I just picked an early 70s Ludwig Speed King: Thoughts and personal history.

 When I was 10 years old, I got my first drum kit and on that kit was an old Ludwig Speed King bass drum pedal. I can't remember if I got it with the first kit, or shortly after, but I remember playing one very early on. The first one I had was not in the greatest shape, but it worked, and I liked the feel of it. Even though as a kid I didn't know a whole lot about pedals, I learned a lot using that pedal.

 

My dad was the one who got me into drumming, he encouraged it. He loved the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie. This album had an incredibly strong impact on the way I played the drums at a very early age. I saw a photo somewhere of Mick Woodmansey playing Ludwig drums and just loved the way his drums sounded on that album. 

Mick Woodmansey

I imagined him also playing a Speed King pedal, though I couldn't see it, but I was sure in my mind that is what he was using. I highly recommend checking out this video of the isolated drum tracks from that album. He was such a steady and tasteful player. I still think the dry and warm drum sound is amazing. Very early on I tried to emulate his style to some extent, while at the same time being very into punk rock, so I would blend the tastefulness of Mick's playing, with the intensity of bands like Bad Brains. 

My friend John was very into Led Zeppelin, and I loved the way John Bonham played and how his drums sounded. I knew that he played Ludwig Speed King pedals, and I was amazed at how fast he could do his doubles on the kick in Good Times Bad Times. As every drummer is taken by this song. 

At some point I got a Camco pedal and stopped using the Speed King for many years. But then around the year 1994, my girlfriend at the time bought me another one as a present. This one had a wooden beater like the one you see in these pics (this is one I just bought, more on that in a bit). I played the Speed King in the band Kukum, as well as in Enderhall. In Kukim I would alternate between it and my Tama Pedal. But in Enderhall it was the pedal I used exclusively. The wooden beater had an incredible slam and weight to it. It really made the kick drum thump with great attack. 

Many years went by and honestly, I have not idea what happened to either of those Speed Kings, but the other day I saw this one on Reverb for only around $40 and had to pick it up! This one came with a hard felt beater, but I saw an original wood beater for sale there too for only $20 and picked it up as well. 

The one I picked up was most likely made in the early 1970s. They made a reissue in a couple of years ago, but I wanted an original like I had in the past. The one I picked up seems nearly exactly like the one I had as a teen, especially with the wood beater on there. 

I will be working on a video about this pedal later today. Once I make the video, I will update this post to include it.