used cymbals

Wish

Wish

Never Sarcastic....Honest
I want to upgrade my cymbals....My priorities are a good ride and a 16" crash to start. A 14" crash would be next in line. I currently have Zildjian ZBT's.

I want to find something on craigslist. I don't need anything real high end, but I'm sure I can find something better than the zbt's for not much.

I would like to stay under $300 for both cymbals if possible. (Ride and 16" crash)....probably $400 max.

What do you guys recommend I look for in that price range?

TIA.

Wish
 
Cymbals are so personal, that it's pointless asking what anyone else uses. You might like the sound of someone's cymbal on record, but then that's processed, so when you buy that same cymbal, it doesn't sound like the record. And then it has to fit the music you're playing. But there are general rules-of-thumb, so you can always make a decent guesstimate about what you want.
I miss Todd and the Cymbal Cellar. He had a helluva lot of cymbals, and he took time to record them and post sound clips. No other web site I can find does that.
I believe (but I could be wrong) the ZBT's were basically a B8 cymbal. I once had a Sabian B8 ride that I gave to my son, and it actually sounded pretty decent. Very 'rock' if that makes sense. Not subtle, and the bell had a 'ping' that cut. And I also believe Carmine Appice said he likes a Sabian B8 splash more than other expensive splashes. So don't completely count out B8, especially on a budget. And the Paiste 2002 line didn't do too badly. But you sound determined that you want a step up from the B8 if you can afford it.
The B12 cymbals are decent. That's the ZHT series. That should be 'better' for you. Just keep looking in music stores for used cymbals, try pawn shops, your local craigslist, anything. Try to find Paiste 2002. Try the Meinl Soundcaster series. Take what you find, and resell it if it really makes you cringe. Does Sabian have a B12 line?
Crashes are a can of worms. Size determines the pitch, but so does weight. Hmmm. Try Dream or Wuhan S Series. Those should be cheap enough, and the rest can go to a 'good' ride, possibly even a B20. Try a Sabian XS20 or a Wuhan New Traditional. The cheapest B20's I know, because they aren't hammered.
 
ZBT's are worse than B8's, IMO. In fact, IMO, Zildjian's beginner lines are pretty terrible all around, Sabian's is not bad, but Paiste has the best (although they are slightly more expensive).

For a minor upgrade to the semi-pro realm, yeah, Wuhan is good, and I heard Dream was great as well, but have never played one personally. Sabian's XS20 series, if its still around, is good (as well as Pro-Sonix, or am I mixing someone up?). Haven't heard much of the ZHT's, but I'm negatively biased toward them given how fantastic the ZBT and ZXT were :rolleyes: (I actually love Zildjian's pro lines, the Avedis and K cymbals are probably some of the best of all time, don't get me wrong).

Again, its all up to you.
 
Since you are in the Phoenix area (a large city), I've found that used cymbals are plentiful and usually pretty cheap with a few years on them. If you look on Craigslist and ask in drum shops for used cymbals, you can sometimes find some great deals. I got a 17" A Zildjian crash (vintage 1980 ish) In an Orlando drum shop for $50, and got a 22" Zildjian Medium ride for $70 (also made around 1980) used from a bulletin board type publication. Shop around and you could get a lot for $300, maybe less! A;; the major cymbal makers have good stuff, just always try it first. :)

Also, buying used allows you to get better stuff than you could afford new. I have a set of Paiste Signature Medium hats that sell for $400 new, but got through eBay for $125. Didn't get to try them, though. But it paid off. They sound great. That's one thing I have found about Paistes: they are made very consistently and a certain model pretty much sounds the same if you have several of the same model together. The other manufacturers could make ten of the same crash cymbal, and they all sound a little different from each other. YMMV

Good luck.

Doug
 
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Seafroggys said:
ZBT's are worse than B8's, IMO. In fact, IMO, Zildjian's beginner lines are pretty terrible all around, Sabian's is not bad, but Paiste has the best (although they are slightly more expensive).

For a minor upgrade to the semi-pro realm, yeah, Wuhan is good, and I heard Dream was great as well, but have never played one personally. Sabian's XS20 series, if its still around, is good (as well as Pro-Sonix, or am I mixing someone up?). Haven't heard much of the ZHT's, but I'm negatively biased toward them given how fantastic the ZBT and ZXT were :rolleyes: (I actually love Zildjian's pro lines, the Avedis and K cymbals are probably some of the best of all time, don't get me wrong).

