Ludwig sold a ton of them. That's for sure. And for many, many years as well.

The problem is getting a good one. There have always been tons out there on ebay, for example, but usually of questionable condition. The main part I look at when evaluating one for purchase is close up pictures of the foot board hinge area. If the pivots are worn out, I pass. Now I know there is a guy that reconditions them with upgraded parts, but I don't care for the look of the end product. I prefer to wait for the best example of one I can find. Oddly, it usually ends up being one from the WFL era. Seems they made them better then maybe? Others I've found to be in good shape are the last of them in the black finish. Most of those haven't been stomped to death yet. Sadly, most of the junk ones could have been saved before they got as bad as some of them have if they received regular lubrication to the hinge area.

I recall buying my first Speed king many years ago and being bitterly disappointed with it. I sold it within months. On flip side however, I later bought a Ghost. Now THAT was a great pedal. Loved it to bits.

There's a guy who specializes in restoring speed king pedals that range from just dirty to downright broken and ready for garbage. He does some pretty cool things to the pedal to make it more durable and noiseless. You can see his results on Youtube and on his webpage.

http://drummechanix.com/?page_id=56

I'll take one! Always wanted to have one.

I just got one after not playing on one for years, and had it on my 26" fibes kick (I was going for a Bonham vibe, 26,14,16,18.. and 15" hats, 24" ride, huge crashes... and the ubiquitous speed king pedal to finish it off haha!)

Well I like playing this pedal, but with no spurs on it, it just makes my kick drum slide all over the place. Maybe I need a front anchor.. but I dont want to buy more stuff. Ill just use my iron cobra

That's funny you say this.

I have a WFL Speedking that is in great shape.

It's still tight and has great action.

I have a later Ludwig Speedking that the hinge is just about gone.

There is so much play in it that it is almost unplayable. Hurting

I have a Speed King that was rebuilt by Jesse of Drummechanix. It's gone basically unused for quite a few years. It was only used with my Maple Classic Downbeat kit. Well, not really used, but more of a prop! If there's any interest in it, I'll offer it up for sale. Includes a new Ludwig felt beater, too. I've never been a fan of the SK, so I can't see hanging on to this pedal.

-Mark