Cheap, decent cymbals for a non-drummer?

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RFrecordings

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HURRRR's the deal...

I'm not really a drummer, I mean I can keep a few simple beats, but I'm much more of a guitarist. The only reason I 'semi' picked up drums is because I bought a small beginner set from a friend for only $60. It came with one ride cymbal and a crash that I stupidly gave to a friend because I didn't really play the drums at all at that point.

Regardless... I just started playing more of the drums due to the fact that I have my own little home studio now. I want to play a little more of them, but the problem lies in the fact that I only have a crappy 20" ride.

I'm looking for a set of cymbals that I'd be able to buy off eBay for cheap. Preferably something like 2 crashes and a ride (or even just one of each). I really like the sound of the Paiste Fast and Power Crashes (especially the fast crash), So something along those lines would be awesome. I'm really looking to spend under $200, and I know that limits my options greatly, but like I said, I'm not REALLY a good drummer, I just want some kind of cymbals that will get the job done.

Thanks in advance
 
Go used, check Craigslist too. Resale value on cymbols is crap, because they are a consumable product, kind of like buying used bass strings. You could get nice cymbols with some stickmarks and tarnish for well under $100 each. How long they last is... variable.
 
zildjian zbts. I know they're cheap and not good but they get the job done and sound good in my joe meek overheads.
 
sabian b8's Sound better than pro sonix and they are cheaper
 
ZBT cymbals sound like crap recorded, but they are great for any begineer drummer in practice and for live use.
 
I beg to disagree...

ZBT's Sound really good recorded in my opinion, I currently have a rig with them on. They sound really good, If mine are a special pair or what i dont know but yeh,

My advice, get Zildjian ZBT's - Cheap, Good Sounding, COme in a set for around £100+ pounds new.

Farmer
 
ZBT's...

Skip the ZBT's. They are terrible to record with. THe ZHT's or used zildjians would be good. I own ALOT (around 50) of cymbals and they are the ones I would use for inexpensive cymbals.
 
i have owned both zbt and b8 cymbals at one point. the b8's are a little heavier and more durable. for some reason, after about a month of playing, the zbt's go flat. cleaning them does not improve the sound.
 
Check out Stagg. Only their higher quality products such as their furia and DH series though. The SH, regular, etc are pretty awful and cheap sounding, but will be alright for a beginner. Cheeck out a review here.
 
Go B8 if you want something cheap. They sound pretty good for what they are and last forever.
 
Levinin said:
Go B8 if you want something cheap. They sound pretty good for what they are and last forever.
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Yea I checked out sound samples on the Sabian site and really liked what I was hearing. I could go ZHT later on when I had more money (for a new stand as well). I think I'm going to go with a Sabian B8 16" thin crash for now.
 
Paiste 502 series aren't bad either. Do they still make those (it's been a while since I was shopping for inexpensive cymbals)?
 
"Good cheap cymbals" is an oxymoron.

For decent midrange cymbals, look at the Sabian XS20 metals. Let 'em break in, too. You'll pay more, but they sound like cymbals. Real cymbals.
 
RFrecordings said:
Yea I checked out sound samples on the Sabian site and really liked what I was hearing. I could go ZHT later on when I had more money (for a new stand as well). I think I'm going to go with a Sabian B8 16" thin crash for now.
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Dont buy cymbals off the internet. each cymbal sounds completely differnt.
 
breeeeza said:
Dont buy cymbals off the internet. each cymbal sounds completely differnt.
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True, except for machine made cymbals like the B8 and zbts, what you hear at your local music store is what you are going to get off the internet.
 
mitosis said:
True, except for machine made cymbals like the B8 and zbts, what you hear at your local music store is what you are going to get off the internet.
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No. at my local drum shop i checked ut 5 differnt 18" ZBT crashes and each one is differnt sounding.
 
breeeeza said:
No. at my local drum shop i checked ut 5 differnt 18" ZBT crashes and each one is differnt sounding.
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I'm pretty sure I won't be getting ZBTs so I'm not worrying about it. I plan on getting a 16" thin crash (sabian B8), since I know what I'll be getting (machine made), and I really like the sound of it. Plus it's cheap on ebay, so money won't really be a problem. Thanks to everyone who helped.
 
RFrecordings said:
I'm pretty sure I won't be getting ZBTs so I'm not worrying about it. I plan on getting a 16" thin crash (sabian B8), since I know what I'll be getting (machine made), and I really like the sound of it. Plus it's cheap on ebay, so money won't really be a problem. Thanks to everyone who helped.
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bit dodgy. if it breaks (cause its thin) you wont be able to get it back on warranty because of buying it of ebay..
 
funkydrummer said:
i have owned both zbt and b8 cymbals at one point. the b8's are a little heavier and more durable. for some reason, after about a month of playing, the zbt's go flat. cleaning them does not improve the sound.
Click to expand...


I'll tell you what's funny, Sabian has relabeled the B8 line several times. Back in the mid-80's, the original B8 line looked and sounded identical to Zildjian A's. They were super cheap, because the Canadian Dollar was evidently super weak against the American Dollar, so if you played Sabian you could get a top of the line Cymbal for bottom of the line price.


Sabian made a hi-hat called the Fusion hat - it was a Leopard bottom (thickest bottom cymbal you'll ever see) with an A type of top, and man were those suckers crisp sounding. I used the 13" pair on a DW remote hi-hat
and they were killer sounding, and worked well with my 14" Zildjian's (Whatever has that flat plate - I'm wanting to say it's the New beat series, butit might be Quick beat). I used to rent some of my cymbals out for recording at one of the local studios - I had a set that was hand-matched at the factory, and when somebody broke my favorite crash, I ordered an 18" Paiste 3000 Crash on a whim (Thank you to Veneman's Music Emporium for having them on sale!) and out of sheer luck it sounded EXACTLY like the Zildjian that had been broken - and that was when I made the transition to Paiste.




Tim
 
I got my first few cymbals at a pawn shop, and the price absolutely cannot be beaten. In fact, my ride cymbal (22" Zildjian A medium ride ) that I bought for $60 over 10 years ago is the only original cymbal left in my kit--I have no need to replace it. For years, I'd go into that pawn shop every month or so to check out what they had. Since the inventory constantly changes, I managed to find a pretty good assortment of top quality cymbals and hardware for cheap cheap cheap!!! Hell, I'm tempted to head down there for the first time in ages right now...
 
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