TESTED: Pro Drummer’s Favorite Drum Pedals

)Having a good bass drum pedal is essential in making your drum kit feel comfortable to play. A high-quality pedal will make playing the bass drum feel a lot smoother, and it may make it easier to increase your foot speed. 

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best bass drum pedals available. We’ve compared them by looking at their price, build quality, drive mechanisms, and overall value. 

After looking through all the pedals that we’ve suggested, you’ll be able to identify one that fits you the best.

Top 3 Bass Drum Pedals

The DW 5000 Series Single Pedal is our Overall Top Pick. It has become an industry-standard option for pro drummers needing a reliable bass drum pedal. It feels amazing to play, and it has plenty of customizability to cater to different preferences.  

The PDP 300 Series Single Pedal is our Best Budget Recommendation. Even though the pedal is inexpensive, it’s incredibly sturdy, and it comes with a two-way beater to get different tones. 

The DW MCD Machined Chain Drive Double Pedal is our Editor’s Choice for this list. The single pedal version is the most intricate and involved pedal on the market, so the double pedal version offers even more. It’s one of the most customizable pedals you can get, and it has unmatched construction quality.

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Best Drum Set Reviews

Out of all the pedals we’ve played over the years, most of us come back to this DW 5000 pedal when looking for straight-up quality. It’s not DW’s most expensive or high-tech pedal, but it’s undoubtedly one of the best options out there.

We love how this pedal feels to play. The Accelerator Cam makes it easy to get quick notes in, but it also gives the pedal plenty of sensitivity. 

We found the pedal to also feel very secure when it’s locked in place. It has three rubber points that attach to the bass drum hoop, as well as a rubber grip on the base plate. No matter how much we played the pedal, it didn’t move anywhere.

The one downside we found with this pedal is that it isn’t as adjustable as DW’s more expensive pedals. Most drummers won’t need that adjustability, but you’ll notice it if you’re already accustomed to having it. 

Verdict: The DW 5000 Series Single Bass Drum Pedal is one of the most reliable pedals you can buy. It feels incredible to use, as it has very smooth action with a sturdy base. The included two-way beater allows you to get varying tones, and the rubber pads work very well to protect your bass drum hoop. This is a pedal for working drummers who play busy gigs night after night.

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Knowing that PDP products are inspired by DW ones, we were very excited to try this pedal out. Even though it’s very inexpensive, we were pleasantly surprised by how smooth it felt. 

You could comfortably use this pedal in any setup. It just doesn’t feel as stable as high-end bass drum pedals. 

We loved that it came with an adjustable beater. The hard side gave us more attack from the kick drum, while the soft side sounded a bit warmer. 

We managed to adjust the spring tension quite easily, so you’ll be able to dial in your preferred tension quickly when setting this up. Overall, it’s a great budget pedal. We just wish it had a base plate to make it feel a bit more secure.

Verdict: The PDP 300 Series Single Pedal is a good inexpensive option for drummers who need a simple yet powerful bass drum pedal. It’s one of the most affordable pedals available that comes with a two-way beater, making it an appealing choice. However, the lack of a base plate makes it only a good option for beginner drummers.

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If you’re looking for the best bass drum pedal that money can buy, here’s what you’ll get. The DW Machined Chain Drive Double pedal has incredible construction, and it’s a pedal that every drummer will like, no matter how experienced they are. 

While we found the design to be a bit overwhelming at first, we quickly realized how intuitive the pedal is. The thing we loved most was having the ability to adjust the cam setting. Doing this allowed us to change how much give the pedal had when pressing our feet down. 

We also found the slave pedal to be just as responsive as the main pedal, which is a fantastic quality to have with a double pedal. 

There are so many other adjustable components on this pedal, and you have to sit with it for a while to figure them all out. 

Just note that this pedal is extremely expensive, with many full drum kits costing a lot less. 

Verdict: The DW MCD Machined Chain Drive Double Pedal is the highest-quality bass drum pedal available. It has a huge price tag, but you’ll never need to buy another bass drum pedal again once you have this one. With so many adjustment options, every drummer who uses it will feel very comfortable when playing.

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While electronic drums reduce a lot of noise, many drummers still struggle with the kick drum pad being too loud. This RDH-100A is a great solution to reducing that noise, as it’s designed with rubber dampeners on the base to stop vibrations.

We appreciate how it comes with a hard plastic beater. Felt beaters tend to damage mesh pads, and many drummers only realize that before it’s too late. 

With the dual-chain drive mechanism, we thought that this pedal responded similarly to most standard kick pedals. We tried using it with an acoustic kick drum, but it lifted the hoop quite high, which we weren’t too happy with. So, we only recommend getting this pedal for an e-kit.

Verdict: The Roland RDH-100A is one of the best pedals you can get for an electronic drum set. It lowers the vibrations caused by playing the bass pad, which makes it perfect for drummers who have people living underneath them. The hard plastic beater is a great addition that will preserve the quality of your bass drum pad.

