Quick Torque Bass Drum Cam System

After reading a great review in Modern Drummer lately, I was interested in a new Bass Drum pedal attachment that would benefit someone like myself that suffers from limitations of flexibility of the ankles and feet due to decades of heavy lifting and thousands of hours using your feet to support heavy weight. The name of my particular affliction is lost in my grey area as I write this article, but the end result is that is difficult to execute even the simplest bass drum patterns due to the foot being rigid.

Then I saw this article which peaked my interest about the “Quick Torque” bass drum attachement. The product is a cam design that replaces the original spring mechanism on your bass drum pedal and allows the beater to return away from the bass drum head with great efficiency and less effort. The article in Modern Drummer was very positive and for someone like me who after years of abuse from working had flexibility impairments in their playing – this could be a positive aid.

I contacted Lucas Jacobson about his product and found him to be a great guy who was more than happy to answer any questions or offer any aid about the product – I was intrigues and for $95.00 CAN., it wasn’t a great risk as Modern Drummer has endorsed it with an article.

I received in within 8 days and attached it to my Yamaha DFP9500D Double pedal – the entire process took about 5 minutes to accomplish – the biggest adjustment was adapting to the fact that the main spring was to be loosened off to the point of almost no tension at all – the Quick Torque Cam does all the grunt work.

Having a Bender gig for two nights that weekend, I took it to the show and attached it to mySonor kit for not sure if this would be a lateral move or positive – it didn’t take long to see the results. The Cam certainly does give the pedal a far greater speed of return on the beater leaving the head and returning to it’s original position. For me there was a degree of adapting from what used to be my pedal situation and probably will be for  a bit to come – but I believe that is a personal thing and not the norm for most able-footed drummers.

The action is smooth, precise and yes – you can play quicker on this pedal than with the setup that comes on your particular pedal’s stock assembly. Pals of mine like Rob MacEachern, Archie Gamble and Dale Penny would excel at their already amazing foot work with the addition of this cam assembly to their own pedals.

Take a read below about the product and Lucas’ history to see the complete story – but for all the gadgets out there for musicians – this is one that is both practical and worth the small investment in your kit.

About Eccentric Systems

Eccentric Systems has devoted over 25 years to making pedals faster, smoother and more efficient. Our history shows the success our designs have had in creating new lines of pedals for major companies.

With the development of our Quick Torque Cam design, Eccentric Systems is once again….. “Thinking way outside the box”.  Rather than build a new pedal to get the most out of the technology. Why not design the technology to get the most out of the pedals Players ALREADY HAVE!

The patented Quick Torque cam design provides a new adjustment to vary the torque used by the spring to return the pedal, while the eccentric design of the cam reduces the amount of input force required to pull the spring. The result is 30% greater efficiency, more impact due to eccentric motion, and increased speed through higher torque….. And all these improvements can quickly be added to the pedal your using right now…

Converting to the Quick Torque Cam takes only minuets and makes NO PERMANENT CHANGES to your pedal. Available for nearly all single or double pedals from over 17 manufacturers; Quick Torque Cams give you wickedly improved performance for the price of a new head, NOT a new pedal…

The History

In 1981 Eccentric Systems founder Lucas Jacobson, a drummer since age 8, was frustrated in his inability to play certain fills from the recently released RUSH Moving Pictures Album on a single bass drum. As practice increased, it was found the problem lie not with the foot, but with the pedal.

Determined to improve the mechanics of pedals. Lucas embarked on the journey that has evolved into Eccentric Systems as a company, and the use of eccentric motion in the evolution pedals.

In 1987 Eccentric Systems received its first patent for an eccentric motion drive cam bass drum pedal.

First marketed under the name “Black Max” the technology was well accepted and positively reviewed by both Modern Drummer and Rhythm magazines in 1990.

After some time spent as an engineer at Honeywell, and a start up computer company called Fieldworks;

Eccentric Systems bass pedal and high hat design refinements caught the attention of Drum Workshop’s founder Don Lombardi.

The designs were licensed to Drum Workshop and in 2004 were released as the DW 9000 Series Bass Pedal and Hi-Hat.

Eccentric Systems continued designing hardware and in 2005 patented the visual assist tuning hoop called “Flatheadz”.

Then in 2009 an improved bass pedal spring arm was patented along with the 2009 Patent of the “Quick Torque”, torque adjustable eccentric return spring cam.

Eccentric Systems designed and in 2011 applied for patents for a tunable melodic shaker called the “Shonga” shaker and the “Shonga” Guiro.

Also in 2011, Eccentric Systems began manufacturing its designs and launched as a manufacturing company at winter NAMM 2012.

Also in 2012 Eccentric Systems received the endorsements of Ronnie Ciago, Mike Bennett, Brian Head, David Stanoch, Aaron Edgar, Jeff Nicholas, Michael Bissonnette, Charlie Chavez, Luis Chocs Campos, among others.

Official Site: http://www.eccentricsystems.com/abouteccentric.html

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnDa8Y_dOrM

Facebook: /b6180b57b66e083b3a34d459cd8be414/EccentricSystems

Interview: March 7, 2014

Interview I just completed with Lucas Jacobson of Eccentric Systems Drum Company about his product:

So Lucas, in 1987 Eccentric Systems received its first patent for an eccentric motion drive cam bass drum pedal – was it an exciting time mixed with some degree of fear in what you were embarking on, or in your heart-of hearts, were you positive of the road you were about to journey down?

