Mapex touts the new Falcon bass drum pedals as the "smoothest bass drum pedal you'll ever play." Mapex can keep touting because for its market segment, where this pedal is targeted, it is without a doubt the smoothest pedal I have ever played.
The Falcon comes in two flavors: a single pedal, the P1000 and a double, the P1000TW. Priced (current listing on Musicians Friend) at $197.00 for the single and $389 for the double, Mapex is aiming this pedal straight for the Eliminator and Iron Cobra players out there and will definitely win more than a few of them over.
I was given a set of pre-production Falcons to review by Donn Bennett from Donn Bennett Drum Studio in Bellevue, WA, (thus my photo's may vary a tad from the retail packaging) and was assured they were on par with the models shipping this month. I had more than a few rounds with the ones on display at NAMM and spent a good chunk of time with the preproduction model and I will say that there was no difference that I can tell short some labeling and coloring. The both played out identically.
The Falcon P1000TW package comes with the Falcon pedal assemblies themselves, the connecting rod, two swappable cams (the Glide cam for a smoother end to end stroke, and the Pursuit cam for increased power and impact), two reversible beater's with swappable weighted inserts, a tool kit consisting of a Mapex drum key, and various Allen wrenches, and chain or strap drive connectors.
The footboard is fully adjustable via the cam mechanism - and here is my *only* real minor complaint with this pedal - but worth mentioning if you change out your cams frequently. Any time you change your cam you will have to make sure you adjust your pedal height accordingly as the mechanism must be pulled apart (thus losing your adjustment) in order to change the cam. That being said - I don't know many, if any drummers, who, once they get their pedals dialed in with the desired cam and board heights, change their cams frequently enough to be a major concern.
The cams themselves are easy to swap out and once in place have a solid feel. I tested both the Glide and Pursuit cams and both work as expected - though I enjoyed the Pursuit cam more as it gave the extra power I like to hear and feel from the impact on my kick head.
Beater adjustments are a breeze as well and you can adjust both the angle and the lateral positioning of each. I had to adjust these as my initial play test they were too far back and I was impacting my ankles almost as much as the kick head but it took no time at all. The lateral adjustment is a great touch as you can dial in your point of impact exactly with minimal effort.
The beaters also include 10 and 20 gram weights that can be swapped out with a few quick turns of the included Allen wrench. I play tested with both weights and no weight at all and for my play style found that the 10 suited me - but the 20 offered great balance and power. Even with no weight these pedals played well.
The footboards themselves offer the feel of a longer board but maintain a lighter feel. These footboards were extremely comfortable and allowed for a little more control than I've been used to - which took getting used to in and of itself - but I adapted quickly. The board meets the heel plate using a sealed bearing mechanism that offers no resistance while playing and no lateral movement whatsoever.
The base of these pedals is solid - with a good heavy feel to it that made me confident that the slave pedal wouldn't move around on me too much. The weight coupled with the standard adjustable spurs plus the addition of a Velcro strip pretty much ensure that this pedal isn't moving. The main pedal (or single) clamps securely to the bass drum hoop using Mapex's patented Talon hoop clamp that actually moves independently from the pedal frame so even if your kick at some oddball angle, the Falcon is staying flat on the floor.
The two pedals of the P1000TW are connected via a connecting rod that is adjustable at both ends. What's nice about this connecting rod is that the adjustable extensions do NOT come out of the main rod body. This may not seem like much but if you've ever lost your slave during a gig because you forgot to tighten the adjusting screws on the rod and the extension fell out you'd know what I'm talking about. It's the little things that make a great product - this is one of them.
There are a couple other design points worth mentioning here, again, it's the little things. The drive shaft on the pedal is hollow inox steel - lightweight, very durable/strong - this reduces the drag and extra weight a solid shaft would add - and increases the smoothness and playability of the pedal. In addition the dual-axels on the double allow for equal contact/impact with the bass drum head giving a solid feel and sound.
For my play testing I tested the Falcon with both the Glide and Pursuit cams with loose and tight spring tensions, using both the chain and the strap drive connectors. I adjusted the beater and pedal heights to suit my play style and left them there once I dialed them in.
As a reference - on my normal pedal I play with a cam similar to the Pursuit cam, tighter spring tension with a chain drive.
I'm not the greatest double kick player in the world (not even close) but I've been working on it and lately I've been running on sustained triplets for 10-15 minutes, increasing in speed every three minutes. After about 10 minutes with my regular pedals I can feel it and by the time I'm done I am a little sore. Some of this is stamina I'm sure but not all of it.
I ran through this routine 8 times in one night on the Falcon, shortening the length of each test to 10 minutes to save on time and what I assumed would be minimizing the pain I was sure I'd feel in my ankles and calves.
Testing was as follows:
Glide Cam, Chain Drive, Loose Tension - 10 minutes
Glide Cam, Strap Drive, Loose Tension - 10 minutes
Glide Cam, Chain Drive, Tight Tension - 10 minutes
Glide Cam, Strap Drive, Tight Tension - 10 minutes
Pursuit Cam, Chain Drive, Loose Tension - 10 minutes
Pursuit Cam, Strap Drive, Loose Tension - 10 minutes
Pursuit Cam, Chain Drive, Tight Tension - 10 minutes
Pursuit Cam, Strap Drive, Tight Tension - 10 minutes
That's 80 minutes worth of triplets in one session - with the only breaks in between to reconfigure for the next 10 minutes.
After 80 minutes of playing this way I can honestly say I didn't even feel it. You could say it was because I've been increasing my stamina but I ran through my normal practice routine the next evening with my current pedals and was right back to feeling the ache in my calves. This says a lot to me regarding Mapex's design and thought behind the Falcon and I can't do anything but give them kudos for an outstanding product.
Bottom line - these pedals are a pure joy to play with. They are hands down the smoothest pedals in this price range I have ever played. While not a direct drive pedal by any means - you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference at times if at all. For me the strap drive connector combined with the Pursuit cams and a higher spring tension made them feel just as tight as some pedals costing several hundred dollars more.
Mapex has a winner with the Falcon and if you're in the market for a new pedal, one with some truly well thought out design that feels smooth and responsive and solid, and one that won't break your budget in the process, you can't go wrong with the Mapex Falcon. Thanks once again to Mapex for giving us the opportunity to review their newest gear and as always an extra special thanks to Donn Bennett for supplying the pedals.