Again, its all up to you.
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B8's and Paiste beginner lines are pretty horrible also. If you are looking to upgrade, don't settle for another student grade piece of junk that will sound like trash metal on recordings (unless you're looking for a trash metal sound). Here in New York, some of the specialty drum shops have a selection of used cymbals that you can try out before you buy and you can get some real good cymbals if you take time and keep checking in.
I personally prefer Zildjian "A's" and Custom "A's" for the type of music I play, but for different jobs and recordings, I have picked up a whole bunch of other cymbals including "Z's" and "K's" which are great for heavier rock music. I may get some cymbals for a project and then afterwards, I may sell them off because I really won't be using them that much and I'd rather get some money back. I consign them to Long Island Drum Center here by me and they usually sell fairly quickly because they are in great shape and cared for. There must be a place similar to that by you and lots of pros might move some of their cymbals to earn money or to trade for something more to their taste. Whatever, you can find a good instrument that may be perfect for you that wasn't liked by the original owner. You won't get them for pennies, but it will be a substantial saving over buying new.

I have a few Wuhan cymbals that I use for certain voices on my kit. They are okay as an occasional alternate, but they have their own sound which I wouldn't want for my basic cymbal collection. I have certain cymbals that are always on my kit and those I will never sell. Wuhans are good here and there, but they're not good for everything. Stick with pro grade cymbals made by one of the better companies like Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, Bosphorous or Istanbul and you'll get a much better instrument. Then the big job is selecting ones that sound the way you want them to. Buying on-line is a crap shoot. You can get lucky, but you can also be real unhappy about it.
 
Well yeah may as well save up for the good cymbals, no doubt about that. Although to correct one of your statements, K's aren't really for heavy music (although they can be), but Z's are....K's are more for jazz. Not to say you can't use Z's in jazz and K's for death metal, but yeah.

I love Zildjian A and K's (not Customs, but the regulars), Sabian AA, Paiste 2002 and Signatures, any turkish made cymbal (like Istanbul Agops, Amedias, et. al.).

But for a budget, yeah, the recommendations I made can sound decent.

Btw, when I said Paiste beginners and B8's sounded better than Zildjian's offerings, I didn't mean they sounded good. Just slightly better than shit.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations guys. I will be monitoring craigslist to see what pops up.
 
Just don't buy something from a heavy metal dude who lives where it gets really cold...

(And if you're a drummer and don't know why, you're not a drummer, you're just somebody who bangs on drums)
 
Hey, bdenton reminds me of another point in buying used cymbals: Inspect them carefully and look for cracks and warpage. Some cracks go right along the lathing grooves, which makes them hard to see. Also, you should put the cymbal on a surface you know is flat, like a glass top table or glass sales counter. Make sure the edge makes contact with the surface all the way around. If it's just slightly warped and the sound isn't affected badly, make a lower offer. I've bought a lot of used cymbals in the last 37 years, and you have to keep a sharp eye, and ear!

Doug
 
DrumnDad said:
Hey, bdenton reminds me of another point in buying used cymbals: Inspect them carefully and look for cracks and warpage. Some cracks go right along the lathing grooves, which makes them hard to see. Also, you should put the cymbal on a surface you know is flat, like a glass top table or glass sales counter. Make sure the edge makes contact with the surface all the way around. If it's just slightly warped and the sound isn't affected badly, make a lower offer. I've bought a lot of used cymbals in the last 37 years, and you have to keep a sharp eye, and ear!

Doug
Click to expand...

Good tips. Thanks!
 
Well, after a couple of months, shopping on craigslist...this is what I ended up with:

All Zildjian
16" A Custom Fast Crash
16" A Custom crash
18" A Rock Crash
20" A Custom Medium Ride

I bought a couple of extra cymbals that I wasn't looking for in my original post, so I didn't hit my original budget!

:rolleyes:

Anyways...I'm in for slightly under 600 bucks for all of them, and I'm pretty happy with them so far...not sure if I'm in love with the ride, but it's a definite step up from where I was, so it's good for now.

Thanks for all the advice!
 

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