By the design of Gibraltar's flagship series bass pedals, when you take it out of the box, you just know this thing is 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 drum pedal however, is feel.The 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.Feel is where the genius of the Gibraltar pedal design shines bright. These drive systems come with loads of adjustability so 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 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 kick drum 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 Intruder's drive system 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" to 20". All attachment and adjustment points are double-locked with 2 drum key screws.These 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.The no-bull design of the Gibraltar Intruder is all about power and efficiency. The Intruder pedal brings to the table both and looks good doing it. They will definitely knock your socks off. |