Unturnable Screws on the DW9002 (Now They Turn)

This is a story about the screw that fixes the footboard and chain on the DW9002 drum pedal that wouldn't turn at all.
It wasn't a problem that could be solved with force, so I ended up getting it handled through the manufacturer via a music store.
I hope this will be helpful to those in a similar situation.

What You'll Learn from This Article

  • On some models of the DW9002 drum pedal, the screw that fixes the footboard and chain might be glued in place
    • There are also models where this is not the case
  • If you experience the same issue, it might be best to have the manufacturer handle it
  • Costs
    • If it’s just a matter of removing the screw, it costs around 4400 yen
    • I sent the pedal to the manufacturer through a music store, but there were no shipping costs
    • In my case, I also requested additional parts, so it cost a bit more

Why Did I Want to Turn the Screw?

I wanted to try out the different feel and sound as shown by Mr. Ichita Nakamura on X.
That’s all!

Which Screw Wouldn’t Turn?

It’s the screw that fixes the footboard and the chain. See the image for reference.

In a video by Tomo Drum CH., he also mentioned that “this part just wouldn’t come off.” Haha.

What Did I Do to Turn It?

I consulted with a music store. I called about four stores and ended up visiting two of them.

First Store

When I called, they responded right away, saying, “We can probably do it for around 1000 yen!” I took the pedal there, but they couldn’t turn the screw either.

Staff: “This needs to be handled by the manufacturer... It’s not something we amateurs should mess with.”
Me: “（´-`）.｡oO（Amateurs, huh...）”

Since the distributor for DW had recently changed to Roland, the staff mentioned that neither the previous nor the current contact person knew what to do.
I was told I’d be contacted once they figured out the appropriate action, and later received an email with the following information:

  • The task of removing the screw itself costs 4400 yen
  • If the screw hole gets damaged, it could cost up to 13200 yen

(By the time I received this email, I had already taken the pedal to the second store...)

Second Store

I called another store, explaining that another shop had suggested manufacturer support.
They said, “There will be an estimate fee of 2000 to 3000 yen, but you can decide whether to proceed with the repair after that.” So, I went straight there after leaving the first store.
They took a quick look, couldn’t turn the screw, so it was decided to send it to the manufacturer.
Additionally, I asked them to replace some missing or non-original screws and to install a TOE stopper as I wanted to try it out.

How Did It Turn Out?

They warned me it might take a while to get the pedal back, but it didn’t take too long.
It took just under 10 days to get the estimate, and less than a week for the repair to be completed.
The total cost was 9240 yen. Here’s the breakdown:
There were no additional shipping costs.

  • Estimate: 0 yen
  • Screw removal: 4400 yen
  • Parts replenishment:
    • Five screws for the in-pedal shaft: 2090 yen
    • Three swivel pads: 2750 yen

（´-`）.｡oO（What’s a swivel pad?）
→ It’s the rubber part that makes contact when attaching the pedal to the bass drum.
There are two on the bottom and one on the top, but the top one was missing.
The two on the bottom were returned, and they both had cracks.

The estimate fee turned out to be zero, probably considered a cancellation fee.
If you want to minimize costs, it might be good to specify, “Just make the screw turnable and do nothing else!” Haha.
In any case, I’m glad the screw turns now!

Summary

I shared how I dealt with the screw that wouldn’t turn on the DW9002 drum pedal.
Who knew trying to switch from double chains to a belt would be such a hassle...
I hope this helps anyone in a similar situation.
I’ll post later about how the switch from double chains to a belt changed things!