Zildjian or Sabian

  • Thread starter Thread starter punx_drummer
  • Start date Start date

Which is your favorite cymbal maker:

  • Zildjian

    Votes: 25 52.1%

  • Sabian

    Votes: 16 33.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 7 14.6%
  • Total voters
    48
I don't play punk, but here's my story so far.

I started out with one of those really crappy Zildjian ZXT Rock starter packages with a sucky crash, a sucky ride, and sucky hi-hats (yes, everything totally sucked). I've been gradually switching them out for and adding Zildjian A Customs and I've been really happy with them. I've still got the ZXT ride and hats, but I tried an A Custom 18" Fast Crash (which was actually rather a "slow" sounding crash), then got a 16" normal crash, then switched the 18" out for a 17" normal crash (sits very well with the 16"), and added 8" and 10" splashes. I'm still trying to find a good set of hats that I really like, and that ride has GOT to go.
 
Its funny comparing Sabian and Zildjian, one of the earlier posts pointed out the fact that a lot of people left zildjian to go to sabian thats because the owners of both companies are brothers. Sabian comes from the initials of the owners kids put together. The Sabian owner(name escapes me) basically is taking what his father taught him(originator of zildjian) and trying to make it better. I own both and prefer the Sabians particularly the HHX series, I love the sound.
 
Each cymbal to it own.

A 15" A custom is totally different to a 15" A custom...

I buy per cymbal, regardles of make. I have a £300 21" Sabian HH ride next to a £7 Stagg splash!

I wouldn't trade a stagg splash for any other splash, i just like that sound.
 
PhilGood said:
Ok, I'm gonna have to step in here. Only a few Paiste's are hand hammered. MOST are machine hammered. The Zildjian K series are hand hammered and the Sabian HH series are hand hammered. All are hand lathed except some newer Paiste lines which are computer lathed.

Paiste's cost more due to tarrifs and shipping costs to the US. That and the companies set their own price point. Zildjian manufactures more, so they are mid priced. Sabian is made in Canada, where manufacturing costs are lower. BTW, Sabian was started by Bob Zildjian.

Zildjian and Sabian both cast their high end cymbals into ingots, which are then heat rolled in different directions to add strength. ALL Paiste's are cut from sheet bronze. The hammering is what shapes the cymbal and adds overtones. Hammering doesn't add strength.

If your Paiste has lasted that long, it because its thicker or you are lucky.

And I *AM* a long time Paiste owner/player.
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Between Z CUstoms and AAX Metal, I would MUCH prefer heavy Paiste Signature cymbals. The only heavy cymbals I like. Of course, Paiste has kick ass cymbals that aren't for metal... I especially love their bells and chimes and all signature cymbals. And I have to give a hand to Wuhan, for their 27" china... I havent tried it, but for only $100... I'm definately getting myself one of those :-D. The point is... I am a fan of Paiste. I don't really like Sabian or Zildjian that much.
 
i like to match Paiste and Zildjian



but sabian rides are good
 
I live in NB...and i'm about an hour and a 1/2 away from the Sabian factory. I've been using them for every year i've been playing which is 6 or a little more. I've been to the factory a million times...and I totally agree with Mikeh and several others! Sabian works VERY hard to create new sounds...they're an innovator. They make kick ass stuff and I'm proud to be a player of them and know quite of the few guys/girls who work up there. (Ex: Charlie Brown ....yes that's his real name lol...is an original hammer guy, he sits there EVERY DAY hammering out those sweet cymbols) My 2 cents :)
 
Don't Sabian cymbals come with a better warrantee than Zildjians?

As for chinas, I still love my RanCan that I've been playing for almost 20 years!
 
for me, both zil and sab are very fine cymbals, basically they have nearly same sound on some series. for example sabian AA and Zil A....AAX and A custom, but some of sabian cymbals sound so unique for me, and I love it very much!! (some may say some zil also have some very unique sound (constantinoples??), but anyway, those are not for me)

I own these:

18" and 16" AAXPLOSION Crash
15" HH extra thin crash
18" HH sound control crash ride
15" HHX groove hat
13" AAX fusion hat
20" HH leopard ride (I found nothing better than this....for my ears!)
8" AAX splash
7" HHX evolution splash
18" wuhan china

for chinas, I found Wuhan are far much better than all western brands......
they are totally dark and trashy, zil and sab have something as good, but I still love Wuhan more.
 
yes sabians have a 2 year warranty zildjian only 1, gotta love sibling rivalry.
 
