ride cymbals

[fred1diver]

hey everybody, quick question about ride cymbals.

how many do you generally have in your kit?

what sound do you look for in ride cymbals?

I just scored a killer deal on a Sabian xs20 20" ride and that takes me to 3 rides on my kit, is that too many?
I'm thinking about selling one of them maybe 2, not sure how many I really need.

so far I've got the Sabian xs20, Sabian B8 and Zildjian ZHT, all 20"

[drummer]

I've only ever had one ride unless I'm doing a swing gig which then I'll have two - one on each side. In that situation, I'll have the more defined ride on the right and the washier one on the left.

[Lefty]

I've only used one ride at a time on my kit. I have 3 and another on layaway. I think most drummers only use one at a time. As far as what we look for in ride, you're going to get as many answers as there are drummers. I just play on them and see if I like the sound. I did buy one particularly because I wanted a ride that would crash also. It's a Sabian Omni AAX. The old A Zildjian I traded some hats for, many years ago and the HH Med. ride I bought used off ebay with out hearing it. I have a 16" HH Med. Thin crash, and thought that a 20" cym. from the same line would sound good, and it sounds just like I was expecting. A lot of what drummers look for depends on what style of music you play. I play mostly rock and metal. I like to hear the stick hit (stick definition), as well as have a nice warm spread of sound coming out of the cymbal (under tone). A loud clear bell sound with the tip of the stick is very high on my priorities also. I don't like to use the shaft of my stick on the bell if I don't have to. Probably due to my short reach. Which brings me to the size of my rides. They're all 20's except the Omni it's a 22. I can reach the bell of the 20's easier. The Omni's bell is not as loud as I'd like when played with the tip, so I use the shaft, and that makes it harder to reach. I've rambled enough.

[Olimpass]

I use a ride and a crash ride usually but haven't tried more than one ride. If they are crashable, that may be a great option. I like bigger cymbals.
Oh wait, yes I have. I've tried two rides and also have tried two 22" rides for hi-hat cymbals. Nevermind
The 2 rides were nice. The two 22" rides as hats...no.

[RHD03]

Usually just one ride per kit for me. But I've seen plenty with 2. Ever thought about trading all those in and just going with one high end awesome ride? Drums can be tuned and tweaked with the right heads and knowledge, but cymbals are what they are, so my advice is always get the best ones you can. Quality over quantity, if that makes sense.

[FlyByNight]

3 rides on a kit? Can you post a pic of your drums? The xs20 is a great line. B20 bronze at a good price. I use an HH raw bell dry ride. I chose it because I play rock and like a lot of stick definition. No wash, just ping. Excellent bell too.

[inthpktplayer]

1 ride. Not sure I see the need for 3. Guess it depends on what you're playing? Would like to see the set up.

[rickthedrummer]

1 ride. You can get different sounds by just playing up close to the bell or down close to the edge or anywhere in between.

[kay-gee]

One ride "typically", but the beauty of drum set ups is that there are no rules.

all the best...

[jgziegler]

Usually just one ride per kit for me. But I've seen plenty with 2. Ever thought about trading all those in and just going with one high end awesome ride? Drums can be tuned and tweaked with the right heads and knowledge, but cymbals are what they are, so my advice is always get the best ones you can. Quality over quantity, if that makes sense.

+1...It's good to have some extras (snare, stands, a few cymbals) but 3 rides?! In jazz you might get 2, but I would rather go a ride+crash-ride route, or in super big set ups, but let's face it, unless you are good, things like this are just going to distract you.

Makes for an interesting discussion: how would you prioritise having a 2nd of something on your kit...eg for me:

1. Crash
2. Splash
3. China/effect
4. Snare
5. Ride
6. HH
7. Bass drum

[inthpktplayer]

One ride "typically", but the beauty of drum set ups is that there are no rules.

all the best...

This is true.

