cymbals

[Apple]

I havent' played drums in a while. I've heard cheap cymbals. Don't want those. I had Zildjians. Any suggestions on what I should get? Paiste? Sabians seem cheap. Zildjians? How about their bargain lines? Its so hard to tell these days with major brand names putting their name on cheap stuff.

[elevate]

There really is no "better" cymbal. The better cymbal is the one that sounds better to you. Personally, I like Paiste and I also think they have the best bargain line with their Alpha series. You might want to look into Saluda cymbals. I haven't heard them and their logo is the lamest thing on the planet, but if they're claims are even remotely true then they've got the most cymbal for your dollar.

[Barometer]

Welcome Apple,

elevate is right, this is a rigged question. None are "better" than the others. I'm a Zildjian fan, but have Sabian and Paiste cymbals in the mix. Some advise against this, but I just go with the sound of the particular cymbal I want, not by brands and models. You obviously know about cheap cymbals, probably best to stay away from prepacks and low end models. But getting into the quality cymbals it's really a matter of taste (and budget). Go to the shop, try them out and compare them directly, and get the ones that suit you the best. My $.02

[vaughn]

there are so many incredible cymbal makers out there. sabian and zildjian get most of the business because of marketing, sponsorship and distribution with paiste close behind. Bosphorus, Spizzichino, UFIP, Meinl, Istanbul all make great cymbals. it's tough to find the "best" cymbals because they all make great stuff. just make sure they're made of B20 bronze and not that sheet bronze crap that ZBTs and B8s are made of and you do NOT want brass cymbals.

I play all sabian but that's my own preference, I love all of the above as well. Sabian makes some awesome cymbals but they make some crap too. Sabian Pro, B8, B8 Pro and ProSonix are crap. AA, AAX, HHX and Hand Hammered kick ass. I would say that sabian offers more crappy lines than zildjian but they've also come up with some very unique cymbals like the ozone crashes, rocktagons and V-FX's. IMHO the best cymbals made right now are the sabian HHX evolution series (IMHO remember).

peace~

[jitteringjim]

Originally posted by elevate
There really is no "better" cymbal. The better cymbal is the one that sounds better to you. Personally, I like Paiste and I also think they have the best bargain line with their Alpha series. You might want to look into Saluda cymbals. I haven't heard them and their logo is the lamest thing on the planet, but if they're claims are even remotely true then they've got the most cymbal for your dollar.

Damn elevate, don't go around talking about Saluda. I'm working on a deal with 'em.

I've tried two Saluda lines: the SS line, and the Mist line. Each has their place. It's odd. The SS sounds great when recorded in the studio, but not so good live. The Mist sounds awesome live, but I don't like the recorded sound. Go figure. I'm not sure if the Mist has been officially launched yet, I have one of the prototypes.

I'm not gonna get too much further into Saluda than that at this time.

Oh, but the SS line can be had for cheap - and it's on par with the big boy budget lines.

[Apple]

To everyone who replied thanks. Saved me a lot of time researching cymbals. I've made some hasty decisions, buying gear, and I've almost always regretted it. A lot of the information I've gleaned from this site has been great.