I've noticed Zildjians in the last ten years have kind of fallen off. Like 154 said, they've gotten somewhat boring. None of the As or A Customs I played this summer looking for new cymbals had any real character, and they're not cheap. But they are very predictable and consistent, and I've owned several and still play some.
Zildjian Ks are still pretty good. They're going to be fairly dry and dark, and if you're looking for a couple different tones on the kit, they might get lost if you're playing loud rock. But I really like K rides.
Paiste 2002 are still great. They react sort of "softly" compared to the Zildjian As, Paiste Signatures, and other B18 and B20 cymbals. I play in a really loud band, though, and they cut fine. They're B8 bronze, which is generally used these days for cheap cymbals, but both the 2002s and the Giant Beats are beautiful, dark when struck softly, open up quickly when you lay into them, and have a natural, balanced decay that doesn't go "gongy" the way some loud cymbals can, and are anything but cheap-sounding to my ears. Also, John Bonham.
To really cut through, Meinl makes good stuff. Their Medium Heavy crashes are much better suited to, well, music than the Zildjian Zs, which have similar sonic qualities to filing cabinets. But for recording they're likely too heavy.
You can get a pair of Zildjian New Beat 14" hats on ebay or used in a drum shop any time, and they're workhorses. Not a whole lot of character, and you might outgrow them, but a great start. 13"s are going to be harder to find, but not impossible. Are you playing jazz? Just wondering, because the 13"s are generally in that vein.
2112 in Raleigh has started carrying a line with the unfortunate name TRX. But their MDM hats are great--as loud a chick as the Paiste Sound Edge or Zildjian Mastersound, and a better wash. I'm hoping to get a pair of the 15"s sometime. The marketing, though, is almost enough to forget these people entirely.
The Bosphorus and Istanbul lines are great, but really benefit from a light touch and a stage volume that gives them room to show their character, which they have in spades. Perfect jazz cymbals, though, and good for any style in the hands of a great player.

Do go to a shop that cares about the quality of the products they seel, though, and try them out. It's best of you can get them to a practice room, away from the wall of cymbals, so you can hear what they sound like with a kick drum underneath, even if it's not your own. 2112, and I'm assuming any shop worth its salt, will let you bring it back, though, if you get it home and it doesn't work with your kit, provided you didn't wreck it. And all the major manufacturers will warranty the cymbals for a year against breakage/cracking under normal play.

FWIW, right now I play a set of mid-90's New Beat 14" hats, 18" and 20" 2002 crashes, and a 21" Zildjian Sweet Ride.

All of these cymbals will make you so much happier than the shit they put in the pre-packs that you'll love drumming anew. I think those packs are designed to make kids give up drumming and go to business school.

I've noticed Zildjians in the last ten years have kind of fallen off. Like 154 said, they've gotten somewhat boring.

yeah, they've also gotten more fragile. i've broken 2 of them and i'm not exactly a gorilla basher. fortunately, they were warrantied..

evanrowe wrote:I've noticed Zildjians in the last ten years have kind of fallen off. Like 154 said, they've gotten somewhat boring. None of the As or A Customs I played this summer looking for new cymbals had any real character, and they're not cheap. But they are very predictable and consistent, and I've owned several and still play some.
Zildjian Ks are still pretty good. They're going to be fairly dry and dark, and if you're looking for a couple different tones on the kit, they might get lost if you're playing loud rock. But I really like K rides.
Paiste 2002 are still great. They react sort of "softly" compared to the Zildjian As, Paiste Signatures, and other B18 and B20 cymbals. I play in a really loud band, though, and they cut fine. They're B8 bronze, which is generally used these days for cheap cymbals, but both the 2002s and the Giant Beats are beautiful, dark when struck softly, open up quickly when you lay into them, and have a natural, balanced decay that doesn't go "gongy" the way some loud cymbals can, and are anything but cheap-sounding to my ears. Also, John Bonham.
To really cut through, Meinl makes good stuff. Their Medium Heavy crashes are much better suited to, well, music than the Zildjian Zs, which have similar sonic qualities to filing cabinets. But for recording they're likely too heavy.
You can get a pair of Zildjian New Beat 14" hats on ebay or used in a drum shop any time, and they're workhorses. Not a whole lot of character, and you might outgrow them, but a great start. 13"s are going to be harder to find, but not impossible. Are you playing jazz? Just wondering, because the 13"s are generally in that vein.
2112 in Raleigh has started carrying a line with the unfortunate name TRX. But their MDM hats are great--as loud a chick as the Paiste Sound Edge or Zildjian Mastersound, and a better wash. I'm hoping to get a pair of the 15"s sometime. The marketing, though, is almost enough to forget these people entirely.
The Bosphorus and Istanbul lines are great, but really benefit from a light touch and a stage volume that gives them room to show their character, which they have in spades. Perfect jazz cymbals, though, and good for any style in the hands of a great player.

