimentation. Everything seems to work great, except for 
the kick
> tower, which is completely dead. The cause of death may have been 
the 
> "tender" ministrations of UPS. In any case, I'm now in the market 
for a
> new kick trigger (preferably cheap), and was looking at the KP65. 
I have
> a few questions, to wit:
> 
> 1) Will the KP65 work with the old DTXpress module?
> 2) How is the noise level compared to the KP60, which seems quite
> loud and clangy?
> 3) Are there any other good options in a similar price range? 
(Seems
> unlikely.)
> 4) What does the KP65 actually look like? Is it a large circular 
rubber
> pad atop two "buttresses", or does it look kind of like the KP60? 
I've
> seen pictures of both called the KP65, so at least one of them 
must be
> wrong.
> 5) Not really related to the previous four, but some kick towers 
are
> labeled as stereo. What advantage would a stereo kick tower have? 
Double
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> bass?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me.
> 
> Darren Lo
> lo@m...

Re: New member: kick tower question.

2003-02-07 by brown8700 <brown8700@aol.com>

Darren:
Welcome to the group. Before you discount the KP60, have you checked 
the A/B switch on the front? Have you also tried the volume knob on 
the front?
I've gotten to gigs before where I've set up and started to do a 
sound check and found that I had no bass. Cripes! We go on in 15 
minutes and I have no bass. Instant FEAR! I've now learned to see if 
the A/B switch had gotten reversed in transporting the pad.
That may be the problem.
And please pardon the suggestion if you've already gone through that 
exercise.

Re: New member: kick tower question.

2003-02-07 by liberatusvirus <liberatusvirus@yahoo.com>

Hi Darren,

Notwithstanding the gentle ministrations of UPS, the KP60 was 
definitely the weak link in the DTXpress chain. Just put on your 
reading glasses and run a search for it, or for kick drum problems, 
in the archives. To make a long story short, double triggers, 
dropouts, and complete silence were not uncommon. First, spray a 
little WD40 on the cable jack. Then, when that fails, if you're 
adventurous--and, as I've had occasion to say before--optimistic, 
you can pull out the circuit board and check for anything loose. 
Then re-solder every connection, whether it seems suspect or not. If 
that doesn't work, you can always buy another piezo at Radio Shack. 
In one of those more recent archived posts, someone gives the part 
number; they're cheap. 

If none of these strategies works, or appeals to you, you could try 
the KP65, which, judging from the lack of complaints about it on 
this board, seems to be far more reliable. Pintech also has a couple 
of options that have proven popular, the Vertikick and the Ergokik 
(which is the less expensive of the two and features an inverted 
beater; see the Pintech site). Ebay is always worth a try. You can 
spend a lot of money for some of the other kicks made by Yamaha, 
Pintech, Roland, etc., but that kind of expense with the DTXpress 
would seem penny foolish. 

Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, Darren Lo <lo@m...> wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I'm a complete newbie (both to e-drums and to drums in general) who
> bought a used first-generation DTXpress off eBay in the spirit of 
fun
> and experimentation. Everything seems to work great, except for 
the kick
> tower, which is completely dead. The cause of death may have been 
the 
> "tender" ministrations of UPS. In any case, I'm now in the market 
for a
> new kick trigger (preferably cheap), and was looking at the KP65. 
I have
> a few questions, to wit:
> 
> 1) Will the KP65 work with the old DTXpress module?
> 2) How is the noise level compared to the KP60, which seems quite
> loud and clangy?
> 3) Are there any other good options in a similar price range? 
(Seems
> unlikely.)
> 4) What does the KP65 actually look like? Is it a large circular 
rubber
> pad atop two "buttresses", or does it look kind of like the KP60? 
I've
> seen pictures of both called the KP65, so at least one of them 
must be
> wrong.
> 5) Not really related to the previous four, but some kick towers 
are
> labeled as stereo. What advantage would a stereo kick tower have? 
Double
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> bass?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me.
> 
> Darren Lo
> lo@m...

Re: [DTXpress] Re: New member: kick tower question.

