Cymbals

Surely I've posted about cymbals before. I do so today because I got in a frustrating discussion with some people the other day. It was one of those situations that, as soon as I left, I knew what I SHOULD have said...but while I was there I felt stupid and frustrated.

What cymbals should you buy?

No one can decide that for you. You have to decide for yourself based on your own limitations and preferences.

Factors to consider:
-how serious are you
Are you 12 years old and might drop this drum thing tomorrow? Are you going to college in music? Is this for your basement or shows? Invest according to your committment.

-cost and your ability to pay
Do you have trouble making rent? Than stop worrying about your cymbals. Do you make shit tons of money? Buy something nice. Think of cost over the long term too. Yes, you can buy cheap now...but will it last? Will you have to buy again soon?

My favorite compromise with respect to cost is buying used cymbals. I prefer cymbals that are "broken in" because their sound changes as they age (see below). I basically did some research, decided what I liked, thought about what I'm willing to pay, and now I keep an eye out. I basically am looking for any Sabian AA cymbal in good condition that is less than $120. This is more than half off retail in most cases. I also have a priority list...right now I'm looking for a ride first, but if a nice crash showed up cheap I'd pick it up.

There are two things to watch out for with used cymbals...keyholing and cracks. A cracked cymbal is useless. The crack will get worse. Only buy it if you know how to repair or it is dirt cheap and you are okay losing it later. I've repaired cymbals and they never sound the same. So it will likely sound like a trashy effects cymbal after you fix it rather than what it was sold to you as. Keyholing refers to the center hole distorting from a perfect circle. I think this is less of an issue, but in general to be avoided. You can prevent it in your own cymbals by always using proper sleeves and felts on your cymbal stands and by not over-tightening (or leaving too lose) your cymbals. Secure but not over tight (over tight can cause cracking too).

Used cymbals can be bought via ebay, Craigslist, or Guitar Center. The Guitar Center website lists what used items are for sale at every store.

-durability
Ah yes...will it last?  With cymbals this is really hard to know. There are cymbals that really aren't meant to be durable and there are those that are. A good cymbal can last 100 or more years. A bad one can last just one hit.  But there are cases of bad cymbals lasting and good ones not lasting. There are rules of thumb but they don't always apply. It is an item that you hit. It can break no matter how nice.

Also there are thin cymbals and thicker cymbals. If you are a hard hitter, you probably don't want to get a really thin cymbal.

-how you play (how hard and how good is your technique)
A good instructor or the internet can tell you how to properly hit a cymbal. If you can't be bothered to look into that, odds are that you are hitting the cymbals wrong and you are more likely to damage them. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't bitch if you constantly break cymbals and haven't bothered to look into this. Hitting hard isn't neccesarily bad...but how you hit (glancing blow versus hitting through cymbal...hitting on edge or center, etc) can make a difference. That said...you also don't always have to hit hard. Personally I don't worry too much about this. I buy decent cymbals and they seem to last.

-type of music you plan to play
Every cymbal manufacturer has a website that tells you what kind of music each cymbal is meant for.  Beyond that, look into what your favorite players use (this only goes so far, cause they probably get their shit for free and may be promoting something crappy...yeah, I'm looking at you Tre and Travis...or they may promote something you can't afford). All of this is guidelines, because any cymbal can be used for any kind of music

-what sounds good to you
You can't know this without hitting lots of cymbals. Complicating this is that the way a cymbal sounds changes with age and how dirty is it and how often and in what way it has been hit. And cymbals sound different when hit in isolation than when used with the rest of your kit. So you can start by going to Guitar Center and hitting all of their cymbals, but that only takes you so far. Playing other people's kits helps...as does critically listening to recordings online. Cymbal websites often have sound samples you can compare too.  You could spend a lifetime figuring this out. Or you could figure out general principals and move forward.

