ha, as to cymbal technique - I've found that most of the time, a glancing blow won't give me the sound I'm looking for out of a cymbal. On the other hand, there reaches a point where you won't get any more sound out of a cymbal by hitting it harder. The trick seems to be finding that point and then consistently refraining from hitting any harder than that. That's my rookie opinion, anyway. I also haven't broken a Giant Beat yet, but if I do, I'll buy more. Nobody said perfection was perfect.

twelvepoint wrote:I sit down to pee.Fixed your post there, Charlene.

Oh, Giant Beats. You are a perfect example of why I can't have nice things.You are glorious when treated lightly and transcendent when laid into. You are the perfect rock cymbal. Beautiful from whisper to roar. Articulate and crushing.But in about 14 months, you will crack. I will Dremel you, and your tone will not change much, not even with two dumb-looking crescents at your edges. But it is only a matter of time. Only so long before I will need to spend over $300 to replace this glorious two full feet of ride cymbal.I don't ever want another ride cymbal. You are incredible. And your smaller siblings are likewise beautiful and perfectly matched. Even your vaguely green hue, it is bewitching. But goddamn. I can't afford this habit. I think I have learned to l pull my punches. But it is not true.I am a lummox. An ape-armed, sweaty, in-a-fugue-state-when-I-play lummox who can't have nice things. Please, Giant Beats. Please stop cracking. I love you.

evanrowe wrote:To really cut through, Meinl makes good stuff. Their Medium Heavy crashes are much better suited to, well, music than the Zildjian Zs, which have similar sonic qualities to filing cabinets. But for recording they're likely too heavy.I think Meinl Cymbals are really great for their price point. I use assorted Paiste Cymbals, I bought my kit from craigslist and it came with PST5's, but there is a band that practices at my house that uses 2002's, so sometimes I use those for my hats and crash cymbal. For some reason I do actually really like the sound of the PST5 ride. The rest is garbage. Meinl cymbals are really durable, sound great, and come with a good warranty. There is a band my hardcore punk band gigs with pretty regularly and we share drum equipment sometimes at shows so we don't have to worry about tearing down, he uses the MB10's and from the times I have played them I really liked them, especially the hats. evanrowe wrote:I think those packs are designed to make kids give up drumming and go to business school.Yeah, I used an 18 ZBT crash for a bit and it was a total piece of shit. sounds like a cut down garbage can lid or something.

Generally if you're breaking cymbals, it's due to overplaying or not hitting them correctly. I sort of resent having warranty costs absorbed by the people who actually know how to hit a cymbal. Every cymbal manufacturer for as long as I can remember says, let them move freely on the stands and use glancing, not direct, blows. As a reformed serial-cracker, once I changed my technique, my cymbal replacement costs plummeted. I think a lot of the issue is people equate cymbal weight with durability, but in order to excite a heavy plate into a crash sound, more force and heavier sticks are required, and then your Rudes and your Rock crashes start cracking.I also think if you're in a band context where you feel like normal/lighter cymbals aren't cutting it, then you probably have other instrument balance issues that should be addressed.

the Meinl Byzance cymbals I've heard were cool. very low in pitch and just a little bit harsh and attack-y. durable, too.