2003-02-11 by Darren Lo

Thanks to everyone who replied about the dead KP60. After getting off
the phone with UPS (sounds like I won't get any satisfaction from them),
I went ahead and opened up the unit. Apparently the leads from the piezo
had snapped right where they come out from the sensor. I still have to
pry off the glued-on foam to get a closer look at the thing, but it
looks like a $2 repair should do the job. I might still get a better
kick tower, but it's good to know exactly what's wrong with the one I
have now.

Darren Lo
lo@...
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Fri, 7 Feb 2003, liberatusvirus <liberatusvirus@...> wrote:

> Hi Darren,
> 
> Notwithstanding the gentle ministrations of UPS, the KP60 was 
> definitely the weak link in the DTXpress chain. Just put on your 
> reading glasses and run a search for it, or for kick drum problems, 
> in the archives. To make a long story short, double triggers, 
> dropouts, and complete silence were not uncommon. First, spray a 
> little WD40 on the cable jack. Then, when that fails, if you're 
> adventurous--and, as I've had occasion to say before--optimistic, 
> you can pull out the circuit board and check for anything loose. 
> Then re-solder every connection, whether it seems suspect or not. If 
> that doesn't work, you can always buy another piezo at Radio Shack. 
> In one of those more recent archived posts, someone gives the part 
> number; they're cheap. 
> 
> If none of these strategies works, or appeals to you, you could try 
> the KP65, which, judging from the lack of complaints about it on 
> this board, seems to be far more reliable. Pintech also has a couple 
> of options that have proven popular, the Vertikick and the Ergokik 
> (which is the less expensive of the two and features an inverted 
> beater; see the Pintech site). Ebay is always worth a try. You can 
> spend a lot of money for some of the other kicks made by Yamaha, 
> Pintech, Roland, etc., but that kind of expense with the DTXpress 
> would seem penny foolish. 
> 
> Ed
> 
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, Darren Lo <lo@m...> wrote:
> > Hello all,
> > 
> > I'm a complete newbie (both to e-drums and to drums in general) who
> > bought a used first-generation DTXpress off eBay in the spirit of 
> fun
> > and experimentation. Everything seems to work great, except for 
> the kick
> > tower, which is completely dead. The cause of death may have been 
> the 
> > "tender" ministrations of UPS. In any case, I'm now in the market 
> for a
> > new kick trigger (preferably cheap), and was looking at the KP65. 
> I have
> > a few questions, to wit:
> > 
> > 1) Will the KP65 work with the old DTXpress module?
> > 2) How is the noise level compared to the KP60, which seems quite
> > loud and clangy?
> > 3) Are there any other good options in a similar price range? 
> (Seems
> > unlikely.)
> > 4) What does the KP65 actually look like? Is it a large circular 
> rubber
> > pad atop two "buttresses", or does it look kind of like the KP60? 
> I've
> > seen pictures of both called the KP65, so at least one of them 
> must be
> > wrong.
> > 5) Not really related to the previous four, but some kick towers 
> are
> > labeled as stereo. What advantage would a stereo kick tower have? 
> Double
> > bass?
> > 
> > Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me.
> > 
> > Darren Lo
> > lo@m...
> 
> 
> Community email addresses:
>   Post message: DTXpress@onelist.com
>   Subscribe:    DTXpress-subscribe@onelist.com
>   Unsubscribe:  DTXpress-unsubscribe@onelist.com
>   List owner:   DTXpress-owner@onelist.com
> 
> Shortcut URL to this page:
>   http://www.onelist.com/community/DTXpress 
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> 
>

Re: [DTXpress] Re: New member: kick tower question.

2003-02-11 by John G. Morony

I have a similar problem with my PinTech trigger
cymbals.  The leads coming out of the piezo need to be
resoldered every few weeks.  As you mentioned, it is
fortunate that this repair is both easy and cheap.


> I went ahead and opened up the unit. Apparently the
> leads from the piezo
> had snapped right where they come out from the
> sensor. I still have to
> pry off the glued-on foam to get a closer look at
> the thing, but it
> looks like a $2 repair should do the job. I might
> still get a better
> kick tower, but it's good to know exactly what's
> wrong with the one I
> have now.


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RE: [DTXpress] Re: New member: kick tower question.