I was naive and thought sure I had a million dollar idea.. Luckily I had a very cynical father who reminded me that I should never spend money I haven’t made yet…

How did you come up with the basic design of the Torque Cam, and was your engineering experience an essential part of that entire development?

Mostly it was a purely out of need… I grew up in one of the most rural areas of the country and because I got most of my music from recording off the radio, I was to stupid to realize that drummers like Tommy Aldridge and Keith Moon Were using TWO bass drums, so I just learned their stuff on one bass… Then this Canadian Band did this song TOM SAWYER with this fill that I could NOT pull off… I could play it fine, but the pedal was too slow… So I Built One that was faster. When I Met Neil at Drum Workshop I wanted to relay the story, however as we are both introverts we smiled shook hands, the said thanks for making a great pedal… and I Clammed up….

You have a number of elite level drummers who endorse your product, how did you manage to get them to try it?

Yes, in that regard we’ve been quite lucky to reach out to them, however it’s like everything in the music business you work very hard to get your “Shot” but then it’s up to the quality of your product… After 30 years experience it would seem I’ve gotten things up to standards.

You’ve designed this as a drummer for drummers, do you think that was instrumental in the recognition factor of designing something that would aid drummers more so than someone who is not, and wouldn’t recognize the need for an attachment like this?

As Most Invention Comes From Need, Yes, I would not have noticed the problem or worked to solve the problem without being a drummer. In my Non-drumming engineering life, I have seen many designs that seem to be solutions in search of a problem.

I received the one you sent me and used it this past weekend on my Yamaha Double pedal. The process of switching it over from the original spring mechanism to the Quick Torque mechanism took a matter of minutes. And quite frankly I never noticed visibly much difference until I actually used it onstage, and there was the truth of its design, in the feel of the pedal. Why is it that the original spring tension should almost be loosened off in order to accommodate the advantage of the Quick Torque?

The mechanical advantage of an eccentric shape works basically in two ways. For use as a cam being turned 360 (like for the valves in a car) the shape pushes once every time the shaft rotates.
The Second type is like that used on a bass drum pedal where the shaft does NOT rotate 360 degrees but only moves back and forth without rotating all the way around. In this instance, the cam shape works like a transmission to increase or decrease the amount of “pressure” or Torque between the part moving on the shaft.
By Carefully designing the shape of the cam the Quick Torque Cam reduces the amount of “time” during the stroke that the spring is pulled and pulls the spring at a much faster rate.. Thus when you are loosing the spring tension, you are actually changing the “timing” because at the end of the stroke the spring is pulled a great distance very quickly. This means that you’ll keep the same spring tension at the end of the stroke but not “fight” against the spring in the beginning of the stroke.

Is this going to allow a drummer who already partakes in blast beats to improve even more at his speed, or is this going to enhance a regular groove drummer to get more out of his footwork than maybe his old pedal allowed?

The True function of the Quick Torque Cam is efficiency.. The improvement in how smooth and responsive your pedal becomes only helps to make the pedal feel like an extension of your foot helping to eliminate the machine and enhance what your foot is capable of.

You have a product that is easy to install, makes a significant difference to the regular drummer when using it and can be adapted to all the pedal models on the market – do you see any room to improve on a great thing in the future?

Presently we’re working on products like our FlatheadZ visual assist tuning hoops that take much of the frustration and wasted time from tuning and changing heads.. We’ve produced the worlds first shakers and Gurio’s that allow the player to change the pitch of the sound while playing, called the Shonga. And we are about to release a product called the “Buzzkill” that is a sympathetic vibration damper for snare drums that help to keep your snare from buzzing when the guitar player hits “That Chord” and helps your toms to sound more open like they do when played with your snare turned off…

Is there a warranty on the Torque Cam?

Yes, the Quick Torque Cam is 100% Guaranteed upon purchase so that if you do not like the improvement that the quick Torque Cam gives you pedal for any reason, we will refund your money… As to warranty, we do stand behind what we sell and work hard to make sure our customers are happy… We’ve had Quick Torque Cams on Major Tours with some heavy hitters for over 3 years now with no problems as to ware or performance.

Where in the U.S is your product available and where can people buy it in Canada?

We are working with several distributors and do have our products available through Guitar Center and Musicians Friend. As music stores are still climbing back from the economic downturn, you may have to ask for them, but we’ve always got them and send DIRECT anywhere in the World from http://www.eccentricsystems.com/

Many of my “industry” friends had strongly suggested that I put the Quick Torque Cam on to a pedal and sell it at quite a high price. Being the Eccentric that I am, I opted to be one of the very few who felt it better to give the drummer a break and give him improved technology at a low price as an accessory.. I have found it to be a bit difficult to convince the stores to purchase because we are an inexpensive product and do not have the “profit margin” they like, but our popularity is changing a few minds… so Be Sure To Ask For Them By Name!!

Lucas Jacobson Eccentric Systems (763)525 1182 Eccentric Systems