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"Guilty Pleasure" Cymbals

Posts: 1685 Threads: 529

Greetings,

I'm sure a lot of us have that one (or two or three...) cymbal that is a beginner/budget/off brand, that we really like.....even if we wouldn't necessarily admit it.

What are your "guilty pleasure" cymbals that you enjoy? I'll start:

1A. I have a Sabian Solar 18" Crash/Ride that I got with a used kit. This was Sabain's lowest, budget entry and was 100% brass. It has heavy rusting on it and I expected to make fun of it and laugh at how bad it sounded. I love it! Brass is pretty mellow and controlled compared to B8/B20 alloy as it is, but all the rust made it even more controlled. It's super dry and very crashable, all without the annoying "hiss" or "zing" overtones of a lower quality cymbal. I think it's because of the rust.

1B. A Paiste 200 20" Ride. See above.

1C. A original issue 100% brass Zildjian Scimitar ride. These were fairly heavy, and with all the rust, it has completely mellowed it out. Very defined and pingy with a great bell, but also very controlled and crashable and it decays ultra quick. It sounds identical to an original issue K. Custom Ride I used to have, but with less complexity. Those K Custom rides when they first came out in the late 80's were thinner and more crashable, yet still dry and pingy. My Scimitar is a near exact replica of the old K. Custom ride I used to own.

2. I obtained two 14" Zildjian ZBT crash cymbals over the span of a few months with used kit purchases. They sounded terrible as crashes. Just for the heck of it, I tried them as a set of hi-hats and was amazed. Very light and "scoopy/swishy", but without the annoying "zing" that B8 cymbals usually produce.

How about you?

Posted on 6 years ago
#1
Posts: 5550 Threads: 576

Sorry ever since I went into the cymbal vault at Biascos in Chicago1967 when I was a kid and was picking my pies out for my new Hollywood kit in pink champagne , Zildjian were the pies of choice , I just wish I knew the difference between A’s USA , &instanbuls at the time they were the same choice , as part of my kit young and stupid

Gary

April 2nd 1969 scarfed pink champagne holly wood and 65/66 downbeat snare, and , supra same year very minty kit old pies
66/67 downbeat with canister
Super 400 small round knob
1967 super classic obp





once the brass ceases to glitter, and the drum looses its luster, and the stage remains dark, all you have left is the timbre of family.
Posted on 6 years ago
#2
Posts: 525 Threads: 37

Zildjian Pitch Black 22"ride .

Heavy dry ping made for cutting through loud amps.

Basically a Paiste Signature Series Blue Bell Ride Cymbal at a dirt cheap price.

I got mine used for $59 bucks at GC.

Posted on 6 years ago
#3
Posts: 92 Threads: 5

I have a 20" LP Rancan china cymbal that I've had since the 80's. It's big, ugly, and trashy.

Posted on 6 years ago
#4
Posts: 1040 Threads: 106

NS12 Amati 20" ride. It's pretty thin and all bent and dented. Very trashy and dry, quick decay and thunderous crash. To my ears it's as good a jazz ride as most of the Ks I heard.

Sysl krysu nenahradi!

-196?-72 6ply White Oyster Amati
-1960s 3ply Red Sparkle Amati
- Zildjian, Paiste, Zyn, Istanbul

http://bandzone.cz/blueswan
Posted on 6 years ago
#5
Posts: 6170 Threads: 255

I've got a 24" Roxy that is NS12. Made in Germany. Man what a great a cymbal. Have a few other candidates for this topic. That's the first one that comes to mind though.

Posted on 6 years ago
#6
Posts: 345 Threads: 47

My latest guilty pleasure is a set of Vader Rainbow hi hats. I picked them up for $30 mainly because they were red to match the red Evans heads on my goofy black North kit. The deal made with my daughters was that they would let me leave the North kit set up on “their” side of the basement as long as it matched the school colors in their cheerleading room. To be truthful, the whole kit is a guilty pleasure, but those West German Vader Hats really are good sounding, maybe the red stuff on them acts like the rust others have attributed mojo to?

Stop stringing and tuning your instrument, make music now.
-fortune cookie

Vintage Drums:
1970ish Ludwig Standard Avocado Strata downbeat
1970ish Star Acrylic 22,12,13,16
1950’s Gretsch tympani 26.5
19?? Sonor roto-tympani 13x12
70’s Ludwig Standard alum 14x5 snare
90’s Arbiter Adv. Tuning 12x5 snare
90’s Ludwig blackrolite 14x5 snare

Modern Drums:
Erie Drums 1-ply sycamore shell kit 18,10,13
Erie 1-ply maple 14x5 snare
Tama S.L.P. Acrylic 14x6.5 snare
Posted on 6 years ago
#7
Posts: 1322 Threads: 22

From vyacheslav

Greetings,I'm sure a lot of us have that one (or two or three...) cymbal that is a beginner/budget/off brand, that we really like.....even if we wouldn't necessarily admit it.What are your "guilty pleasure" cymbals that you enjoy? I'll start:1A. I have a Sabian Solar 18" Crash/Ride that I got with a used kit. This was Sabain's lowest, budget entry and was 100% brass. It has heavy rusting on it and I expected to make fun of it and laugh at how bad it sounded. I love it! Brass is pretty mellow and controlled compared to B8/B20 alloy as it is, but all the rust made it even more controlled. It's super dry and very crashable, all without the annoying "hiss" or "zing" overtones of a lower quality cymbal. I think it's because of the rust.1B. A Paiste 200 20" Ride. See above.1C. A original issue 100% brass Zildjian Scimitar ride. These were fairly heavy, and with all the rust, it has completely mellowed it out. Very defined and pingy with a great bell, but also very controlled and crashable and it decays ultra quick. It sounds identical to an original issue K. Custom Ride I used to have, but with less complexity. Those K Custom rides when they first came out in the late 80's were thinner and more crashable, yet still dry and pingy. My Scimitar is a near exact replica of the old K. Custom ride I used to own.2. I obtained two 14" Zildjian ZBT crash cymbals over the span of a few months with used kit purchases. They sounded terrible as crashes. Just for the heck of it, I tried them as a set of hi-hats and was amazed. Very light and "scoopy/swishy", but without the annoying "zing" that B8 cymbals usually produce.How about you?

I've never heard a inexpensive beginner/student cymbal worth keeping for the type of music we play which is jazz and bebop. I bought my son a set of ZBTs back in the day when I bought him his first set of drums around 20 years ago but once he developed an ear for jazz cymbals and outgrew them we sold them to a friend of his. The only "off brand" cymbals we have ever owned, and still own, is a great sounding pair of 60's or 70's Zanchi B20 thin hats with beautiful hammering, but I would hardly call them beginner/budget.

Mark
BosLover
Posted on 6 years ago
#8
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