I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for. Like most things, personal preferences make a big difference.

I have/play a Ludwig 1124 Spur-lok hit-hat stand with Ludwig Standard Paiste 14” cymbals (760 & 770 gr) with ching-ring on top. All original from the sixties and I am the original owner.

Sounds like you want some thin, dark hi-hats for "warm" sound. I have seen lots of guys pairing up 16" crashes for hi-hats and that works pretty wel for them. I believe they generally stay with thinner crashes with possibly a medium on the bottom. I would suggest heading out to a reputable music store that will let you try out a few items in their practice room. All manufacturers have some form of dark cymbal line and I bet that is what you want. It won't work so well for your Avenged Sevenfold covers, but if you are keeping time, dark hats are very cool. .

By the way, if you don't buy any hats from them then buy something from them to make it worth their effort. No one wants to be Best Buy anymore. (you know, Best Buy is just a showroom for Amazon...not a great business model)

Good luck!

Dream Bliss Series Hi-Hats would be the way to go. Thin, dark and warm.

**Shameless Self Promotion**

I have a nice warm, dark 14" pair on ebay right now. Very similar to Dream Bliss, but a bit thicker and ballsier. For a forum member, I would end the auction early and give you a mutually agreed upon fair price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181105080647?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1586.l2649

Thanks,

V

I`ll throw a thought at ya,..

...Try some old MIJ hats, I have a pair of 13" that say MIJ only on the bottom extereme edge. Don`t know who or made them or what they`re made of but I got no complaints. They sound horrible open, but tilted and closed they sound good !i

I'm using Dream "Contact" series right now. They sound good, but I'm playing in a "softer" kind of Jackson Browne/Ryan Adams influenced band and I'd like to get a warmer sound. Has anyone heard of someone pairing up the Bosphorous "Vintage" Thin and Paper thin crashes together? It'll be a little pricey, but I think that's what i'm leaning towards.

You might even want to consider some Paiste 404s. They tend to be thinner and therefore 'softer' and warmer. Perhaps even some 15s.

John

Just curious, are any manufacturers offering 16" hi-hat pairs yet?

If you love the sound of the Vintage Jazz and R&B hi-hats just as I do, you might like a set of 1960s pre-serial number Paiste 602s that run aprox. $200. to 300.00 per set. I have a 14" pair of 602s @ 764g./885g. as my primary and a remote set of 13" Trans Stamp Zildjian hats that are also in the thin range at 544g./670g. There are plenty of examples on Youtube of both. Any of the light, thin Zildjian Avedis USA hi-hats made from the 1920s through the 1960s might be very close to the sound you are looking for.

You might want to try the Dream Bliss series first. The Bliss are thinner, and therefore softer and warmer than the Contacts. It would be cheaper than the Bosphrous route, too. I've always felt that the Bliss cymbals were always naturally "softer" than other cymbals, almost like they had already been broken in and played on for years before you buy them.

It's all up to you of course, but I would try some Bliss 15" hats. Doesn't get much darker, warmer and buttery than that!