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Hardware
Kick
In The Bass: The New intruder Series Bass Pedals
by
Brad Ronolo
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Mean,
Intrusive, powerful, efficient – All words
that clearly describe your first impression of
the new design of Gibraltar’s flagship series
bass pedals. 2006 is the year of the Intruder.
Out of the box, you just know these things are
going to do everything your foot wants it to.
It’s got a new stealth design on the pedal
board and a solid aluminum stabilizing “Rock”
plate. The main concern with any pedal however
– Feel.
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Feel is where the genius of the Gibraltar design
teams shines bright. How is one pedal supposed to
feel right for everybody? It’s not, that’s
why the Intruder pedals come with one of 3 different
drive systems with loads of adjustability. To best
suit your technique and playing style, you get your
choice of double chain over a felt lined cam, strap
drive over a metal cam, or direct drive systems.
From there, you can tune and fine tune to perfection.
Each adjustment can be made efficiently and on-the
fly either by hand or with one of the 3 tools stored
on board. Spring tension is easily adjusted from
ridiculously high rebound to super floppy with the
turn of a thumbscrew at the base of the spring.
Beater travel distance can be tweaked with a drum
key. The axle at the point under which this clamp
grabs is also knurled for non-slip operation. This
also provides for indexed tuning and is marked with
three lines as reference points. Beater height is
also set with a drum key and memorized with a memory
lock. The lock makes quick work of setting up the
pedal and ensures perfect positioning every time.
The bass drum hoop clamp is tightened by a wing
nut, conveniently positioned at the right side of
the pedal board. Say goodbye to bloody knuckles
from trying to reach under your pedal to attach
it. And as if all of that weren’t enough,
the position of the beater can be moved laterally
with a quick turn of an Allen head setscrew if you
plan to use the pedal with percussion brackets.
The no-nonsense design of the new Intruder shows
these things mean business. The base of the pedal
is now solid aluminum with a strategically placed
bead in the middle. This ensures maximum rigidity
while keeping the overall weight to a minimum. Attached
to this plate is also the on-board tool storage
with the included drum key and two Allen wrenches.
The pedal board is also aluminum, eliminating any
possibility of flex. Choice areas machined out of
the pedal board save weight and add to the stealth
look. The uprights of the pedal, when looked at
closely have a slight curve backward (away from
the drum head) to put the axis of the beater in
a more perfect location than a traditionally designed
upright. These uprights are bearing loaded for maximum
fluidity. Also loaded with a die cast bearing is
the upper attachment of the spring to the axle.
Putting a bearing in the “spring ring”
minimizes wear and eliminates friction adding again,
to the fluid motion. Each of these features enables
the drive system you choose to put maximum power
to the beater (or beaters).
The double pedals all have a slave pedal with the
same fixed Rock plate and the same adjustments for
you tune to mimic your main pedal to a tee. The
linkage between the two pedals has 2 case hardened
universal joints. Two length adjustment points allow
you vary the distance between your two pedals from
around 14 inches to 20 inches. All attachment and
adjustment points are double locked with 2 drum
key screws.
All of the pedals come pre-assembled for plug-n-play
operation. Simply drop in the beater and your ready
to get kickin’. The beaters are 2 sided for
two vastly different sounds. A curved felt side
or a flat plastic side will suit any genre of music.
Combine that with a pivoting head and you get a
perfect strike regardless of the size of your bass
drum. Each pedal also comes with its own gig bag
for safe transportation.
Once again, Gibraltar provides us with a set of
pedals that are sure to suit any player’s
needs. Whether you play heel-down and off the head
or you like to stomp and bury your beater, one of
the 3 drive systems is sure to be a perfect match.
The new no-bull design of the Intruder is all about
power and efficiency. The new Intruder brings to
the table both and looks good doing it. They will
definitely knock your socks off.
-BR |
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Nothing
is more important than that right
"feel" to your pedal. Gibraltar's
Intruder pedals give you three drive
options to best suit your technique
and playing style. Click each photo
for a larger view, click on the model
number to view the invididual product
pages.
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Cam
Drive Options:
9611 Dual Chain Drive system
delivers a solid powerful feel to the player.
The dual chain fits into a felt lined channel
of the CAM providing smooth quite performance
with lots of power.
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9611DC
Double Chain Cam
Single Pedal
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9611 Direct Drive system uses
solid linkage to create a seamless, fast
paced feel pedal. The CAM shape and linkage
combine to deliver power and speed with
seamless response.
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9611DD
Direct Drive
Single Pedal |
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9611 Strap Drive system creates
a fast responsive feel, like playing on
air. A durable Kevlar strap over metal CAM
is a simple design that gives increased
speed and response to the player.
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9611SD
Strap Drive
Single Pedal |
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To find
the Gibraltar Dealer nearest you, please visit our Dealer Search
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