Speed ​​Remastered! Speed King is back Ludwig Speed Series Foot Pedal L203

■ Review by “Tsutchi” who knows everything about Speed King, new and old.

Now, I'd like to suddenly visit your review page, and I'm Tsucchi, the wandering taiko drummer who is familiar from all the taiko stories. This time, I was asked by Mr. Nishio, a Jedi Master from downtown, to write a review of Speed ​​King, so I'm going to write it here, even though it's a bit presumptuous.
May the Force be with you...lol

Now, this Speed King (hereinafter referred to as Spikin) is, of course, a super standard pedal from Radic.
The first pedal with this name debuted at the W.F.L.Drum Company, which was founded in 1937 by Luddick's founder, W.F.LUDWIG, and the first product was this Spikin, and it is a super long-selling product that has entered its 84th year as of 2021.
However, such Spikin had the trouble of being discontinued once in 2014.
At that time, I was disappointed and thought, ``Ah, history is coming to an end again...'', but I had almost 20 vintage speed kings on hand, and I wouldn't have to worry about speed kings for the rest of my life, or even my teens, and I was planning to make repairing these speed kings a fun part of my free time.
However! The 2020 NAMM SHOW, no, it's a Buddhist altar exhibition, and the Spikin was announced at the NAMM SHOW!
As I searched around on the internet while suppressing my pounding heart, I found a shiny new spinkin, ``Shin Spikin (Anno Kaze)''! While I was having fun by myself, my friend picked up Shin Spikin and posted it on Instagram...I couldn't help but send him a message. ``Run with that spinkin and bring it to me'' lol

Shin Spikin's looks shining brightly on the screen are the same as before, but if you look closely, you'll notice that the details have changed subtly...I looked at all the photos and compared them with my eyes like a saucer.
It took almost a year from there until I actually got it.
It was long. However, the Shin Spikin that I got at Drum City is now resting peacefully in my hands...Although it is no longer there, it is carefully stored in a canvas pouch.
What kind of pedal is Shin Spikin actually? How is it different from the old Spikin?
I would like to talk about this from here.

First of all, as I said earlier, the basic design and functionality has not changed at all.
However, detailed updates have been made to the moving parts.
First, the heel hinge has a bearing, making it much smoother and stronger. The old Spikin's "Kiko Kiko" was also the noise emitted from the heel.
And, this is also a mechanism unique to Spikin, but the heel plate is 2-way, and it can be switched using the screw and plate on the back of the pedal board, and the screw here has been changed from a flat head to a square head. I often lost this screw on my old Spikin, so I went to buy it at a long-established screw shop called Sanwa Takuro in Toranomon.
Next is the under plate. There is Velcro on the back of the heel plate, which increases its adhesion to the carpet and prevents the pedal itself from shifting, and the underplate allows you to attach a drum key, perhaps a recent trend. This is where your preferences come into play. People who like it because it's convenient, no, I'm going to stick to the old school here! It is also an ant to remove it.

The hoop clamp is also sturdy and has rubber attached to it so as not to damage the wood hoop, and the rubber attached to the hoop is also included. Then, there was a long-standing problem with the beater shaft being in contact with the head of the kick because the hoop clamp was deep.JapanEveryone used to use disposable chopsticks to survive the situation, but Shin Spikin comes with a rubber spacer! Say goodbye to disposable chopsticks! I actually tried attaching it to several domestically produced sets, and I was able to attach it with all the manufacturers without any problems.
Next is the cam and beater. The biggest reason I love Spikin is that the beater is right in the middle of the pedal. I think this will give you an honest and punchy sound. The screws that secure the beater have also been changed to square heads, and the link plate that connects the footboard and cam also looks sturdy.
And what's most important is the feeling of stepping on it... it's completely noise-free, smooth and speedy, and it's a melt-in-your-mouth feeling.
Spikin's unique felt beater is still available, and I use it right out of the box without changing the spring tension. When I put it side by side with the Spikin that I got when I was 13 years old, I feel very happy because I can eat food and drink alcohol just by looking at this view. If you like it, we recommend one for your family!

■ Old and new

※ Text: Drum City Staff Kizawa

When I was putting together this article, I realized that I had only heard of a pedal called the "Speed King" to some extent, and had never actually seen or tried it.
Born in the Heisei era and in his 20s. Perhaps I, who can be included in the younger generation, am somewhere within myself a creature like an extinct animal or "Tsuchinoko"? There was a time when I thought that. When I looked into it, I found out that the production of the previous model Spikin ended in 2014, less than 10 years ago, and that it is not in the category of ancient civilizations or Ooparts.
The Speed ​​King is now available in stores, and although it has been updated here and there, this one is definitely a Speed ​​King, and I was a little moved to finally be able to see the real thing.
However, I still want to know about the ``previous'' Speed ​​King and want to experience it.
I would like to hold it in my hands at least once and take a close look at it.
The reprinting of equipment that has been called a masterpiece, like this one, is a new stimulus for people like us who don't know about that era, and it also gives us an opportunity to broaden our understanding.
I don't think it will be like it was back then, but I hope there will be more reprints like this one, and I feel that I need to increase my knowledge.