cymbal cracking...they all do it...all the time. how do i stop it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter shackrock
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S

shackrock

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alright guys - ever single cymbal i've ever owned has cracked. even my expensive $250 cymbals.

i play hard, but thats how its gotta be at shows and such...to keep the energy in the songs.

my main "cracker" as you could call it is me hitting my crash's as a ride...and really hard. such an example would be a hardcore breakdown.


well my main point - what can i do to stop breaking these things...i will have no money to buy my new DAW if i keep having to rebuy cymbals!

and i do try to do all those non cracking techniques (dont hit a cymbal square on....try to brush it more) when i can....etc.

please somebody tell me! lol
i've heard of springs to put on that absorb the shock..is it worth it?
 
and i do try to do all those non cracking techniques (dont hit a cymbal square on....try to brush it more) when i can....etc


It's not when you can. It has to be all the time. I used to break every cymbal I owned until I did this all the time. Sorry, it's the answer.
 
Do you have your felts clamped down tight so the cymbals barely swing? That'll dramatically shorten the life of your cymbals. Get those top felts off of there, unless you have a cymbal stand that prevents you from clamping them down. One of my stands is this way, and it has a metal wing nut that I wouldn't want near my cymbal, so I keep the top felt on that one. But on the rest of them, it's a plastic deal with a shaft instead of a wing nut, so I take the top felt off and screw the plastic thingie all the way in. It leaves some space between the top of the cymbal and the plastic deal, and allows those cymbals to swing, like they were meant to.
 
Also make sure you have a sleeve protecting the cymbal hole. Yes, let em' swing. I'm a big believer of that too.
 
Stop hitting them!

Oh, wait, that's not an option.;)

Pay close attention to the edges. Keep 'em in a bag when you cart your stuff and don't let 'em get nicked on the edges. If you do discover a nick on the edge, polish it out. This won't eliminate cracking but it will reduce it. Any metal will eventually harden and crack when repeatedly flexed.

I remember back in the mid '80's when Paiste came out with their "Rude" cymbals. They were supposedly unbreakable. After my drummer went through 7 of 'em in 3 mos. they told him "sorry, no more free replacements".

If you play hard, which is the only way for rock IMHO, your gonna break 'em. It's the price you pay for tone.
 
I have the same problem man. Which cymbals are you using? Thicker is the answer. My cymbal of choice has always been Zildjian advedis. I bought a Zildjian Z custom about a year ago and that one can really take a beating. They also have a good "metal" sound. ;) Lemmie ask a question. How would hitting the cymbal different ways (besides not as hard) help not crack the cymbal? You're still hitting it.
 
The spring mounts really help. Our drummer broke cymbals regularly until he got some. You can look at the mounts and it's clear how much less stress the cymbals gonna be under since it doesn't slam up against the limits of travel against that hard center post.
 
i also recomend the zildian z series.....they are meant to get beat up. on another note......hitting harder doesn't equal more energy. You can get plenty of sound out of most of the zildian cymbals, or even other brands. Have you ever tried miking your set live? That way you can have more control over your sound and not break all your cymbals...

ss
 
an idea

The drummer I play with has the same problem as you Shackrock. Hes a zildjian player and hes broken almost every type they make, Z's, A's, A custom, K's. He finally just had to buy a complete set of cymbals that he only uses for gigs. When we practice and stuff he just plays on whatever he chooses from his cymbal graveyard. Broke cymbals aren't the greatest sounding things but it has definantly increased the life of the "whole" cymbals that he has. I guess if you play alot of gigs that solution won't really help though.
 
I swear this always kills me....

Look don't beat the thing and it won't break. I draw a parrallel to any other instrument. Does a brass player have to blow so hard his tounge comes out the bell? Does a keyboard player have stomp on the keys? A cymbal, just like a brass instrument or a keyboard, can only go SO loud. Once you get past that point is just BAD sound! Just like when a trombone player goes past what he or she can do with a good tone....it just sound spattered and BAD.

dc
 
i second that.....cymbals are not meant to be broken.....if you've breaking them for this long....and keep buying new ones....well you have to learn how to hit them. I've broken one splash before....and since then i've worked really hard on stick placement and crash motion. Just "smacking" the cymbal doesn't even produce the best sound...if you keep breaking your cymbals its your own fault...sorry to be so blunt but thats the way it is...
 
i second that......if you're still breaking your cymbals...it's your own fault....i can't count how many times i've seen drummer ask a saleguy ,"uh...i like to hit hard and my cymbals break.....what cymbal won't break?" and i almost feal like goin off on them but then i remmember my pills and rage control classes......it's ok i'll find a happy place...but anyways you should learn to hit the cymbal the RIGHT way to get the most out of them and longer life.....granted cymbals will break over time but they're meant to last years and years. learn to hit your cymbals right, theres no need to hit them that hard. Try stacking your broken cymbals together with others or all together, you might get a cool sound too
 
sorry guys didn't mean to post twice sometimes the site doesn't always submit my replies....
 
i DO know its my own fault i'm breaking them. but then again - for the music i play, you HAVE to play it like that.

if your playing the cymbal how it SHOULD be played, then you dont get the same feeling and emotion in your hardcore breakdowns. you just get a quiet cymbal in the backround. but if you beat the thing and get into it - as i do everytime...i cant help but to get really into it..lol - then it sounds a ton betteyr, and in the long run it'll break.
 
I'm tellin' ya'....get the spring mounts. They won't totally stop you from breaking cymbals but they will cut down on it. :)
 
That's right....if he knows what he's doin' all the appendages come into play. :D
 
The Killer
 

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