Hi-hat purchasing advice

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I'm contemplating upgrading my hi-hats. Currently, my kit has a mixture of various cymbals, but the majority of them are Pulse 357s (custom made for Musician's Friend with the Paiste M63 brass alloy). They've been described as being basically the same as the Paiste 302 series, so that should give you a fairly good idea of the sound I'm getting now.

For the most part, I like the sound of these cymbals. The crashes have a nice, meaty sound, which is what I'm looking for in a crash, and the ride has a reasonable tone. The 14" hats, though, are too meaty, too trashy, too... whatever.

Anyway, I'm looking for something brighter, with more sizzle, less meat to the sound. I'm considering the Zildjian Titaniums (probably rock, though I'd be interested in opinions on the solids as well), but I thought I'd ask folks for their opinions before jumping off the deep end. :D

Thoughts on the Titanium series? Are there others that you think would be a better fit?

[Edit: Yes, I know that most folks think the Titanium crashes suck. I've heard mostly good reviews of the hats, though....]

[Edit 2: Okay, a couple of folks on here hate the Titanium hats, too. So what do folks think I should consider?]
 
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i havent tried them personally
but i have tried various zildjian hats (K custom Dark, Z Mastersound, A Newbeat)

Basically all the higher end zildjians will do good. I mean the pulse hats sound like shit because they are...cheap

you get what you paid for.

i hope it helped man.
 
Your best bet is to find a shop where you can try out hats from the "big 3". To me hi-hats are one of the most personal things on a drumset (second only to the snare), and it is often hard to judge what people wan't when simply describing the sound they hear in there head as as "brighter, with less meat".

That said, I'll give you some I think you might like.

Paiste 2002 Heavy Hats (or even older 2000/3000 series-My primary hats are 14" 2000-Heavy's, love 'em).

Sabian AA Metal-X Hats (Hi-Hat equivilent of a buzzsaw).

Sabian AAX Fast Hats (Very crisp, little body, really good for fast busy playing with the hats closed but not tight (i.e. using a drop clutch)).

Sabian HH Hats (A lot like the AA's but with more warmth).

Zildjian K Custom Dark Hats (Name is miss-leading, these actually have a pretty bright tone. The K's have always been what I have turned to when I need something less aggressive than the Paistes).
 
Atterion said:
Zildjian K Custom Dark Hats (Name is miss-leading, these actually have a pretty bright tone. The K's have always been what I have turned to when I need something less aggressive than the Paistes).
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K's rule for recording purposes along with quick beat hats, I also have a set of A custom 13" projection hats that'll decapitate you at 30 paces

But I'd seriously love to get a set of Paiste Signature series hats, I borrowed a set for a while & man they do everything beautifully
 
yeah the signature paistes are amazing

paiste is unreliable for support though.
my drummer has top of the line paiste's.
I think it was an 18 Signature Crash he broke. He called up Paiste for a replacement because it wasn't even 30 days old. They said they couldn't replace it.

Zildjians however do so.
 
systmovadown said:
yeah the signature paistes are amazing

paiste is unreliable for support though.
my drummer has top of the line paiste's.
I think it was an 18 Signature Crash he broke. He called up Paiste for a replacement because it wasn't even 30 days old. They said they couldn't replace it.

Zildjians however do so.
Click to expand...

That's not "unreliable" support, it's simply a different policy.
As far as I know, Paiste only replaces it if there are defects in it (evidently, they can tell depending upon how the cymbal breaks). Just because you buy something new doesn't mean the manufacturer is going to replace it if it gets broken. I 've played Paiste for close to 20 years and haven't broken a single one of them - and I use a stick that is bigger than a 2S marching stick (Jeff Queen Signature stick from Vic Firth.)

Drum Workshop didn't replace my kick pedal when I snapped the pedalboard in half.


Tim
 
Do yourself a favor. If you're going to upgrade, treat yourself and be patient. Save your money up a little while longer until you have enough for a real pro set of hats. Don't "upgrade" in little steps as you'll just be wasting your money. And when you are ready to buy, go to a music store where you can listen to a set. You will be truly happy if you go this route.
 
Going from Pulse to Titanium means going fom inexpensive garbage to expensive garbage.

Pulse 357's are not cymbals...they're targets...children's toys. Get grown-up toys. Titaniums are just shiny ZXT's. They're shiny because market research shows that children are drawn to shiny objects...so are birds and monkeys.
 
systmovadown said:
yeah the signature paistes are amazing

paiste is unreliable for support though.
my drummer has top of the line paiste's.
I think it was an 18 Signature Crash he broke. He called up Paiste for a replacement because it wasn't even 30 days old. They said they couldn't replace it.

