If you’re a drummer who uses a double bass drum pedal, you’ve definitely heard of the Tama Speed Cobra. It’s one of the most legendary longboard pedals on the market, with thousands of drummers using it as their weapon of choice.
In this review, we’re going to look deeper into all of its features. And get ready, because there are a lot of them.
We’ll discuss who the pedal is good for and see how it stands to all of the other high-end double pedals on the market.
This double pedal is designed with speed in mind. It has a wide baseplate to keep it stable and Tama’s Fast Foot pedalboard design to help with speed and power.
It also has an Ultra-Tough Fastball Bearing to offer accurate rotation, which gives you a really smooth playing feel. This is further enhanced by the Round LiteSprocket.
It has the famous Cobra Coil springs, which bounce each pedal back into place after you press them down.
Finally, the rubber beaters are used to encourage speed.
We love the high-quality feel of the Tama Speed Cobra. When playing double pedal patterns, you can easily feel the sturdiness and stability. This immediately gives you the impression that this is a high-end pedal.
There are so many construction features that make this pedal perform the way it does, and all of them work together to give you a fantastic playing experience.
The Para Clamp II Pro clamp is the first feature that we should mention. It’s one of the big reasons the pedals feel so stable, as it allows the pedal to clamp to any bass drum angle and still feel solid.
Most of the other construction features are designed with speed in mind. The Cobra Coil is arguably the most iconic one. As you press the pedal down, it immediately bounces back in place. This speeds up the response and allows you to play quicker patterns.
The LiteSprocket is another feature that encourages speed. It’s a lot lighter than what you usually get on other pedals. This makes the pedal feel smoother to play. Just note that it takes a bit of time to get used to, and some drummers don’t actually like how that feels.
The final feature to mention is the Vari-Pitch Beater Holder. It lets you adjust the beater angles separately to the pedalboard angles, which is always a great inclusion on a pedal!
As we’ve mentioned before, this pedal is all about speed. So, it’s one of the best options for drummers who play blast beats and quick patterns with their feet.
If you’re just a casual rock or pop drummer that doesn’t actually need to play quick patterns, you may find the pedal quite uncomfortable to use compared to other standard pedals.
The longboard design isn’t everyone’s cup-of-tea either. So, this definitely isn’t what we’d call a versatile pedal.
However, it’s undoubtedly one of the best options for metal drummers. Any metalhead will love how this pedal performs.
You’ll be paying just under $600 for the Tama Speed Cobra Double Pedal. That’s a decent price tag, considering all of the features on offer here.
It’s not insanely affordable, but it’s not highly expensive either. You get some DW pedals that cost over $1000.
So, we’d say that the price-to-value ratio is decent. You get exactly what you pay for.
We’re big fans of the Tama Speed Cobra. It’s a fantastic alternative to Tama’s famous Iron Cobra option, especially if you’re a drummer that puts a lot of focus on foot speed.
The price tag is great, the durability feels amazing, and the pedal will bring out the best in you.
Just don’t consider getting the Speed Cobra if you’re not a drummer who wants to play insanely fast double pedal patterns. There are better options for you that are much more versatile.
Founder of TheDrumNinja
I’m crazy about drums, it’s been my passion since I was 12 years old. I played in numerous bands going through different styles like Rock, Progressive, Pop & Jazz-Rock. After being featured in major music publications (Drumeo, Guitar Guitar, AudioIssues, MusicThinkTank) I started this website to share my knowledge and create a resource for drummers of all levels.
We specialize in helping drummers of all levels become rhythmic assassins and develop ninja-like skills, quickly. Our mission is to create the best resources for all musicians and build a community where you can learn and share everything related to your musical journey.
Our team is committed to exceeding our clients’ expectations with uncompromising honesty and integrity. We focus all of our energy on helping musicians of all levels achieve their goals and build a foundation of skills that will last a lifetime.
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