Premier Rock Forum

I exclusively used Zildjian Z Rock crashes for a number of years. I was under the assumption that as they were thicker, they would last longer. They did not. But I kept on buying them due to lunacy. I still use the Sabian AAX Metal hi-hats I bought in 1996. No sign of any cracking. They sound terrible. But I have been too cheap to buy a new set of hi-hats. Those things are expensive and I do not feel that I am worth it.

Jon

I had a 19" AAX crash at one point and.. for what they are I think you could do a lot worse. Goddamn loud tho.

penningtron wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 11:56 am I don't think the occasional 'special effect' Wuhan is any worse than the Fugazi bell..

I saw him with The Messthetics last summer and that bell is still getting action.

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 11:46 am My next request was rototoms

Promoted to a moderator.

I keep meaning to comment on this thread and I haven't been able to finish my comment before I get pulled away on some other task.

I'm an Istanbul Agop endorser, and I think their cymbal line has expanded to the point that there's no job I've been asked to do that they can't cover. The Xists are their sort of "rock" cymbal. There's plenty of cork-sniffery jazz cymbals as they get more expensive, but the Xists are affordable and DURABLE.

There's not much a 22" Xist Ride won't cover for rock stuff. It's right down the middle of volume vs. tone. You can get them used just about anywhere:

https://reverb.com/item/60160115-istanb ... mbal-3273g

https://reverb.com/item/65224335-istanb ... ide-cymbal

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Istan ... e=4WWRWXGP

The Zildjian 21" Sweet Ride is a consistent, durable, pleasant to ride and alright to crash ride cymbal. FM Garth already mentioned their coolness, and Tony A. of Nonagon fame has two. TWO! I used to play this cymbal all the time, and went through a couple, but I wanted the softer feel of thinner B8 bronze in that position in the end.

The Istanbul Agop Xist family is a wonderful line of cymbals (I have the 15" hats and 18" and 20" brilliant crashes), and I've heard the 22" ride and it's lovely. Depending on your approach it can go from papery, sort of silvery to full and clear, and can be crashed with great soft, dark-ish success. Builds and blooms nicely when struck conscientiously. Might be just the thing you're looking for. Is more than $250, though, at ~$330. I haven't played the 20", but it's right around $250.

The Paiste Giant Beat 24" is the best ride cymbal, and will do almost anything you ask of it, so long as that ask is reasonable. Like, it's not a Fugazi bell or a china or a "fast crash." But It is the best at being the big cymbal in your kit, providing delicate and articulate notes, "glassy"* sustain, clear four-on-the-floor stick tip stuff, and a roar unlike any other when leaned into. Warm, enveloping urgency. Loves sticks, brushes, and mallets. Orchestral suspended cymbal-type swells are so nice. If it has a weakness, it is that the bell is not loud and pingy/clangy. I don't need that, though, so this is the best. It, too, is above the $250, but not by far, coming in used around $300-325. Very much worth it.

*Papery and silvery I for whatever reason thought I could get away with. Glassy, though, needs to be in quotation jail for being silly. (But it's the right word)

ETA: Haha, hi Ringo, you beat me to it. Again, FM DFTR is correct.

echokiloromeo wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:20 pm If it has a weakness, it is that the bell is not loud and pingy/clangy.

Another PRFer asked on IG to recommend a great sounding ride with a loud, cutting bell and I had a hard time coming up with one! It seems like hard, obnoxiously bright cymbals have the best bells, and a lot of the tasteful stuff mentioned here (Sweet Rides, Ks, etc.) are just ok in that department. It's almost worth having an extra Z or AAX off to the side if that's something you're gonna be doing a lot of.

I rarely use a bell if I'm not covering a song with one, and if I fall out of love with my current Paiste Masters medium ride I'm looking into flat rides.

The Xist 22" has a clearer bell than the GB, probably due to the B20 alloy, but it's still not going to work for a Primus cover band. I think it just takes more mass to get that sound, and those rides are going to be only rides. The shoulder of a stick shall not meet its edge, and it shall shine like the noon sun.

penningtron wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 2:03 pm

echokiloromeo wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:20 pm If it has a weakness, it is that the bell is not loud and pingy/clangy.

Another PRFer asked on IG to recommend a great sounding ride with a loud, cutting bell and I had a hard time coming up with one! It seems like hard, obnoxiously bright cymbals have the best bells, and a lot of the tasteful stuff mentioned here (Sweet Rides, Ks, etc.) are just ok in that department. It's almost worth having an extra Z or AAX off to the side if that's something you're gonna be doing a lot of.

I rarely use a bell if I'm not covering a song with one, and if I fall out of love with my current Paiste Masters medium ride I'm looking into flat rides.

I'm curious about the new K 21" Sweet Ride. It's supposed to have more cutting/defined bell than the usual A Sweet, but still have all of the crashability, so that's next on my list to try.

There's a few Sabian things that fit the bill (the 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride comes to mind), but I have some weird brand loyalty thing with Zildjian that will likely not go away.

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:55 pm I'm curious about the new K 21" Sweet Ride. It's supposed to have more cutting/defined bell than the usual A Sweet, but still have all of the crashability, so that's next on my list to try.

Played one in a store quite a bit. I liked it but didn't find it terribly different (maybe slightly darker, which one would expect from a K) from the A Sweet Ride I had for 10 years and I was ready for something else.

Thinking about that question more I'd suggest a 22" A Custom ride. Not a very complex cymbal, but it's a usable ride sound and the bell is piercing. If the crash is too washy you could always try a strip of gaffer tape under the bell (there goes all my credibility..)