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Janus Ergo Double Drum Pedal |
As more and more drummers have added the double pedal to their basic set-up, companies have risen to the challenge of designing double pedals to suit a more modest budget, but with all the better features found on more expensive models. For us drummers, both professional and aspiring, and several shades in between, it's a great time to be buying!
Mapex have recently released their new Ergo Pedal, their latest entrant into the double pedal market. Part of Mapex's Janus range of hardware, the Ergo Pedal is a heavy duty pedal, designed to be both flexible and stable, as well as durable. Melbourne being somewhat of a double pedal haven thanks to the influence of players like Virgil Donati, Sam Aliano, Damian Corniola, Daniel Luddick and others, teachers like myself are often being asked for advice on both playing techniques and on the pedals themselves. Money, especially value for money, becomes an important component in any purchase decision. Another important question is the use to which the pedal will be put. If you are planning to take the world of Rock by storm, then you need a strong pedal, one that allows for fast, loud playing, together with an easy action that allows maximum control. If Jazz or Fusion is your thing, something a little lighter might suit better. And of course if you can find it all in one pedal, all the better! The Ergo pedal aims to give the player maximum flexibility by allowing adjustment to the pedal footboard to accommodate different ways of playing, as well as accommodating different sized feet.
THE LOOK AND THE DESIGN FEATURES
The first thing I noticed with the pedal I was testing was the cool bag it came in. Not so large as to be cumbersome, the canvas carry bag held all components easily within, and I reckon I could fit my lunch in there as well as a book or two. It wasn't overly heavy, looks strong, and has an adjustable carry strap. The pedal itself is a basic H-frame design, made from heavy-duty metal; it has a very strong look about it, and a sleekness in the overall visual design. The Ergo comes with either dual chain or strap drive, with the oneI road tested being chain driven, on an anti-friction drive cam. The footplate provides the first clue as to the flexibility mentioned above; at the top of the footboard on each pedal is a moulded toe stop, and below this, an oval shaped centrepiece. This is the 'Ergo plate', and there are two different ones that you can use. With the flat Ergo plate, the foot can play up to the front toe stop. With the second, slightly raised Ergo plate, the foot now plays on a raised platform in the middle of the footboard. As well as simply accommodating different sized feet, this might also suit different styles of playing, where leverage on the pedal comes into play. For example, if you want more leg power, you might find playing to the top of the pedal gives more movement, whilst playing from the middle of the footboard might suit a lighter approach, one based on pivoting from the ankle. Underneath the footboard, the pedal is anchored to a steel plate with both non-friction rubber and velcro on the bottom. Not content with that, Mapex include a removable stabilising spike set that means the pedal goes nowhere! Together with a heel extension plate that gives even more stability, you can see that a lot of thought has gone into making this pedal immovable once it is set up. The dual tone beaters, plastic and felt, give some choice to the tone you can achieve, and their squarish heads make for solid contact on the heads. Two other features I liked include a drum key storage port, and the side tension spring lock system that holds the spring in position even if the bottom locking nut becomes loose.
HOW DOES IT PLAY?
At the outset, let me say that I'm not a double bass pedal player; I do have one of the Janus combination hi-hat/double pedals, and have done quite a lot of practise on that. I have also encountered many double pedals through students of mine, and at schools that I teach at. Whilst I am no expert then, neither am I a novice, and I can make some judgements based on experience. The pedal was easy to assemble, and attached to the bass drum with ease. Once locked into place, with the stabilising spike in play, I could pump my legs as hard as I wanted to, and there was no discernible movement in the pedal, nor in the bass drum or tom toms mounted thereon. I found the Ergo pedal to be a very solid pedal, with an action very similar to my Pearl Eliminator (single) pedal (the Ergo pedal also comes with interchangeable cams as well as chain or strap drive). It was well balanced, with solid motion on both the right and left pedal. I could get both a strong and a soft feel through the use of the side tension spring, and the dual tone beaters sounded good on my Emperor head. When I went for a softer setting, the pedal felt closer to the Axis pedal I have, which I use for lighter playing.I used both the raised Ergo plate and the flat plate, and got a few of my students to do the same. Different students felt differently of course, but it was possible to get a set up for each student that suited their style of playing. It didn't take too long to change the plates over, and it certainly changed the feel of the pedal, with me at least. I liked the flat plate for the most part, but the raised plates were great when I was trying to play faster, but using the front of the foot more, pivoting from the ankle. Being the mostly single pedal player that I am, I tried out the right pedal by itself for a while, and found it to be very comfortable. I have a range of pedals, and I found the Janus pedal to be unique in that I can change the footboard feel to suit different ways of playing, and I enjoyed that flexibility.
Overall the pedal was impressive. It is built to be strong and durable, and to give a greater degree of flexibility in terms of playing style. On both counts it scores very high. It looks good, plays very well, and comes in a neat package. Price-wise, it comes in under its'major competitors and as such represents good value for money.
I have seen and used a lot of the cheaper double pedals that seem to have limited shelf life in the hands of your average adolescent power drummer, and would strongly suggest that a little more saving would be well worth the effort. The Janus Ergo double pedal is a good investment in a quality pedal at an affordable price.