My friend and fellow drummer, Lucas Jacobson, died on March 21st at the age of 66. I first met Lucas at my Not So Modern Drum Show in Nashville in 2014. He was exhibiting his speed torque cams, a device which could be added to a pedal to make it 30% easier thus quicker to push and 30% quicker to return. I was suffering from foot pain at the time. I could not get more than a couple of songs into a set before the pain in my foot made it extremely hard to play. I tried Lucas’s “gizmo”, as I called it and had him install one on a pedal for me. The pain in my foot was instantly relieved and I have used them ever since. The “gizmo” is based on the principle of the eccentric cam compound bow; an extra lever on the pedal where the spring attaches. Lucas’s design for the DW 9000 pedal is probably his most famous invention. We became fast friends and talked on the phone many times for ten years. I started selling his cams on DrumSellers.com in 2018. (They are not listed right now until I can ascertain supply)
Lucas was dedicated to music and drummers. Even after a debilitating heart condition and stroke that paralyzed his left side and he lost the use of his left arm he never stopped designing and promoting his inventions. His speech became so slurred at times that it was hard to understand him, but he was so funny and so interesting that it was worth hearing him out. Lucas was a character. He called himself “Doctor Pedal”. He was the ultimate drum nerd. He cared deeply about other drummers and his friends in the world of music, which were many.
Below this video that Lucas is narrating is his obituary and funeral info from his sister Pam on his Facebook Page:
“Hi, this is Lucas' sister. It is with a heavy heart that we have to tell you Lucas passed away on March 21st. His funeral will be Wednesday, April 3rd at 11am at Raphael Catholic Church in Crystal, MN with viewing 1hour before. You can also pay your condolences with viewing from 5-7 pm on Tues evening at the Washburn-McReavy Glen Haven Funeral Chapel in Crystal. I am including his obituary on this post.. Thank you all for being Lucas's friend.
Lucas Adolf Jacobson died at his home on March 21, 2024.
He was born May 7, 1958 at Mercy Hospital, Williston, ND to Ruby (Eberle) and Pendley Jacobson of Bonetraill, ND. “Little Lukie” was the youngest of six children. They moved from the family farm to Grenora, ND, in 1968. Lucas completed twelve years at the Grenora school, graduating in 1976. An avid lover of music, drumming was his passion. While still in junior high, he obtained a trap drum set and would play “licks” with his guitar-playing older brother, Pat. During those years, Lucas spent many hours with his treasured canine, Chester, by his side, affectionately referred to as “a mutt.”
Upon graduation, Lucas attended ND State School of Science for electronics and later received his Specialized A.S. degree from Northwest Technical Institute. He developed his musical talents in the twin cities at Boyd Hunt Enterprises, polishing skills to later play in many bands and develop many life-long friendships. The first band he formed that “hit the road” was named Black Lips and he bragged on all the members’ exceptional talent. ‘80’s music was his forte and he could drum, sing, and quote facts of the original singers/songwriters. None of that “country western” music for him!
Lucas lived and worked in several different states before settling permanently in Crystal, MN. His mechanical abilities grew along with the many inventions he had spinning in, and then created by, his incredibly creative mind, gaining even more notoriety by being featured in Modern Drum magazine. Lucas started his own company, Eccentric Systems Design, Inc. in 2001. Within that company, he continued designing, patenting, machining, marketing, and managing five different (patented) inventions: Eccentric Base Drum Pedal, Eccentric High Hat Pedal, Visual Tuning Drum Hoop, Bass Pedal Post Spring, and Eccentric Bass Drum Return Spring Cam. His inventions literally changed the music industry.
Lucas met the love of his life, Ana Lodor, online in a chat room in 2005 and worked tirelessly to bring her to the USA from the Philippines. He succeeded, marrying her October 18, 2007. They continued to reside in Crystal with their constant companion, their deeply-loved dog, Gizmo.
Some years later, Lucas had heart complications as well as a stroke. This left him partially paralyzed on his left side. He lost the use of his left arm and could no longer play his drum kit. But that didn’t stop him. At the time of his passing, he was working on and had found interested parties in a perpetual machine that would generate electricity from the ocean.
Lucas is survived by his beloved wife, Ana, brother Larry (Jeanne) Jacobson, Bonetraill, ND; Pam (Arden) Lund, Medicine Lake, MT; Karmen (Jim) Siirtola, Mandan, ND; sisters-in-law Christanta Domingo, Terisita Lodor, Elvisa Llagono, Arline Badiola, Cynthia Condor, and brother-in-law Efren Lodor, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Lucas was preceded in death by his parents, his mother-and father-in-law, Adoration and Teodulo Lodor, brother Patrick Jacobson, sister Loretta Bakken, nephew Jake Siirtola, and great nephew Conor Volz.
Family visitation at Washburn-McReavy Glen Haven Funeral Chapel, 5125 W Broadway, Crystal, MN, will be April 2nd from 4:00 – 5:00 with public visitation from 5:00-7:00. Funeral Mass will be said at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 7301 Bass Lake Road in Crystal, April 3rd at 11:00 a.m.
Condolences can be sent to Ana Jacobson, 5708 Pennsylvania Ave, Crystal, MN 55428