Easy way to soften bass pedal spring

[v0lum3]

I've been playing RB since launch day and the drums since a LOT longer ago than that... but the RB pedal just drives me nuts... on songs where the bass just seems to go and go and go (see: Won't Get Fooled Again on Expert) my leg just gets exhausted... and I know that it has to get to some other people as well... that damned spring is just too stiff... so I pulled it out and had a look at it... just as I expected, taller than it needed to be and stiffer than it would ever need to be. So...

I've heard a few people say stuff about buying new springs, but I wouldn't have the slightest clue where to find one, so I "fixed" this one... I know this is pretty ghetto, but I had a few zip ties laying around the house, so I used a pair of vice grips (locking pliers) and compressed a few curves of the spring, then I attached several zip ties side by side around it until they were surrounding the entire loop. Then I pulled the pliers off, moved them around to the side to compress the spring again while I filled in the rest of the zip ties where the pliers had been.

I cut the long tabs off the zip ties and rotated them so that their heads which protrude off of the spring face inwards (so they won't interfere with the plastic of the base) I also made sure that the spring was well balanced and didn't lean to either side.

I tried a few different times, using razor blades to pluck off any excess ties, until I got the spring just right. Now it holds the pedal up fully, but is MUCH easier to depress, requiring a lot less actual physical effort to send the spring down into the base... the result: I beat Won't Get Fooled Again which I've been stuck on for a week, with half the leg fatigue I'm used to on that song... now I've just gotta get through RTTH's and I'm done with Expert career :D

I didn't take pics while in the process (I wasn't really sure it would work) but I took a few pics afterwards, the result looks kind of like this:

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh110/usmcv0lum3/0101082148.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh110/usmcv0lum3/0101082149.jpg

The spring was really easy to remove, just depress it with pliers (or your fingers which is what I did) and pull it out... getting it in is just as easy.

[jader201]

Thanks for the post. I've been wondering if there were some "ghetto" solution like this. I'd be curious to see if this holds up, w/o the ties from sliding around the spring.

[v0lum3]

Thanks for the post. I've been wondering if there were some "ghetto" solution like this. I'd be curious to see if this holds up, w/o the ties from sliding around the spring.

There's actually nowhere for them to slide to. I used two pairs of vice grips initially so the metal was actually touching while I fastened all of the ties down, they're butting up against each other so the outer ones are being pressed in towards the middle ones by the natural separation of the spring... they can't slide anywhere... they only thing I'm waiting to see is if the outer ones will eventually wear out... but I don't think that'll happen for a while, I've been playing on it all day and I didn't notice any difference.

[jader201]

Ok, I see what you mean now. So about how long do you estimate this taking the average person for the first time?

[v0lum3]

Ok, I see what you mean now. So about how long do you estimate this taking the average person for the first time?

Easily under 10 minutes... it took me about 20 minutes but I pulled it back out to cut off more ties twice. When I first did it I pulled in three rotations of the spring, that was WAAAY too much, the pedal didn't bounce up at all. The amount I've got on it now only pulls two rotations together and works PERFECTLY. I'd suggest just aiming to bring two loops together.

The best part is that it's completely reversible if you ever need to send your pedal back, just slice them right off... and they should also help ensure you don't get the stress breaks that a lot of people get on their pedals from the spring causing too much resistance (although it can't prevent it of course) I just know that my leg feels a lot better right now than it has in a week.

[Roach F15E]

Nice solution. I bought a compression spring at Home Depot for about $3.00 and cut it with a hacksaw. Lowe's has them too. Since the spring was a little thicker than the RB spring (on the left in the photo), I had to guess how much to cut off to reduce the tension, but not too much. Luckily I got it right enough the first time as cutting the spring was a real pain. It kept slippping out of my hands (I wore thick leather gloves) and the saw was real slow going. I got about hafway through and snapped the rest off using two pairs of pliers. Overall, not a fun project. I like your solution more.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3072/kickdrumspringms0.jpg

It worked well over the past two weeks, until I noticed a crack in my pedal. So I think all I did was postpone the break. I've ordered a replacement and a wood pedal, but that's all going to be a backup once the components for this mod arrive.

http://rockband.scorehero.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2226

Someday I'm going to tally up how much I've spent on fixing / improving my controllers, but so far it's all worth it.



