The double bass pedal market is wide and there are lots of options out there for various skill levels and technique approaches. You can easily spend over $1000 for the most advanced pedals, but you don’t need to spend nearly that much to get something that is sufficiently playable.
Extremely Low Budget Double Bass Pedals
We consider the extreme low budget range for double bass pedals to be roughly anything that you can buy for under $200 brand new.
In most cases, pedals in this price level are going to feel somewhat cheap and will likely have some issues that make them feel rough around the edges. There might be issues such as excess noise from loosely assembled parts as well as build quality issues that could see them falling apart after using them for a while, especially for more aggressive players. Single chain drives are common in this price level. Pedal stability can feel more suspect at this price point. You’ll also find this price range is filled more with budget brands and budget labels rather than well known drum hardware brands.
If you’re a beginner drummer or don’t plan on putting your pedals through rigorous use such as gigging, a low budget pedal might work just fine. If you’re just getting started and want to get into double bass, starting out with a really cheap pedal isn’t the worst thing. If you break it or wear it out, it means that you’re putting it through good use, and then you can feel more confident upgrading or investing in a better pedal later on. Starting out with a cheaper pedal can also help you learn the shortcomings of budget pedals and it can help make better buying decisions in the future due to the experience gained. And if the cheap pedal turns out to last for a while or work out well, all the better.
Decent Low Budget Double Bass Pedals
If you want to keep the budget low but don’t want to go extremely cheap, setting a max budget of roughly $300 for a brand new double pedal can work. There are quite a few double pedals in roughly the $200-$300 range that play nicely while also avoiding being overly cheap.
In this price range, you can find decent double pedals from more well known drum hardware brands, such as Tama, Pearl, Gibraltar and Mapex. These pedals will usually have sufficient adjustability and will feel a more stable than the cheapest of the cheap double pedals. There’s still lots of single chain pedals here. But you’ll also find more solid base plates and just heavier duty hardware in general when compared to the really cheap pedals.
If you’re wondering which specific pedals we like in this price range, check out our recommendations for double bass pedals for $200-$300. Some examples are the DW 2000 Series pedals and the Tama Iron Cobra 200 Series pedals.
Mid-Range Double Bass Pedals
Once you start to spend more than $300 on a double bass pedal you’ll find lots of good options from lots of reputable brands. $300-$700 is a solid intermediate price range where you can find very nice feeling pedals with more adjustability options.
In this price range double chain drive pedals start to become more common, and you’ll also start to see more direct drive and strap drive pedals. Build quality is going to be a little better as well and this range has plenty of pedals that will stand up the rigors of lots of aggressive play and gigging.
On the lower end of this price range are double pedals like the Iron Cobra 600 Series, which is a solid pedal for just over $300. Some more expensive examples here are the DW 5000 Series pedals, Tama Iron Cobra 900 Series pedals and Pearl Eliminator pedals.
Expensive Double Bass Pedals
Once you spend closer to $1000 or more you will find the most full featured and specialized double bass pedals. This price range is probably overkill for most drummers unless you are very serious about your craft and/or don’t mind spending the money. You really don’t need to spend this much though unless you have a specific reason for it. This range is more for more experienced drummers or pro drummers who do lots of gigging and recording and who require specialized pedal setups to squeeze the most out of their technique.
Lots of direct drive, speed demon pedals can be found once you start to spend more, which can be appealing to the extreme metal drummers who like to play as fast as humanly possible. You’ll also find pedals that will hold up well to lots of gigging and the rigors of pro level drumming. There’s also plenty of pedals in this range that offer maximum amounts of adjustability and sometimes even extra parts you can swap in an out to create a different feel.
The DW 9000 Series pedal is a good example of a high-quality, highly adjustable and great feeling pedal in this price range at around $800. It’s one of the better pedals DW has to offer. Trick Pro1-V pedals are popular with extreme metal drummers and fall in at around $1000 or more depending on which model you go for. Pearl Eliminator Demon Drive pedals are very popular as well and they are close to $1000.
Used Double Bass Pedals
One thing to consider in terms of keeping your budget lower is looking into used double bass pedals. If you find the right deal at the right time, you can often save a good amount of money over buying a new pedal and get something that’s a little better for your money as a result. I’ve found some great deals on double bass pedals by keeping an eye on Facebook marketplace or Ebay.
Of course there is some risk in buying used. You won’t get any sort of warranty or return policy in case the pedal turns out to have major issues. You run the risk of buying something that was poorly stored, poorly maintained or broken without that info being relayed during the sale.
If you have the ability to evaluate any pedal in question before you turn over the money for it you can often find pretty good deals. Just make sure to test anything before you pay for it, if possible.
It also helps to have the know-how and willingness to take a used pedal apart to refurbish it after buying. My favorite Iron Cobra pedal that I still use looked like crap when I bought it but after taking it apart, cleaning it and replacing the springs it’s performed just like a new pedal. But it did take some work.
Conclusion
We probably rambled on here for longer that we really needed to, but buying a double bass pedal can be confusing if you’re newer to the market due to all the options out there.
So our main takeaways are this:
- Beginners or intermediate drummers can find perfectly fine double bass pedals for less than $300.
- Intermediate and even pro drummers can find good double pedals for around $300-$700 and most drummers shouldn’t need to spend more than this.
- The most demanding drummers might appreciate the features and designs that can be found on higher end pedals when you spend closer to $1000 or more.