2003-02-12 by Creighton Higgins

I managed to save a KP60 myself- the 1/4" phone jack had separated from the circuit board and as I messed with it- the leads came of the piezo. Peeled a piezo out of the radio-shack ( I think it's a 273-091 and a bit dicey to get out.) Scraped the old piezo off the metal plate in the rubber pad and hot glued the new one in. Wired it to a 1/4" phone jack-threw out the circuit board and hooked it all up. Had to tweak the module a bit- but it works and allows me to save my shekels for a decent snare. Good luck
Show quoted textHide quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: Darren Lo [mailto:lo@...]
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 10:41 AM
To: DTXpress@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [DTXpress] Re: New member: kick tower question.

Thanks to everyone who replied about the dead KP60. After getting off
the phone with UPS (sounds like I won't get any satisfaction from them),
I went ahead and opened up the unit. Apparently the leads from the piezo
had snapped right where they come out from the sensor. I still have to
pry off the glued-on foam to get a closer look at the thing, but it
looks like a $2 repair should do the job. I might still get a better
kick tower, but it's good to know exactly what's wrong with the one I
have now.

Darren Lo
lo@math.wisc.edu


On Fri, 7 Feb 2003, liberatusvirus wrote:

> Hi Darren,
>
> Notwithstanding the gentle ministrations of UPS, the KP60 was
> definitely the weak link in the DTXpress chain. Just put on your
> reading glasses and run a search for it, or for kick drum problems,
> in the archives. To make a long story short, double triggers,
> dropouts, and complete silence were not uncommon. First, spray a
>; little WD40 on the cable jack. Then, when that fails, if you're
> adventurous--and, as I've had occasion to say before--optimistic,
> you can pull out the circuit board and check for anything loose.
> Then re-solder every connection, whether it seems suspect or not. If
> that doesn't work, you can always buy another piezo at Radio Shack.
> In one of those more recent archived posts, someone gives the part
> number; they're cheap.
>
> If none of these strategies works, or appeals to you, you could try
> the KP65, which, judging from the lack of complaints about it on
> this board, seems to be far more reliable. Pintech also has a couple
>; of options that have proven popular, the Vertikick and the Ergokik
> (which is the less expensive of the two and features an inverted
> beater; see the Pintech site). Ebay is always worth a try. You can
> spend a lot of money for some of the other kicks made by Yamaha,
> Pintech, Roland, etc., but that kind of expense with the DTXpress
> would seem penny foolish.
>
> Ed
>
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, Darren Lo wrote:
> > Hello all,
> >
> > I'm a complete newbie (both to e-drums and to drums in general) who
> > bought a used first-generation DTXpress off eBay in the spirit of
> fun
> > and experimentation. Everything seems to work great, except for
> the kick
> > tower, which is completely dead. The cause of death may have been
> the
> > "tender" ministrations of UPS. In any case, I'm now in the market
> for a
> >; new kick trigger (preferably cheap), and was looking at the KP65.
> I have
> > a few questions, to wit:
> >
> > 1) Will the KP65 work with the old DTXpress module?
> > 2) How is the noise level compared to the KP60, which seems quite
> > loud and clangy?
> > 3) Are there any other good options in a similar price range?
> (Seems
> > unlikely.)
> > 4) What does the KP65 actually look like? Is it a large circular
> rubber
> > pad atop two "buttresses", or does it look kind of like the KP60?
> I've
> > seen pictures of both called the KP65, so at least one of them
> must be
> > wrong.
> > 5) Not really related to the previous four, but some kick towers
> are
> > labeled as stereo. What advantage would a stereo kick tower have?
> Double
> > bass?
>; >
> > Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me.
> >
> > Darren Lo
> > lo@m...
>
>
> Community email addresses:
> Post message: DTXpress@onelist.com
> Subscribe: DTXpress-subscribe@onelist.com
> Unsubscribe: DTXpress-unsubscribe@onelist.com
> List owner: ; DTXpress-owner@onelist.com
>
> Shortcut URL to this page:
> http://www.onelist.com/community/DTXpress
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>


Community email addresses:
Post message: DTXpress@onelist.com
Subscribe: DTXpress-subscribe@onelist.com
Unsubscribe: DTXpress-unsubscribe@onelist.com
List owner: DTXpress-owner@onelist.com

Shortcut URL to this page:
http://www.onelist.com/community/DTXpress

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

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