The Boa-Pedal (Gatzen Pedal)

Hi Pete,Have you come across a pedal that uses magnets yet? I was surfing the net and stumbled on a YouTube site, but I seem to have lost it. It was interesting and thought you might appreciate the idea Pete. I'm hearing, and that's just hear say, that the inventor may have some notable drummers to promote the thing.

rac

Yes. I have, Rac and here is the
thread on it:

https://bcwtj.forumotion.com/we-re-talking-jazz-f1/drumnetics-magnetic-pedal-t168.htm?highlight=pedal+magnet

Thanks Pete...man you're fast!

Everything is said in your topics posted on the subject. Thank you

Thanks,

rac

You know, I have written
both of them, there, at
DW and I have not gotten
an answer on the changes
that are forthcoming. I
think they are afraid that
I will leak it out or perhaps
that the changes I believe
should be made are not
being made. I can't know.

Oh, well...

We will have to wait until
2011 to see the new in-
carnation of the Boa.

I hope they do the right
thing. I really do.

I also am sold on the HH.

Regards,

Do yourself a favor and
get a hold of one of these.

I can help you adjust it
and you will be able to
reach for those triplets
and quads that I get.

http://www.thediametrixletter.com/boa1.mp3

And I did get word from
Bob, finally and in reply
to my question about
retro-fitting the old pedal,
he led me to believe that
we would be able to.

I am very anxious to see
the new design, next
year and will get it as
soon as I can.


Regards,

Don,

I am anxious to hear of your
experience with the pedals,
since you finally got a set. I
know you were pleased out
of the gate but how has it
progressed?

I have not heard about the
new design yet.

I am pretty sure they will
keep me out in the dark
until the last minute.

Regards,

They're Awesome, Pete!

My control in those areas must've improved at 25-30%.
These things are wicked. I've used them on a few gigs
and they've given me way more than I expected! I now
have them on my double bass setup as two separate
singles, made some adjustment changes on the left pedal
and they're whalin! The absolute best pedals I've ever
played hands down!

I love my Axis pedals but they can't even touch this Boa
setup! I am overly pleased with these!

I do see that you have to be vigilant when setting the beater
throw to make sure those little teeth line up correctly as this
can cause some serious damage if they're offset, and it's quite
easy to offset them if you find yourself in a rush. But thus far,
No problems and no complaints. I paid $340.00 for this pedal
plus $10.00 shipping, out the door and for this pedal that's a
hard one to beat. Easy to play, easy to adjust.

6 out of 5 stars.

I'm a bit confused why more players don't have these.

Cool, Don. I am not surprised.

One of the things that I have gotten
in the past is that board is too short
and smooth and that I can understand,
though the latter is easily corrected.
On lengthening the board, we can't
really do much except maybe attach
a VRUK to it but that might not help
the action much. *I have not tried
this, incidentally.

My main gripe is that.

The other thing that I hear is that
people think it flimsy and of course,
this is true, at the edge. Even they
will not deny the cracking tendency
but it is true that it does not effect
the pedal and unless you play it
all the way down there and no one
does, it is not a factor.

If they lengthen the boards, they
will kill the two birds with one
stone. That is my hope.

The universal cam is the most
radically adjustable. I am glad
that you are having a good time
with it. Perhaps it can be resur-
rected this coming year.

Regards,

Board length is just fine for me, Pete. As to the cracking,
I'll let you know should I come to that bridge... As for now,
no complaints here.

Cool, Don. Thanks.

The thing about board length,
for me, is that I use heel-down
and some heel-toe technique.
Cannot do it with a board as
short as the Boa, though I
can get the strokes out. It
is an ease and comfort thing.

So glad you are digging it.

Regards,

I play heels low but up off the board, Pete. I personally can't find any reason
to incorporate the heel-toe technique in my playing. Thus, long boards make
no difference to me, though I'm glad I have one in the Axis just so I can say I
know what they feel like. Have you ever played the Boa on a real set? being
how the e-kit pad would have little to no give when struck, I can see how the
board may begin to crack, especially if you have a heavy foot. Let me say this
though.....

All moving parts (to my knowledge) wear out. So I would think that it's only
reasonably realistic to accept the inevitability that at some point the 'spring'
in this springy foot board will lose it's..........., well, 'spring'.

I am curious about your settings, Don.
Can you take a pic of the pedal from
the side so that I might have a look?

Only at the very edge can those boards
lose their flex and it will take a lot to
get them there. I am heavy on them
and I am no where near.

