Axis Longboard Double Pedal

Although not as popular as other brands such as DW, Pearl, Tama and others, Axis Percussion has been around for many years and known for making drum gears and accessories at a rather unique and revolutionary way but effective. One of their products which has been making raves especially in the world of power and speed drumming is their Axis Longboard Double Pedal.

I am a drummer and I own 3 sets of double pedals, an old Tama double pedal, a cheap nameless generic double pedal from China which works quite well and very light (ideal for tours), and recently a Pearl Eliminator double pedal which I got second hand. I also have other single pedals which I haven't really used for years now. I saw a drummer friend of mine based in Canada who just got the Axis Longboard Double Pedals and I was curious. According to him, it took a little adjusting and getting used to in playing but after a short time, his speed and power increased significantly. Being a curious drummer that I am, I had to check it out. By luck, I had a friend who just got his as a present. They played light jazz music and he was so used to his old Ludwig Speed King (my favorite single pedal), that he just opened the box and did not really use the Axis Longboard Double Pedal. He was kind enough to lend it to me for a couple of days. I felt a bit guilty because it was his gift and I'll be the first one to use it.... hehe..but what the heck.

The Axis Longboard Double Pedals had a very different and unique design compared to other double pedals. To me it looked like a spare part of an old spaceship that crashed somewhere. It looks very robust and mechanical. First time I've encountered such a pedal design in my 20 years of drumming. According to some and the manufacturers, they favored functionality over design "cuteness". Now I realize what they meant about Longboard... the foot area on the pedal was really long. Reminded me when I used Trak single pedals way back, which I enjoyed cause of the long board as well, but the Axis' was longer! It had about 2 inches more than other conventional pedals. Not only was this perfect for large footed drummers, one could also do a lot of footwork on it. being accustomed to playing nightly, many sets and long hours, I had to develop many types of footwork while playing to cope up. 

Other than the craved logo-name Axis in color red, the Axis pedal looks very plain. Over-all it may not look very attractive to a lot of people or players... but hey... drum pedals weren't really meant to look good right? they are something we step on hard, thousands of times nightly and what matters is how it relates to our physical playing. 

Yes, the pedals do look plain and unattractive to many, but its adjustable features are nothing but superb! It has almost all the adjusting features of other doubles bass pedals on the market plus more. Almost all pedals has adjustments for distance of each pedal set, tension of springs and beater height. The Axis Longboard Double Pedal is direct drive so it has no chain or belt adjustments. The beaters' distance from one another  could also be adjusted horizontally. Aside from that, the beater head angle could also be adjusted and how much of it is sticking out near the skin; a big advantage compared to other double pedals. By these adjustments, not only can it improve your playing, but it could also make changes in the tonal quality of the bass drums. It took me awhile tinkering with all these adjustments. Again, I was like a child with a new toy (although just borrowed).

Similar to Ludwig's Speed King, the Axis Longboard Double Pedals are direct drive which eliminated the lag caused by belts and chains. That crucial fraction of a second counts a lot when you are playing at high speeds or you want precision in laying down your notes. The response is fast and accurate, as if it were part of your limb. Given the fast response plus the long board, using the heel-toe sliding technique on the board was easy. In some pedals, it is quite hard because of very little room to move about on the pedal boards. Aside from its mechanical function, the Axis Longboard Double Pedals are also very light.  A lot of touring drummers would find this very favorable. Before a gig, it might just fine to carry and set-up a heavy double bass pedal, but after   the gig, a few bottles of beer and all those release of adrenalin, it would be hard even to just lift your key chain. 

Ok, back to playing. Speed and power is certainly not an issue as I could feel how the beater kicks in and how it became easier to play faster double bass licks. However, when I tried playing  soft bossa or salsa at low levels, the beater still kicked in hard..... mmmm.... was it just me? I took it off and placed my Eliminator back, and I was able to do it how it should be. Then the Axis Longboard Double Pedal again. But then, I;ve only had it for a few hours and had been used to playing the Eliminator a long time, so I can't really rely on my judgement, yet. For me, as of the short time I used the Axis Longboard Double Pedal, it proved perfect for speed-hard-power metal drumming but not yet for music which required a lot of dynamics. Yes, double and triple kicks could be achieved easily due to large area for footwork, but I just couldn't put in dynamics such as  making the first not of a double kick softer and the second harder and louder. With the Axis Longboard Double Pedal, it seems that my foot was set on automatic limiter-compressor leveling out the notes at maximum dB.

My friend doesn't know how much his pedals cost because it was a gift, but depending on models, the Axis Longboard Double Pedals is around US$400 to 750. Again, adjustment features are top-notch, longboard means more space for footwork, speed and power is truly incomparable.... dynamics and versatility for use in different styles is in question, in my case that is. But for all you speed and power maniac drummers out there, this is for you!


***A Gizmo Guerilla Music Gear Review