Head stack assembly and disk drive using a reversed direction head gimbal assembly

A disk drive includes a head gimbal assembly and a disk that includes a recording surface. The head gimbal assembly comprises a load beam, the load beam including a first load beam surface facing toward the recording surface and a second load beam surface facing away from the recording surface, a plurality of conductors at least partially supported by the first load beam surface, each conductor including a proximal conductive pad, a distal conductive pad and a conductive path between the proximal and distal conductive pads, the proximal conductive pad being closer to a pivot axis than the distal conductive pad, a gimbal coupled to the load beam, the gimbal including a gimbal proximal end that supports the respective distal conductive pads and a gimbal distal end, and a head for flying above the recording surface of the disk while reading magnetic data recorded on the recording surface of the disk as the disk spins in a rotational direction.