Separate note:
v0lum3: What sticks do you recommend? I bought a pair of hickory 5A's for folks who might like lighter sticks, but my RB sticks are unmarked. What gauge would you call them and what gauge do you use? Is gauge the right term?

[v0lum3]

I picked up the Vic Firth American Classic 7A's, they're hickory as well... they're perfectly balanced and while weighing slightly less than the 5A crap that shipped with the game they register more reliably with the way the weight is distributed... while the stick has less weight the weight is in the right place ;)

The pair with the set gave me nightmares from all the vibration sent through my arm, they also warped after about 3 days :( The worst part is that I've played with 4 other sets from returning my drum set and playing on buddies' drum sets and I had the best pair out of the 5, at least my pair were equally balanced... really the sticks that shipped with the game are just horrible... you can buy better sticks for $2.00 at most music stores.

I went with the wooden tips, but some people prefer the nylons... I don't really see a reason for the nylons, they won't make a big difference in sound or performance IMO. I picked up my sticks for around $8.00 at the local store... I was originally going to buy a pair of the signatures but couldn't find any that out performed the Classics and the classics were cheaper. My arms have felt great since then... I'm also doing a real bass pedal mod once I get a practice pad, can't wait for that... but for now this is working wonders for me... I just didn't really feel like going through all the effort of chasing down a spring and honestly I don't think I could have found one that works much better than mine does now.

[toolfan62]

I have two pedals, one of them has wood and metal reinforcing it and i find that it is easier to press that pedal down because the extra weight added by the wood. It also keeps it from breaking so its a win-win

[v0lum3]

I have two pedals, one of them has wood and metal reinforcing it and i find that it is easier to press that pedal down because the extra weight added by the wood. It also keeps it from breaking so its a win-win

Well a lot of people (myself included) don't want to void their warranty on anything just to have it perform better, this IMO is a really easy to do, cheap, effective way to fix the problem without doing any harm to your set... it's working great for me, as I said, and I figured I'd share.

[Roach F15E]

Thanks for the words on sticks v0lum3,

If you go to the bottom of this page http://rockband.scorehero.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2226&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30 I give the Radio Shack part numbers for the real pedal mod electronics. It's a pretty straightforward and cheap mod, apart from the pedal and practice pad, but most folks already have a pedal. If not, I bet pawn shops have tons of used ones.

I'm getting real close to springing for a real drum set. With the XBox 360, the new TV and all the other stuff I've bought for RB, It's well over the cost of a new kit, but man this game is fun, so it's worth every penny.

[Brutal]

I posted a How-To on this a month ago and just got grief for it. The spring is way too stiff. I eventually took mine apart and used my real kick pedal and the magnetic switch from the controller.

How to: Make the kick pedal spring softer (http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10582)

[toolfan62]

Well a lot of people (myself included) don't want to void their warranty on anything just to have it perform better, this IMO is a really easy to do, cheap, effective way to fix the problem without doing any harm to your set... it's working great for me, as I said, and I figured I'd share.

Duct taping a cut piece of wood on your pedal doesnt void your warranty.

[No_Skill]

Duct taping a cut piece of wood on your pedal doesnt void your warranty.


Does Danny Carey have to duct tape wood to his pedals...I don't think so. :D

[toolfan62]

Does Danny Carey have to duct tape wood to his pedals...I don't think so. :D

Does Danny Carey have to play on some poorly made plastic drums? I don't think so.

[jpw21683]

I picked up the Vic Firth American Classic 7A's

Those are the sticks I bought too. They're much nicer than the ones that came in the bundle, and they were only $8 or so.

I bought a Woodrock Pedal, so now I'm no longer worried about slamming down on the pedal, but leg fatigue is still a problem. I'll have to bust out the cable ties and try this out.

[No_Skill]

Does Danny Carey have to play on some poorly made plastic drums? I don't think so.


No, he plays on nicely made plastic drums. :D

[v0lum3]

I posted a How-To on this a month ago and just got grief for it. The spring is way too stiff. I eventually took mine apart and used my real kick pedal and the magnetic switch from the controller.



hmm... never saw your post... and why would you catch grief for it? You used Zip Ties as well?