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The Tama Speed Cobra pedals are a staple option amongst longboard pedal fans. These pedals are slightly longer than standard ones, giving you more leverage near the back to play techniques like swiveling or heel-toe. 

While these pedals are a lighter and more affordable version of the main Speed Cobra, we thought they felt amazing to play. The only thing noticeably missing was a coil between the pedals and the base plates to add a bit of tension, but we couldn’t feel a major difference. This made us think that these give you more value for money than the main ones do. 

The big downside is the beaters, though. They tend to wear out quickly. It’s an amazing pedal to choose, but we suggest you swap the beaters out if you’re going to play intricate double pedal patterns. 

Verdict: The Tama 310 Speed Cobra Double Pedal is a good option for drummers who love longboard pedals. These pedals are designed for styles with quick and busy bass drum patterns. They’re very light, which further adds to their smoothness. You’ll just need to replace the beaters with more durable ones as the felt wears out quite quickly.

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The Pearl Demon Drive pedal is an incredible piece of craftsmanship. We love how customizable this pedal is, as it even allows you to convert it to a longboard pedal.

We were also impressed at how you can switch between two beater positions. The first one felt very light and nimble, while the second one gave us more power which ended up in more volume coming from the kick drum. 

If we were to describe this pedal with a single word, it would be versatile. It’s one of the most versatile pedals on this list, and we highly recommend it to any kind of drummer. 

Direct drive pedals aren’t for everyone, though. The boosted sensitivity of the pedal may feel too overwhelming to get comfortable for some. 

Verdict: The Pearl P3000D Demon Direct Drive Single Pedal is one of the most versatile pedals on the market. It has an incredible number of adjustment options, and the direct drive mechanism makes it feel very smooth to play. We highly recommend it for drummers who like to switch things up every now and then with their pedal settings.

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The Perfect Balance Pedal is a widely popular bass drum pedal, considering that it’s one of the few signature pedals on the market. When looking at it, you’ll see that it’s very simplistic in its design. However, it’s loaded with design features that make it a great option to pick. 

The belt drive design allows you to get the exact dynamics that you’re looking for. We found that this pedal makes it very easy to play quick yet soft notes. 

We also love how easy it is to transport, thanks to the folding mechanism built into it. We just had to press it down, and it folded up smoothly. 

After playing for a while, we realized that this pedal suits heel-down players best. It worked for heel-up, but it didn’t feel as comfortable. Also, note that it’s not the best pedal for heavy drummers, as it’s quite difficult to get very loud notes from it. 

Verdict: The Sonor Jojo Mayer Perfect Balance Single Pedal is a good pick for drummers who play heel down. It’s also fantastic for styles where bass drum dynamics are varied. The pedal allows you to play quick patterns at very quiet levels, and that’s quite useful in certain settings. We wouldn’t recommend it for heavy drummers who exclusively play heel-up, though.

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Gibraltar makes some of the most reliable drum hardware out there, and this Road Class double pedal is a testament to that. It’s not the fanciest pedal out there, but we loved how sturdy it felt. 

We were also surprised at how responsive it was, even though the pedals are only connected by single chains. 

The felt spring silencer is a neat touch, and we definitely noticed how it reduced the noise from the pedal moving up and down. 

We’d easily recommend this as a first double bass drum pedal for someone looking to get one. It’s one of the most affordable double pedals we know of that has heel pates on both the main and slave pedal. 

Verdict: The Gibraltar Road Class Double Pedal is a reliable double pedal option with an appealing price tag. We think it’s a great pick for drummers looking to get their first double pedal. The heel plates make it feel very sturdy, and the single chains are surprisingly responsive. If you’re an experienced double pedal player, you may prefer something with dual chains.

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The Offset Eclipse Double Pedal is our most unique suggestion for this list. It allowed us to set our drum kit up symmetrically, having the snare drum sit straight in front of the bass drum. It felt very awkward at first, but we soon realized that it was more natural for our bodies. 

We were very impressed at how both pedals had the same responsiveness. We also found that this layout made it easier to get the same velocity from both pedals, as they both acted as slave pedals. 

Something else we appreciated was the size of the pedals. You may not notice it in the pictures, but these pedals are much bigger and wider than most other pedals available. The heel plates underneath them are also big, making the pedals feel incredibly sturdy. 

This design is quite out there compared to standard designs, so it’s understandable that many drummers won’t like it. We also found many of the pedal features quite hard to figure out at first. 

Verdict: The Offset Eclipse Double Pedal is an excellent option for drummers who love symmetrical setups. We love how large these pedals are, and they feel excellent to play on. If you want to feel more comfortable while playing double pedals, these may be the solution. However, they won’t work out if you’re set on keeping your kit set up in the traditional way.

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Our first impression of this pedal was its striking appearance. It looks incredibly sleek, and we were big fans of that. Thankfully, its functionality matched its looks perfectly. 