coolsoundman said:
I've used Zildjian once in awhile and to me they are ok. I really prefer paiste. Why paiste instead of sabian/zildjian? Paiste are hand hammered cymbals, or pretty much made by hand. Unlike Zildjian, these cymbals are machine made. Thats why there are so many cymbals of this brand and the cost of them is a little cheaper than that of Paiste. Sabian cymbals are both hand and machine made. They have great sound at an affordable price, but they also break or crack. Zildjian's also break and crack as well, thats why they are made so cheaply, imho. I have a paiste crash cymbal for almost twenty years and that cymbal has gone through heck and it still sounds great even without any cracks or breaks. I think its due to the hammering process where the metal is pressed down to where its more condensed, I think. Well, that's my $0.02. :rolleyes:
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All cymbals break regardless of brand. Zildjian, Sabian and Piaste all have great sounding stuff. I like the Paiste 2002 series and the Zildjian A's and A Custom series the best. No brand is better than the other, it's just personal preference.
 
I would seriously recommend trying out some Istanbuls. A lot of the cymbals are more specifically tailored to jazz playing, but there are some absolute gems in there. And of course cymbals "tailored to jazz playing" can sound great in any circumstance. I bought an 18" Traditional Dark Crash and can honestly say I've never heard anything like it, it's got the most amazing wash and decay of any cymbal I've ever played. And of course it's dark as hell. Check out http://www.cymbalsonly.com and give Tony a shout if you want to discuss what he offers. I've bought 3 cymbals from him, he shipped them to the UK for a very reasonable price and I received them in about 4 days. You get to hear every single cymbal for sale on his website (and it is the actual cymbal you'll be buying, not just a generic sound clip).

I'm also playing Zildjian K 13" Hi-Hats and 20" Ride with a Sabian 18" AAX Stage Crash and B8Pro 18" China (great budget cymbal), they all work together beautifully.
 
MadAudio said:
Don't Sabian cymbals come with a better warrantee than Zildjians?

As for chinas, I still love my RanCan that I've been playing for almost 20 years!
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mad-amen :) ! i believe the rancan's were wuhans with a different sticker?...i've had 2 (i think the last i've had for around 10 yrs)...they are really sweet! i bought a wuhan 12 splash a few yrs back just to try it out (i think it was 30 bucks). didn't like it for a splash, but ive got it inverted and on top of my wuhan 18 and it make a really cool/odd effect grouping now...i have it where if i tighten up the wing nut it is really trashy and basically no decay....then if you losen it up, it make a really washy/trashy sound (ie allow the cymbals to move between one another).
 
You know, I sort of take issue with this poll. Paiste is in the "other" catagory???

Ignorance, IMO.
 
PhilGood said:
You know, I sort of take issue with this poll. Paiste is in the "other" catagory???

Ignorance, IMO.
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I agree. Lots of people use Paiste, and Paiste makes some of the finest cymbals I have ever heard.
 
PhilGood said:
You know, I sort of take issue with this poll. Paiste is in the "other" catagory???

Ignorance, IMO.
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no doubt...in fact i've tried to buy sabian in the past and ended up going w/zildjian or paiste once i sound tested :rolleyes:

however, i heard a drummer playing with a sabian xplosion crash (the one with the holes cut into it)...it sounded really nice :D ...may have to look into getting one of those that sounds good w/my current setup...
 
Not to mention there are smaller companies like Ufip, which make cymbals that kick all the major 3's asses!! They are expensive, but they are some of the best cymbals I have ever heard in my life!

Who makes your favorite guitar? Fender, Gibson, or other?
 
PhilGood said:
Not to mention there are smaller companies like Ufip, which make cymbals that kick all the major 3's asses!! They are expensive, but they are some of the best cymbals I have ever heard in my life!

Who makes your favorite guitar? Fender, Gibson, or other?
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i'm having a brain fart :p ....what brand cymbal does stanton moore play?!!? those sound really nice in his recording (w/galactic, etc.)...hard to find someone that carries them to listen to first hand :confused: .
 
I prefer Zildjian A's to most anything, just awesome all purpose cymbals. I do have a Sabian china (17" XXTreme) that I really dig. Also, for the big Dave Grohl washed out consantly lit up big crash sound the Sabian Signature Chad Smith 20.5" crash is outstanding and takes very little effort to keep it flowing.

War
 
Sabian all the way. Never cracked one in 15 years. Been thru 3 Zil and 2 Pastie. Sabians outlast them all, and I play country!
 
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