How to Adjust Kick Pedals For Beginner / Young Drummer (DW9000 Double Kick)

Are you fed up with your kick pedal not responding the way you want it to? Are they hard to press, or are you getting tired out? Don't worry, we've got the solution! In this video, we'll show you how to adjust the kick pedal on your DW 9000 so that it responds the way you want it to, even if you're a beginner.

We were in the market for double kick drum pedals and after much research, we centered in on the DW9000’s. Normally these pedals cost over $900.00, but a friend pointed us to a website called reverb.com where we could purchase used equipment. I placed an offer for a price I was willing to pay and a couple weeks later we were unboxing these beauties at $400 less than the price of new DW9000’s (I share a link below so you might also save some money if considering these pedals). To our surprise, after installation, Lucas had a lot of trouble playing them. They were heavy pedals, and really hard to press. The good news, however, these pedals had lots of options to adjust them. However, there wasn't much information for younger drummers. Given the research I had to do to figure this all out, I decided to post the answers here. DW9000’s have many configuration points to consider, but when tuned right, they work like a dream - even for young drummers and beginners building up strength.

ABOUT THIS VIDEO:

This video covers all the steps needed to adjust the DW9000 pedals. At the end of the video I cover special considerations to make these pedals easier to play, especially for young drummers. There are occasions for strong spring tension (e.g. when playing fast base drum beats like Heavy Metal), but long performances, or for young players, the strength required to maintain playing under those conditions will tire a drummer out. This video will give you all you need to know to easily adjust your pedals to meet your needs. Below are time stamps on key points in the video if you would like to jump ahead or use this as a reference.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction
01:29 - Adjustments
01:34 - Spring Tension Adjustment
02:43 - Pedal / Beater Adjustment
03:25 - Chain / Foot Pedal Adjustment
04:24 - Shaft Adjustment
04:56 - Install on Drum Set
05:41 - Making DW9000 Easier to Use

RESOURCES:
• Reverb.com – check this site out for deal on musical equipment. It’s saved us a lot of money so far.
• DW 9000 Pedals – DW Website: http://www2.dwdrums.com/hardware/9000/
• DW 9000 Series Owner’s Manual: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/662...
• Stephen Taylor, BASS DRUM PEDAL SPRING TENSION, YouTube Video (Great Reference):    • BASS DRUM PEDAL SPRING TENSION  
• Chuck Levins Blog on Adjusting DW 9000's: https://chucklevins.com/blogs/chucks-...


REFERENCE:
• Background Music: Stardive, Jeremy Blake (Royalty Free)