I'm looking to expand my current single bass drum set without spending too much money. Getting another bass drum could be pretty costly, especially if I have to buy another pedal for it as well. I tried out a double kick pedal, which sounded alright, but I don't know if I want to shell out $200 for a new one either. Does anyone have any experience using both and can tell me the pros and cons of each? Is there a difference in playability or range?

Basically, a low range double kick pedal is not worth it. When one foot is less responsive or really differs from the other in any respect, it's very difficult to play anything evenly. Low-end kick pedals may be cheap, but your left foot will lag. Also, low end pedals break easily. Iron Cobras are a good standard double kick pedal. I wish I remembered a few more good names that I know people swear by, but I'm not a drummer. With a second kick drum, there aren't really any advantages besides needing to mic two kick drums if you record. You get better response, and can throw another set of toms on top of it which is always nice. It'd probably be cheaper to get a good double kick pedal than a new kick drum and a pedal for that.

it all comes down to what's more important... stage space and cost, or more options in the studio

The only real advantage to adding a second bass drum is being able to have two different bass tones, if you wanted. Plus you look cooler...

...not really

I ran into this problem a few years back. I actually had a low-end double bass pedal that I hadn't used (once I started to use it, I could only do so much with it because of the response as noted above). So late, I found a matching bass drum on e-bay for about $80. It had a few scratches and dents in areas, but nothing so bad that it would be noticable. I figured that things would be much better with it since I had seen so many other drummers playing with a similar set up. Once I set it up I ran into more problems. The toms were spaced too far apart and my hi-hats were too far from me. Basically, adding the other drum made things uncomfortable and harder to function. So, I saved up my money and bought a pearl double-kick eliminator. It came with interchangable cams so I could adjust the power of the pedals. Ran me about $200, but I've used them for about 3 years now and no problems.

The Iron Cobra is an awesome double-bass pedal. Definitely beats hauling a second bass drum and reorganizing your set.

Alright. thanks for the input guys. I'll definately be on the lookout for an iron cobra deal, thanks!

Keep an eye on ebay.