Do go to a shop that cares about the quality of the products they seel, though, and try them out. It's best of you can get them to a practice room, away from the wall of cymbals, so you can hear what they sound like with a kick drum underneath, even if it's not your own. 2112, and I'm assuming any shop worth its salt, will let you bring it back, though, if you get it home and it doesn't work with your kit, provided you didn't wreck it. And all the major manufacturers will warranty the cymbals for a year against breakage/cracking under normal play.

FWIW, right now I play a set of mid-90's New Beat 14" hats, 18" and 20" 2002 crashes, and a 21" Zildjian Sweet Ride.

All of these cymbals will make you so much happier than the shit they put in the pre-packs that you'll love drumming anew. I think those packs are designed to make kids give up drumming and go to business school.

Great info there, and form everyone.

I want 13" hi-hats because I really prefer the sound. I'll be playing mostly alone, and then mostly instrumental music...hard to say what style. I just know that the 14" hi-hats have too much of a clonky sound and not much sizzle. Many of the drummers I like play 13" hi-hats.

Anyone knwo of a decent place to buy cymbals in Atlanta? Guitar Canter can guzzle sperm.

evanrowe wrote:...the Giant Beats are beautiful, dark when struck softly, open up quickly when you lay into them, and have a natural, balanced decay that doesn't go "gongy" the way some loud cymbals can, and are anything but cheap-sounding to my ears.

Giant Beats are amazing. Hands down my favorite cymbals within the last few years.

154 wrote:

I've noticed Zildjians in the last ten years have kind of fallen off. Like 154 said, they've gotten somewhat boring.

yeah, they've also gotten more fragile. i've broken 2 of them and i'm not exactly a gorilla basher. fortunately, they were warrantied..

The zbts especially are absolutely junk. Our drummer cracked both a crash and a ride within 4 months of buying them new. She doesn't hit unusually hard.

bigc wrote:I want 13" hi-hats because I really prefer the sound. I'll be playing mostly alone, and then mostly instrumental music...hard to say what style. I just know that the 14" hi-hats have too much of a clonky sound and not much sizzle. Many of the drummers I like play 13" hi-hats.

Anyone knwo of a decent place to buy cymbals in Atlanta? Guitar Canter can guzzle sperm.

This place looks insane. Bosphorus lists them as a dealer, so it might be a good start. And don't forget to check the used stuff...

13"s definitely have a higher fundamental pitch, but every line is different, so don't rule anything out yet!

Good luck!

bigc wrote:Anyone knwo of a decent place to buy cymbals in Atlanta? Guitar Canter can guzzle sperm.

Atlanta Pro Percussion is a MASSIVE store, with fairly competitive pricing, and nice folks. See if Kent Aberle is working when you go in. He's a working drummer, so he is often off on tour, but he's an old friend. (Tell him Patrick from Athens sent you.)

Atlanta Pro also has the largest selection of used cymbals in Atlanta, so if you're going to be hitting your cymbals with any restraint at all (as opposed to me, who hits THROUGH the cymbal) you could do worse than picking out a used one.

I don't disagree with anything anyone has said on this thread so far... It's all pretty good information.

Dammit. Now I have a jones for decent hi-hats and crashes, but have no cash.

Damn me!

Zildjians. I've never liked any other brand, even the new ones still are better than any of the new sabians or paistes.

Try and find some used ones on craigslist. They can get pretty cheap.

evanrowe wrote:Zildjian Zs, which have similar sonic qualities to filing cabinets.

Agreed, i had a Z custom crash for a while and grew to loathe it. I also had a z custom power ride, which can get some really great cutting sounds for anything loud, but has no wash at all, and is probably the second least versatile piece of metal i've ever some across (after the crash above).

Currently I'm using 14" A rock Hihats, which sound really nice, and are clean and cutting on recordings.
17" A custom projection, which is lovely!!! It sounds great loud, but can also be used with quieter things. It's a really versatile cymbal.
18" A rock crash, which is a bit on the heavy side, and not too good when trying to play quietly, but sounds awesome at full volume.
20" K custom dark ride, which i adore. It sounds amazing for jazzy things, which i quite often do, and gets up a great wash when hit hard. It won't cut through too clearly if you're looking for definition at high volumes, but it's brilliant for quieter things, or for washy things.
There's a couple of recording on www.myspace.com/alnegator of the above cymbals. It's not quite been mixed properly yet, since my soundcard and cubase are refusing to cooperate with each other.

Matt.