Regards,

Don,

How are things going with
the pedal? Are you still en-
joying it? DW is not as forth-
coming with me on the new
designs and who can blame
them, after all we have been
through? I know you have
exchanged communications
with Bob Gatzen. Is he and
DW further along on getting
the new design out?

Let us know. Thanks.

Regards,

Just a bump (reminder), Don.



Regards,

Hey, Pete, the pedal is awesome! I'm using it on my double bass setup so I actually
have it as two singles on two bass drums. One thing you probably didn't realize being
that you're using edrums is the beaters (which I think are great) goes through bass drum
heads VERY quickly! As you know, they have that hard center piece in the middle and if
you don't use a beater pad your head isn't going to last long.

Bob keeps saying the same thing: "We're working on getting it back on the market."

It blows away any pedal I've ever used... I was very fortunate to find one. I'm a bit concerned
about the springboard like pedal losing its integrity though I've had no problems thus far, and I play
the heck out of them.

This is the beater to use,
in my opinion, Don:



It has gone up in price but it is worth it.
It telescopes, so you can push the foot-
board away from the rim and still fall flat
on the head, with that extra angle for
the more desirable kick-back. Check into
it if you can. You won't be sorry.

It's called the Trick Detonator Beater.

Regards,

Thanks, Papa P. I'll look into those.

I like the beaters that came with the Boa
but I'm always looking to improve, even in
the department of technology.

Don,

I am sure you will prefer these and
here is why I think that:

1. The Trick beater-face is closer to
the stem. You will note that the Boa
beater is positioned further forward.
Unless perfectly aligned, it can strike
the head at an angle, cutting into it.
This is a flaw in the design. It should
be telescoped but is not.

2. The Trick beater telescopes, allow-
ing you to position the board as far
or near to the rim as you like and
a simple turn of the screw will align
the beater face perfectly. You will
also be able to experiment with a
more maximum kick-back.

3. It is so much easier to position
the beater face higher or lower on
the head, which is great for the
change from larger to smaller kicks.

I really think that, once you try
them, you will never use another
beater again.

Please check them out.

Regards,

I will definitely do that, Pete, Thanks, Bro!

Pete, this knocking/clacking is driving me crazy! I loosened and re-tightened the 5 post/axle screws. I cannot find this noise. Maybe it is just the cracks in the footboard, but it seems being totally clamped down it cannot make any noise. But it does appear to sound as though it is either in the axle or at the heel of the pedal. I just can't quite tell, even with the pedal right up to my ear.

Well, I took the pedal apart and the noise is pretty easy to spot. Very loose fittings in the cam to footboard link, both top and bottom. I would think at this price point the machining and parts would be better and tighter.

I'll have to read through this thread again and see what the fix is, if there is one. I don't see how there could be without finding better bearings.


*************

Well, aside from re-tightening the hex screws I didn't see anything else to address the clicking. D-Slam, your pedals have no noise issues?

Some days I get angry enough to make a preacher cuss.

I purchased the BOA, liked it, hated it, took it apart. saw the cracks in the footboard, plus the crazy metallic noise, so I notified the merchant to take it back and get a refund.

Now, the pedal is a definite close second to the Nucleus 3, and I decided to keep it, somehow rectify the noise problem, notified the merchant who emailed a reply stating DW is not aware of these issues! Excuse me?

Either this current Rep for this merchant is totally ignorant or lied to the merchants face. I directed the merchant to this thread. After 4903 views I reckon a few of those are Bob Gatzen and people from DW. Either way, with Pete in communication with them how could anyone from DW state DW does not know of these issues, and say it with a straight face?

Doesn't anybody tell the truth anymore?

Anyway, like I say, cool device. I just need to fix the noise somehow.

I understand your frustration, Asaph.

I suppose it is understandable that they
are not communicating with me. Let me
examine your post and see if I can't help
in some way or other.

Regards,

I am having absolutely no problems with my Boas!
Best pedals I've ever used hands down! I love em!

Obviously I like the way the unit works or I would not have gotten a second one. I mentioned I would post a pic (on the other thread) of a problem encountered (among others) in the construction of the pedal relating to the beater rotor and the hole for the beater shaft being off, hence the beater tilts to the right. It seemed more logical to post the pic on this thread about the BOA. I thought it was both pedals, but it's just one:



Owing to camera angle you can see the beater on the right tilts to the right. It's actually an 1/8" out, which is quite a bit for such a short distance.