The longboard, combined with the direct drive design, made the pedal feel incredibly interactive. While we found that you need to put a bit more effort into pressing the beater down, the quick response felt amazing when playing grooves. 

There are so many amazing aspects to this pedal, including a switchable weighted beater, self-locking spring, quick adjustment link, and a stabilizing base plate. 

All these features justify its high price tag. However, it’s not a pedal we’d suggest newer drummers buy due to that price tag. 

Verdict: The Yamaha FP9D Direct Drive Single Pedal is an incredible pedal that is packed with many adjustment features. Almost every component can be adjusted, making it an excellent option for pro drummers who want to fine-tune their pedal settings as much as possible. It’s fairly expensive, so we only recommend it for experienced players who will understand its value.

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This pedal is the perfect option to use with a vintage drum kit. It’s modeled after the first popular Ludwig pedal, and we think it feels just as good to play as most entry-level kick pedals. 

While it isn’t something we’d recommend using full-time, it’s a strong part of drumming history, and owning one of these is quite a special thing. 

One thing to note, though, is that this is one of the most affordable direct-drive pedals that you can get, making it a strong option for drummers who love the added response of direct-drive pedals. 

The only downside that we found was the size. You have to play this pedal with your heel up to be the most comfortable. When we played with our heels down, the back of our feet ended up resting on the floor behind the pedal. 

Verdict: The Ludwig Speed King is an excellent vintage pedal option. We highly recommend it for drummers who use vintage kits, as it’s one of the most historically popular pedals that has ever existed. Ludwig has added a few modern touches to make it durable and reliable. It’s not a good option to use as a main pedal for a modern drum kit, though.

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How to Choose the Best Bass Drum Pedal

Single vs Double Pedals

Every drummer needs a single pedal, but double pedals are optional. If you play styles of music that have fast drum parts with quick bass drum notes, a double pedal will be essential. 

The great thing about double pedals is that you can detach the slave pedal to have a single pedal anyway. That makes it seem more worthwhile to buy a double pedal. However, double pedals are a lot more expensive. 

So, if you never plan on learning how to use a double pedal, you’ll get more for your money by investing in a good single pedal. 

Most popular single pedals have double pedal versions, so keep that in mind when looking around at different options. 

Pedal Drive Types

The biggest determining factor of how a bass drum pedal feels is its drive mechanism. This refers to how the pedal is connected to the beater. The different mechanisms you’ll find are chain drive, direct drive, and belt drive. 

Chain drive pedals are the most common, with some pedals having one chain and others having two. Chain drive pedals feel quite smooth in their response, especially the ones with two chains.

Direct drive pedals have the beater directly linked to the pedal. These feel very light to play and they react a lot quicker to your feet. They feel a bit weird at first, but many drummers love them after using them for a while. 

Belt drive pedals have a strap that connects the beater to the pedal. These pedals have a bit more rebound, which helps with certain pedal techniques. 

Footboards

All bass drum pedals either have a standard footboard or a longboard. Standard footboards will have your whole foot covering them, whereas longboards have a bit of extra length. 

All drummers start by using standard footboards, so you should go with that if you’re not interested in trying longboard pedals out. 

Longboard pedals give you more leverage at the base, allowing you to play faster notes with different techniques. You’ll mainly find metal drummers using longboard pedals, but they can be used for any style. 

If you get a single pedal, we suggest getting a standard footboard as it’s more versatile. Longboard pedals work wonderfully within double pedal setups. 

When not using it to play fast notes, a longboard pedal can feel a bit uncomfortable for many drummers. 

Adjustability

All bass drum pedals have varying levels of adjustability. The most inexpensive ones have basic spring tension adjustments, and some of them have two-way beaters. Higher-quality pedals tend to have more settings that allow you to dial in very specific preferences. 

A good example of a feature only found on high-end pedals is being able to adjust the cam. The cam is the part that sits between the chain and the beater, and it controls the response of the pedal. When you can adjust it, you get to easily change the response of the pedal without fiddling with the tension. 

Base Plates

Base plates are metal platforms that rest underneath the pedals. Most high-quality bass drum pedals have base plates, and that’s what you should look for if you want a pedal that feels sturdy. 

Budget pedals don’t have base plates, and that’s why they wobble a bit when using them to play the bass drum. 

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Final Thoughts on the Best Bass Drum Pedals

It’s very common for drummers to bring their pedals with them when they play on other people’s kits, as your own pedal will always be the most comfortable thing to use. So, make sure that you get one that will feel as comfortable as possible.

To give a recap of our above recommendations, the DW 5000 Series Single Pedal is our Top Pick when it comes to quality, value, and sheer reliability. The PDP 300 Series Pedal is our Budget Choice for new drummers. The DW MCD Machined Chain Drive Double Pedal is our Editor’s Choice for drummers looking for the best-possible pedal to buy.