DW MDD Machined Direct Drive Double Pedal

Having used DW5002 pedals for the last 13+ years, I assumed there was only so much room "upwards" for improvement. The 9000-series pedals, while they played great in testing, didn't feel worth the price jump. After reading countless reviews on these MDD pedals, I decided to purchase sight-unseen to find what the hype was all about. Most reviews mention an "adjustment period" when switching from chain to direct drive, but I felt comfortable immediately. Every minuscule twitch or movement of a single toe can be observed equally at the beater, meaning every nuance of your playing isn't lost in the inefficiencies of the complex linkage. It's almost eerie. Bursts of quick notes, double strokes, and raw blasts have never felt so effortless! Where certain techniques were previously difficult due to both ability AND fighting the design of a pedal, I can now focus on practicing my own technique instead of compensating for the behavior of a chain or slower mechanism. The only adjustments I've made from stock: reduced each beater down to one weight, tension both sides down to the third lowest line. Everything else felt incredible and I haven't yet felt the need to tinker further. Speaking of which, adjustments are a breeze, and everything meshes so beautifully well together thanks to the precision-machined parts and typical DW build quality.These are obviously very expensive by comparison to most pedals, but they sit in a different class of pedals along with Trick/etc. It's hard to say this price is "worth it" since that's relative, but I can firmly say that if you're focused on removing all other variables from the equation so all that's left is your raw ability, these are the choice. Bravo, DW.

Pedal is beautiful and made extremely well. Very smooth and very bouncy, maybe too much. I have set these aside and gone back to my DW9000 double pedal permanently. I have tried to use these as a practice pad with a kick trigger I have but the problem is the the the pedal that houses the beaters does not have spurs on it so it will not stay in place. Why would a company as innovative as DW omit something so basic is beyond me.

These are not Axis pedals so don’t expect them to be! That said, these thing hot waaaay harder than I thought they would. I had to remove all of the weights they came with and they STILL hit hard! The smoothest pedals I’ve ever used, totally worth it to me. And I’ve been a Machinist for over 17 years so the workmanship is stellar!

Smoothest pedal I've ever used. Easy to change eight of beaters and adjust pedal tension.It is RESPONSIVE!!!

I've been playing 9000 series double pedals for years-love this new direct drive set up!

Great product

I sold mine on EBay as it felt very heavy to me. My Axis A21 pedal plays better. Very well built but doesn't mean nothing if it doesn't feel right to you.

What I've been looking for! I've been out of drumming for a while (focusing on my family and real career). I use to use 2 bass drums with 2 Ludwig Speed Kings, and that worked great. After finally deciding to get back into drumming I got a new (used on ebay) set that had a single bass and a DW 5000 double pedal. The pedal was pretty good, but I missed the feel of my Speed Kings.I did some research and narrowed my choice to 2 pedals: the Trick Pro 1V Bigfooot and the DW MDD. I tried both out for a few days (I actually bought 2 sets on ebay; 1 for practice at home and one for gigs) side by side and the choice was easy.The DW MDD is much easier to make adjustments on the fly and get to that sweet spot for each foot. Once there, it was like I had not stopped playing for so long. The Trick pedal took a bit longer to get to that sweet spot, and was more awkward making the adjustments. Really couldn't make them on the fly. But once I was there, the Trick Pro 1V was a smooth, solid pedal.I chose the DW MDD because of the ease and speed of making adjustments. Face it, you gig a lot and your gear gets jostled about before, at and after each gig. Setting can get changed.The price is a bit much, but both are mighty pricey. For me, I was looking for the right pedal, and my search narrowed down between these 2, and I felt more than comfortable spending a few bucks more to get what I wanted. Both are great pedals, but for me it's the DW MDD.