I have a 60's 24 inch? Too big?

cymbal weight is a hugely important factor but only after so many ducks are in a row. -----maker, metallurgy,diameter,bell conformation and size,bow arc or angle,series,clean or dirty(some use the term "patina"),era. Those are the principle concerns and then, there are a host of other subtle concerns. You've really got to play them to be clear-----targets based on criteria can only be a rough guideline.

There is also a big subjective factor. Your mood, altered by the ambience of the room, the stick, the felt, the company if any and , much much more.

I sell cymbals , I play cymbals and I collect cymbals. On hand right now , I have about 30 cymbals that I would consider rides 18-24". I played them all just now, briefly and an affection for about 5 was there for different reasons. I found myself thinking---- outside the preferred 5, I thought,oh yea, that one would work really well for such and such. If I listen to the same group tomorrow , I know that my impressions will shift.Probably , even my preferred 5 would change. Play them -don't chose from a check off list.

Outstanding advice from Calfskin.

If you can get yourself to a nice five star cymbal room ...

Check out the Meinl Byzance series. They are hammered in Turkey and are an amazing line of light cymbals. There are several subdivisions within the line, so be careful. I play light crash able rides, myself. My favorites from the Byzance series are the Light Jazz Ride and the Medium Thin Traditional Ride. They have a wonderful crash and a very nice woody tick and bell. Excellent cushion and tone.

They come thinner but they lose definition and tone at that point. They become just hissing crashes with no presence.

Good luck in your quest.

[QUOTE=RogerSling;167773]Outstanding advice from Calfskin.

If you can get yourself to a nice five star cymbal room ...

a lot of cymbal dealers have nice 5 star cymbal rooms.

Thanks for the input. The best cymbal I ever played was dirty and had Patina to the max. I cleaned it and lost THAT sound. I will never clean another cymbal as long as I live. Oh The cymbal was (and please dont laugh ) was a Ludwig Paiste Standard. The guys in the band thought it sounded fine,which is good enough for me.. I just bought a Zildjan 20" thin,2130 grams thin,that I hope does the trick. I have tried Dream cymbals to bright- Saluda Diamond .I play a Sabian XS medium that sounds OK.. The Zildjan PING cymbal sounds pretty good too. Thanks again for that input.Vati

nothing wrong with a ludwig paiste standard. some of them sound great. i'm trying buy one right now actually.

i too cleaned a really old one years ago and didnt like the sound. no more cleaning cymbals here either.

mike

Hey MME, if the one you got doesn't work I've got an early 70's zildjian A that weighs 2012g for sale here:

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=26603

Make me an offer.

I know these are "modern" cymbals, but you should check out these two:

1. Dream Bliss Paper Thin Crash/Ride (Available in 20" and 22". They are not specifically marked as Paper Thins; but Chris Fisher at Virtual Cymbals.com has them seperated as Paper Thin). I know you said you tried Dreams before. What series did you try? I can't say as I have heard anyone say that the Bliss series were too bright. Certainly the opposite is true with the Bliss line. Very thin and dark. I own both of these cymbals and they are AWESOME!!! A surprisingly good stick sound for as thin as they are; a nice dark and airy tone, and just a great, big swelling dark crash that doesn't hang around too long....just enough. Wobbles like crazy......it's almost mesmerising if you watch it while playing it! Great cymbals!

2. Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Thin Crash (20"). I know it's labeled as a crash, but it is an awesome thin/light ride. Has a real smoky sound and when you crash on it...................good heavens...............just an explosion of dark wash that's super dirty and dry...fades away just in the nick of time. I just picked one up and holy Lord I am in love with that thing! They also make them in 16" an 18" too.

Either/Both of these are certainly worth checking out!

I agree with RogerSling. Meinl Byzance series is great. The 20" Extra Thin Jazz Ride has a magnificent, big, trashy crash, but not much stick definition. Try looking at 22" K Light Rides. I had to play with a few before I found one with enough weight to have a well-defined stick sound. That extra weight makes crashes just a little clangy, but real low and dark. I play it at church doing praise & worship and with my blues/rock band.

By the way, I have a basically brand new 19" K Dark Thin Crash Ride I'm looking to sell for $250 shipped (paid $305+tax less than 6 weeks ago), or trade. It's just too dry for my taste/music style.