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SpeedKing cleaning and mods
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SpeedNinja View Drop Down
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Posts: 869 		  Quote SpeedNinja Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: SpeedKing cleaning and mods
    Posted: 01 July 2010 at 7:28pm
Can't remember if any of you are fans of this pedal or not.  I learned how to play drums on one.  I still have it too.  I absolutely love it and will get a second one for my vintage kit.

So here's a write up on how to clean them from Carl...

Originally posted by Carl

Here is how to clean & lube it:
Take off the end caps & take out the springs & pushrods. (examine the ends of the pushrods for any excessive wear)
Clean these very well in mineral spirits.
Turn the pedal upside down and fill the 2 posts with mineral spirits.
Get an old toothbrush (skinny one--and try to get it in the posts to scrub them out). You might have to leave the mineral spirits in it for about 3 days.
The lube that comes from the factory,turns into some kind of funk that gets hard over time.
Once you think that you have cleaned the inside as well as possible,shine a flashlight inside and see how clean it is. You want to get as much of the original lube as possible.
When everything is clean,then let it dry in the sun for 2-3 hours.
Now you need to find some lube that is Teflon based.
Tri-Flow works well. You can usually find it in Ace hardware stores or smaller hardware stores.
Look on the label--it it says "PTFE" that's OK. PTFE is the base chemical for Teflon.
DO NOT USE SILICONE.
Spray a bunch of it down each post until it is about half full--then leave it sit for about 30 minutes.
See where the level is--if it went down a little,that's good. That means that it is getting into the axle and cams.
Turn it over on a rag and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Give each post a lite spray again,along with the pushrods and springs.
Then reassemble it.
Make sure the screw caps are EACH turned the exact number of turns, so the tension is equal on each post & spring.
Then play it and adjust EACH screw cap to the tension that you want.
When these pedals are set up & lubed properly,they just fly!


And there's a dude that rebuilds and modifies them, which I thought was cool too.
Mike\m/ Premier, Mapex
http://www.myspace.com/relentlessdrums
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Posts: 314 		  Quote Thunderstix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 July 2010 at 9:13pm
I love the Speed King.  There's things you can do with one you can't do with other pedalls.  I still find its recoil faster than any pedal out there.  There is so much Ludwig could do to the Speed King to bring it up to date, but they never seem to do it.
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Posts: 2449 		  Quote Chopper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 July 2010 at 10:48pm
I had an ancient speed king. The grease in the internal spring assembly was stiff. Disassembled it, cleaned it all out, regreased it and it worked perfectly. Sold it a while back with one of my kits.
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SpeedNinja View Drop Down
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Posts: 869 		  Quote SpeedNinja Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 July 2010 at 5:14am
Oh yeah, that factory grease solidifies over time.  It would be cool to watch... but not use in a pedal.

Side note: Dom Famularo is a die hard SpeedKing guy and Mapex used him to develop the Falcon.  If you like the SpeedKing, you just might like the Falcon too.  I will say that for not being a DD, the Falcon does give me a lot of SpeedKing nostalgia.
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Posts: 1602 		  Quote Duffman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 July 2010 at 7:27am
Originally posted by SpeedNinja

Oh yeah, that factory grease solidifies over time.  It would be cool to watch... but not use in a pedal.

Side note: Dom Famularo is a die hard SpeedKing guy and Mapex used him to develop the Falcon.  If you like the SpeedKing, you just might like the Falcon too.  I will say that for not being a DD, the Falcon does give me a lot of SpeedKing nostalgia.
 
That reminds me about the Falcon pedal. I tried it out in real life, and it's very fast and responsive. I really wished they did it in direct-drive.
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Posts: 1208 		  Quote YtseJam Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 July 2010 at 9:30am
I tried it too, but it has absolutely nothing to do with direct drive feel and compression spring feel which both make the speed king stand out among the other pedals.
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Posts: 1602 		  Quote Duffman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 July 2010 at 10:12am

Do they still make Speed Kings? If so, are they exactly like the old ones or did they change some things on it?
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Posts: 348 		  Quote Drobac Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 July 2010 at 11:04am
They still make them. I would say they are not different, though I heard from people that the old ones were better in quality. 
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Posts: 869 		  Quote SpeedNinja Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 July 2010 at 8:33pm
From what I've heard, the new SpeedKing has a couple internal parts that are made from different materials, which have a reputation for breaking, but they are quieter and I don't think the grease hardens anymore...

Originally posted by Duffman

Originally posted by SpeedNinja

Oh yeah, that factory grease solidifies over time.  It would be cool to watch... but not use in a pedal.

Side note: Dom Famularo is a die hard SpeedKing guy and Mapex used him to develop the Falcon.  If you like the SpeedKing, you just might like the Falcon too.  I will say that for not being a DD, the Falcon does give me a lot of SpeedKing nostalgia.
 
That reminds me about the Falcon pedal. I tried it out in real life, and it's very fast and responsive. I really wished they did it in direct-drive.
I have a feeling they will eventually.
Mike\m/ Premier, Mapex
http://www.myspace.com/relentlessdrums
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Posts: 1602 		  Quote Duffman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 July 2010 at 9:28pm
Originally posted by SpeedNinja

From what I've heard, the new SpeedKing has a couple internal parts that are made from different materials, which have a reputation for breaking, but they are quieter and I don't think the grease hardens anymore...

Originally posted by Duffman

Originally posted by SpeedNinja

Oh yeah, that factory grease solidifies over time.  It would be cool to watch... but not use in a pedal.

Side note: Dom Famularo is a die hard SpeedKing guy and Mapex used him to develop the Falcon.  If you like the SpeedKing, you just might like the Falcon too.  I will say that for not being a DD, the Falcon does give me a lot of SpeedKing nostalgia.
 
That reminds me about the Falcon pedal. I tried it out in real life, and it's very fast and responsive. I really wished they did it in direct-drive.
I have a feeling they will eventually.
 
Yay!Big smile
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Posts: 1011337 		  Quote Granstar26 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 July 2010 at 5:53pm
the Ludwig squeak-king. lol. had 2 originally on my double bass swingstar kit. Hated em, lol. You can hear the pedal squeak in the intro of Black Sabbath - Iron Man. lostem carefully. lol, its there.

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Duffman View Drop Down
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Posts: 1602 		  Quote Duffman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 July 2010 at 11:34pm
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Posts: 869 		  Quote SpeedNinja Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 July 2010 at 5:53am
The DrumMechanix modding eliminates the squeak... which you could do yourself.
I don't remember mine being particularly noisy... I need to pull it out of retirement one of these days.
Mike\m/ Premier, Mapex
http://www.myspace.com/relentlessdrums
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