Zildjians however do so.
Click to expand...
The signature hats are NICE!!!
Tell your drummer not to hit so damn hard, or get stronger cymbals (I have a Paiste 3000 series Power Ride... Strongest damn thing ever. As heavy as a tank, and as loud as hell).
I've broken numerous Medium and Rock weight crashes, splashes and hats (and 1 china), by both Sabian & Zildjian. I've only broken 1 Paiste (a Red 2000 Color Sound 16" Crash). I used to hit them a lot harder back in the day, now I know better, and my wallet thanX me!!! :D
 
TheBigGiantHead said:
Going from Pulse to Titanium means going fom inexpensive garbage to expensive garbage.

Pulse 357's are not cymbals...they're targets...children's toys. Get grown-up toys. Titaniums are just shiny ZXT's. They're shiny because market research shows that children are drawn to shiny objects...so are birds and monkeys.
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I'll agree with the first part of that anyways...
Man you're harsh...Like rubbing alcohol soaked swabs stuffed up the nose...
 
For your sound, I would recommend my most hated brand, zildjian. It has that clear hi end sound.

How long will you be drumming? If longer than 2 years, go for a pro set. You probably won't if you're a newer drummer, but I can guarrantee you ten thousand times over....the only budget cymbals that are good enough for the long haul are Sabian Xs20, Paiste Alpha, Wuhan (especially chinas), and Istanbul, keeping in mind the last two are different sounding than you may be used to.
 
The549 said:
For your sound, I would recommend my most hated brand, zildjian. It has that clear hi end sound.
Click to expand...

Why do you hate the Zildjians, out of curiosity?


The549 said:
How long will you be drumming? If longer than 2 years, go for a pro set. You probably won't if you're a newer drummer, but I can guarrantee you ten thousand times over....the only budget cymbals that are good enough for the long haul are Sabian Xs20, Paiste Alpha, Wuhan (especially chinas), and Istanbul, keeping in mind the last two are different sounding than you may be used to.
Click to expand...

I have a couple of Wuhans mixed into my set, and yeah, they're a really different sound. :D
 
Atterion said:
The signature hats are NICE!!!
Tell your drummer not to hit so damn hard, or get stronger cymbals (I have a Paiste 3000 series Power Ride... Strongest damn thing ever. As heavy as a tank, and as loud as hell).
I've broken numerous Medium and Rock weight crashes, splashes and hats (and 1 china), by both Sabian & Zildjian. I've only broken 1 Paiste (a Red 2000 Color Sound 16" Crash). I used to hit them a lot harder back in the day, now I know better, and my wallet thanX me!!! :D
Click to expand...

Thanks. The goddamn crash was very very thick too. He is a very hard hitter but I don't think he can help that :p . He also replaced his Signature Ride with a Zildjian K Custom...i forget which one but it is mad nice.
 
i've owned a custom pairing of zildjians (new beat top and k custom dark bottom) that was awesome. very clear, even tone. but i've recently fallen in love with the special 12" recording hats mentioned above. VERY clear crisp sound. they'll sound and feel unusual at first but really fit in a mix (both live and recorded) very well. also not nearly as loud as other hats so they're less bleed and can just be less annoying overall in that sense. with hihats more than crashes, it seems the only way to go is hi-end. i've never heard a good/cheap pair of hats, but i've heard some middle of the line crashes that are surprisingly good.
 
tsl92802 said:
with hihats more than crashes, it seems the only way to go is hi-end. i've never heard a good/cheap pair of hats, but i've heard some middle of the line crashes that are surprisingly good.
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Same goes for rides. I've never heard a cheap ride sound good, but have heard cheap splashes, and chinas that sound great.
 
Harvey Gerst said:
Zildy makes some 12" 'recording' hihats that are pretty nice sounding.
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damn straight Mr. Gerst......I've a friend with those hats & man they record so well it's scary
 
Zildjian New Beats. I've owned Paiste hats (400s and Alphas), Zils, and Sabians (AA and AAX). Nothing can beat New Beats for all around goodness. I love 'em. You should too :)
 
I have a set of 14" 5 star super zyn hats & they are so light & jazzy they almost don't exist

I also have a late 50s early 60s set of 15" avedis zildy's & they are so swishy I still havn't used them as main hats.....................they make mean crashes on occasion for the right stuff
 
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