[COLOR="DarkRed"]Agreed...if ever in doubt...old A's are so ubiquitous...and providing you don't end up with one as heavy as a boat anchor...they will always do a good job and really, for the $, are a great deal.

drumdad...if your BEATERS are old 505's ???...hehehehehe...that's NOT too shabby !

big daddy...I sorta disagree with you on those Dreams...everyone initially went ga-ga on em when they came out...but methinks folks have cooled a bit. They sorta sound vintage-ish-turkish-ish, on one level...but after listening and playing 'em for a bit, a lotta cats 'round these parts came to the same conclusion I did : they are a mile wide and a quarter inch deep. Regardless of the more "western" spec used in their design, they are still, all in all, chinese cymbals made from asian alloys by chinese cymbalmakers. True, you could buy 2 Dreams for the price of one Istanbul or Masterwork...but....

I mean, you could say that they cost about the same and are certainly better than the big 3 + UFIP's lower line cymbals...can't argue that. But that is where I'd stop.

Beatnik...a lotta good points. And yes, you can get sniped on eFlay....for the BIG names. But consider it an "opportunity as opposed to a setback"...

If you like doing some investigation, there are TONS of great cymbals out there which are not of the BIG 3-1/2. Meinl makes some nice ones, very nice. Soundcasters, Amuns, Byzances, Candelas. Then all of those UFIP stencil brands from the '60's-70's. Those go for a steal...but you gotta bone up on 'em. Sabian AA's...the ones with the ink logos worn off...those are GREAT nabs, too because if folks don't see the model name on Sabians, they stay away (but all you need do is look at the hammering/lathing to determine what it is). Paiste's less-popular lines...they can be a very good take. 505's, 404's, 802's, etc. Not top pro/master cymbals, but good sounding ones for the $$. Just saw today, a 21" Alpha Groove Ride go for $90 incl. shipping (cost of a new ZBT or Sabian B8 18" retail shop). I ran across one a few weeks ago locally...that is a SWEET SWEET B8 ride cymbal...perfectly balanced (not something one would necessarily assume from the Alpha line).

I am digressing bigtime....but the point is, for the reasons a lotta folks have mentioned above...used cymbals give so much greater a value than what most mfr's are offering new these days.[/COLOR]

As for cymbals cracking, it's really no surprise that they do sometimes crack if you look at what happens to them [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20vIX7ceDdw&feature=channel_page]in this video.[/ame]

Here's what happened to all my late model sabian HHX seires crash cymbal. What I get for leaving them down at our Jam Room and letting everyone play them. What do I do with all these? Makke spalsh's or what?

They can be cut down or some of the cracks can even be cut out (curvilinear pattern to take out the crack and the area approximately 1" to either side of crack). They will still be playable, or sell them cheap to a beginner for $20 on Craigslist.

**Here's the post I thought I sent - Evidently my computer decided to NOT send it for whatever reason **

Great vid!! Saw it on TV a few months back and was just as amazed as Mike was when I saw the snare and cymbal hits slowed down.

Jaye - Is Turkish-ish a real word? - LOL!!! I never meant to imply that the Dream cymbals are a direct replacement for the old K's of yore. If they were, they would be selling for a lot more $$$ I think. What I like about them, apart from their sound, is the fact that you can buy a true handmade/hand hammered cymbal without having to mortgage your house.

If by "a mile wide and a quarter inch deep", you imply that the cymbals have no depth or are a one trick pony, then I have to strongly disagree there. One of the first things I noticed about my Bliss ride was the variety of different sounds you can get from it. Just moving your stick an inch up or down, or side to side on the bow gives you wide variety of differing colors. I can't get that from my vintage 22" A. Zildjian ride - It has a very narrow sweet spot compared to the Dream.

We can agree to disagree on this one I guess :)

Back to the topic at hand, like I said before, technique and the proper selection of cymbals which compliment your playing style are the important factors here.

p.s. Nice pics of the victims! :)

Poppy....hang 'em on the wall for future potential violators! Put pictures under them showing the shamed perpetrators.

Thats a killer Idea Daddio!

Heres my sign:

Sabian HHX Evolution 16" Crash Cymbal $259.00 X2 = $518.00

Sabian HHX Evolution 18" Crash Cymbol $305.00

Sabian Hand Hammered 16" Thin crash $ 259.00

TOTAL $1082.00

The look on your face when

all my drums are gone! PRICELESS!!!!!!

*All prices from musiciansfriend.com

Think that would get thier attention?

LOL Thanks daddio!

LOL, good one Poppy.

One quick thing....I thought Sabian had a 1 year warranty on breakage...yes/no? Can you take advantage of that?

I thought they had a 2 yr wareentee, but it dont matter I bought these at a pawn shop 3 yrs ago or so. I use musicians friend as a reference when I buy cymbals at pawn shops and it makes for a wonderful bargaininbg tool in case they are way over priced. I am going to look at some gretsch drums tomorrow that come with zildjian and paiste cymbals and hardware asking $400. Mybe ill get lucky and the cymbals wont be ZBT or B8

Thanks,

Poppy

Man, that video is CRAZY!!!

To the original poster: $600 for the kit and cymbals isn't THAT good of a deal, in my opinion. You should be looking for cymbals (or hats) at around the $100 mark. If you can sell the kit for $250 by itself and the cheap cymbals for roughly $50, that might be worth it in the end. Who knows if it will actually sell for that, though.

One of my good scores was getting a pair of 70s As, with a stand, for $60 at a pawn shop. The hats were two new beat tops. I sold the stand for $35. A couple of months later, I found a pair of 70s new beat bottoms at another pawn shop for $50. I talked them down to $40. I sold one pair for $120 and kept the other.