A note here on dark versus bright: These are industry terms for the quality of the sound. Certain types of music historically use certain qualities of sound and I don't know the total history of that. All those rules get broken all the time too. But it is useful to know if you prefer a bright or dark tone.

I also find decay a huge factor. Cymbals, in general, annoy me. I want them to sound and then fade quickly. You may want them to ring forever. You have to figure that out yourself. Then you can use cymbal websites to find out what a certain type of cymbal does or try them in person.

-material
Cymbals are usually made of brass or bronze and are either cut from sheets or poured into a mold. Brass is crap. Bronze is the way to go. Sheet bronze is cheaper and less durable than poured and it doesn't sound as good (in my opinion).  Really it is up to the person though, and some people may prefer the sound of sheet cymbals (or find them a reasonable compromise for their needs). Various manufacturers use various types of bronze...the main types are 8% (cheaper/worse) or 20% (more expensive/better). Again, you may like a certain alloy better even if it isn't the "best."

So what should you buy?

Here's some basic research I've done on lower end cymbals:
-Wuhan. Wuhan is known for chinese cymbals and gongs. They have a small line of other cymbals. 16” = $44 (B20 alloy). They are thin, but a higher quality alloy than other low end cymbals. I like the way they sound for some things. A good deal for the right person.
-Meinl HCS is brass
-Meinl MCS is B8 alloy (16” = $72)
-Paiste PST is brass
-Paiste PST5 (CuSn8 Bronze 16” = $89)
-Paiste PST8 (CuSn8 Bronze)
-Paiste alpha (CuSn8 Bronze 16” = $140)
-Sabian SBR is brass
-Sabian B8 (B8 alloy) (16” = $79)
-Sabian B8 Pro (B8 alloy)
-Sabian APX (B8 alloy)
-Sabian XS20 (B20 alloy), vintage bright
-Zildjian ZBT (16” = $75), sheet bronze (unclear of alloy, but it is a grade below ZHT)
-Zildjian ZHT (16” = $115), B12 sheet bronze
-Zildjian ZXT, old series made with titanium
-Zildjian Z3, a new series introduced in 2009, these are no longer listed on their website, may be discontinued. They were advertised as "Hard hitting cymbals as you know them have just changed. Now introducing the new Zildjian Z3 line with the ultimate mix of Power, Projection and Playability for your Rock." They were 20% cymbals but not sure if sheet or cast. Likely sheet.

Once you get beyond low end...you move up to professional grade. Generally these are cast cymbals of a 20% or similiar quality. You can't go wrong with these if you have the money to buy them (look for used like I do). Each line has several models and weights (extra thin, thin, medium-thin, medium, heavy). That is all personal preference. Unfortunately it is up to personal preference. Most manufacturers also have artist lines.
-Paiste. A note that I am not a fan of Paiste cymbals and so know less about them. They have lots of lines. The two main pro lines are 2002 and Twenty. They've had lots of middle of the road lines over the years (Rude, 200 series, 300 series, 400 series, 600 series, 900 series). I just think they all sound cheap
-Sabian AA, vintage bright sound
-Sabian AAX, modern bright sound
-Sabian HH, vintage dark sound (HH stands for Hand Hammered)
-Sabina HHX, modern dark sound
-Sabian Paragon, bright (expensive)
-Sabian Vault (expensive)
-Sabian SR2, these are used floor samples of B20 cast. Can't typically find at music stores. It is kind of a grab bag
-Zildjian A, bright
-Zildjian A Custom, bright
-Zildjian fx, typically special effects cymbals
-Zildjian K, dark
-Zildjian K Custom, dark
-Zildjian K Constantinople, their top-of-the-line and most expensive cymbals
-Dream. A new player on the scene. Don't know much about them. Less available. Likely more expensive.

All manufacturers also have old models and series that aren't made any more (like Zildjian Simitar) and you run across them from time to time on the used market. A quick internet search will tell you what you are looking at (alloy & sheet/cast, etc).