I had an entire set of Z customs, they where great sounding, but not as loud as I had hoped, the 20" medium rude will knock down planes, also you may consider 20" medium rides and 22" medium rides as crashes! LOUD LOUD LOUD! also the Rude in a 20" medium will have you all smiles!

I agree. I would stay away from Zildjian if you want volume and projection. They really don't cut through loud rock without a boost. I have found that Paiste is the way if you're wanting "loudness". I would lean towards the thicker 2002, Rude, and even some of the used discontinued lines. But, stay away from the Signature alloy. It's not as 'tough' as the other and will crack on you if you slam them. They are made for a more musical approach to the drums and as such were not engineered for "violence" ; )

I stopped hitting aggressively hard years ago (after I broke a Signature crash) and I added cymbal springs to my setup. I still strike them with a bit of force, but without the aggression. At that level, I liked a mix of the 2002 and Sound Formula lines. I've always mixed cymbal brands, though. 18 inches is a small crash for loud rock. I always had a couple of 20 inch crashes as mains. Hope this helps.

I figured I might chime in....

I listened to your music on your bands website....very good rock!

I used to play the Z's and know a bunch of heavy rock drummers who play them nightly. I think the trick is to GO BIGGER! 17" and 19" are IMO not big cymbals. Hell for the Pat Travers gig I was using a 22" 2002 Crash!

I would try some 20+" crashes.

Have you ever looked at the Paiste 2002 WILD CRASHES? They are the perfect blend between the power and volume of a RUDE with the musicality and tone of the 2002. They also make them BIG. I'm currently using a set of 14" hats, and I love them. That's something to be said for me cause I'm a 15" or 16" HH kinda guy!

GO BIGGER!!!!!!

THANKS GUYS.......

One more question.......are crash rides a better choice than a staight crash? I would think its the best of both worlds........but welcome feedback....

on the 2002 note, this may sound crazy, but after trail and error, one of my best crashes is a 2002 16" med. I actually bought a regular crash and a power crash that I didn't care for, but the med was just right.....what do you guys like on mega bell rides? I have to get one, I heard the Z mega bell can kill people, all though the rude makes a 24" eclipse that looks awseome also, too many choices, to little time and less money.

Well, I haven't heard any of the newer Z3's but my set has a mix of older Z Custom Rock crashes and A Rock Brilliant Rock crashes all in 19" sizes. The Z mega-bell does kill. I have never had any problems cutting through ANY band or situation I've played with. In fact, years ago during sound check at an outdoor festival of around 2000 people, the promoter of the show actually told me, "Don't hit those drums so hard!" So I obliged and hit harder after the band leader told me to. Afterall, isn't that what the FOH soundman is there for? Many of my club gigs I had to actually play my cymbals softer as they were too much for the club/PA... go figure.

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I've lived in apartments that were smaller than that drum set! LOL! WOW!Party

I've always said if times get tough, I'm gonna put siding on that sucker and live in it... PartyParty