The applying tape to the underside of the cymbal trick is a real good one and one that I've employed for many years on cymbals that are too bright for the mics. I have and use a 20" paiste ride that I turned into a sizzle ride a few years ago and I was ready to discard it and just get another one for a session.I applied a piece of tape to the underside and it was tamed. It's become one of my favorite cymbals for recording.
There's a new brand of cymbals out there made by Zildjian that are made out of titanium and they are sickeningly bright. That seems to be the taste of a lot of new metal drummers, but it's not mine. Different strokes I guess.
Sometimes with very bright cymbals, you can tame the harshness with the higher end EQ. Forget what you already know and REALLY crank it down even more than you think it should be. Sometimes that works on a particular recording. If you've done the drum kit with a limited mic set-up, you could be screwed because it will adversely affect the sound of the rest of the kit, but it you can isolate the mic that's picking up the harshness and just crank that one down,and then boost the lower mid range, sometimes that will work.....or not.
Zildjian A's thin fast crashes played with a firm, not heavy touch are the ones that I have found the best for recording. Not walluping cymbals is a good habit to get into. It just makes them sound bad.
Good luck.