[carbohydrate kid]

I have 7 rides in my collection and I currently use 3 , but have had as many as 4 setup on a kit. I should probably mention that I like big cymbals and look for crashable rides.

[G-man]

I have a ride and a crash-ride on the home setup. Don't take both with me when I pack it up and move it around.

[crispycritters]

I have 4 ride cymbals but only use one, the Sabian AAX stage and Stagg DH Jazz rides are good to crash but my Dry and Rock rides are gongy and seem to sustain for weeks. I have thought about using one as a 20" crash but I tend to prefer smaller crashes as they get out of the way quickly.

I've decided to keep all of them because I like them all for different reasons and like to change cymbals occasionally.

[pcs90]

I've used 2 before, but now only use one, as the stick definition is good, I can crash it, and the bell is exactly how I want it to sound and the other ride was really heavy.
Other than in some jazz and jazz fusion stuff I'm not sure of anyone using 3 rides effectively.
Especially not 3 low-end ones. You really should consider trading all of these cymbals you keep buying towards a few nice ones. Hats, ride, 1 or 2 crashes if you can afford that. Then upgrade or add on more when you can later.

[N2Bluz]

1 ride. You can get different sounds by just playing up close to the bell or down close to the edge or anywhere in between.

I do this a lot when playing my compact/Bop kit. I like to use my 18" Wuhan crash/ride. It works well as a crash, but it's thin design creates a lot of wash when played like a typical ride. I'll play it right up next to the bell for a "normal" ride sound or about half way down the bow for a fuller wash. If I want a full wash sound at low volume, I'll play it lightly down by the edge. I like being able to manipulate it as I see fit.

[fred1diver]

thanks everyone, I put my two lower quality rides on kijiji (like craigslist)

[SpatzST]

i am super super super picky when it comes to rides. Crashes I feel are more a 'dime-a-dozen'. Every one in the same line will typically sound the same, maybe just higher/lower pitches.

Rides... rides are a different story. Hows the bell? defined or flatter sound? does it sound good? how long does this cymbal resonate when i hit it... how does the resonance sound? does it wobble, is it evenly distributed, quick/slow decay? is the stick definition good? what happens if I ride the cymbal hard? does it become washy or does it stay pingy? whats it sound like at low/high volume? does it get TOO loud?

theres like 100 things to think about for one cymbal.

anyhow point was, I use one ride, but I only own 2 because I almost never like rides. You can see the two I have below.

[N2Bluz]

I think I own like 7 rides already, but I'm always on the lookout for #8.

22" Paiste 2002
20" Paiste PST3
22" Zildjian Z3
20" Sabian AA heavy
18" Wuhan crash/ride
18" Zildjian A medium ride
20" Paiste PST7 medium ride

I should sell/trade some of them.

[rickthedrummer]

i am super super super picky when it comes to rides. Crashes I feel are more a 'dime-a-dozen'. Every one in the same line will typically sound the same, maybe just higher/lower pitches.

Rides... rides are a different story. Hows the bell? defined or flatter sound? does it sound good? how long does this cymbal resonate when i hit it... how does the resonance sound? does it wobble, is it evenly distributed, quick/slow decay? is the stick definition good? what happens if I ride the cymbal hard? does it become washy or does it stay pingy? whats it sound like at low/high volume? does it get TOO loud?

theres like 100 things to think about for one cymbal.

anyhow point was, I use one ride, but I only own 2 because I almost never like rides. You can see the two I have below.

"Does it sound good?"

SpatzST, ^^^^^That is the only thing I ever thought about when buying any cymbal.

[kay-gee]

"Does it sound good?"

SpatzST, ^^^^^That is the only thing I ever thought about when buying any cymbal.

Same as me... If I try a cymbal somewhere it usually elicits one of three responses...

WOW!

Hmmm

NAH

all the best...

[SpatzST]

"Does it sound good?"

SpatzST, ^^^^^That is the only thing I ever thought about when buying any cymbal.

Same as me... If I try a cymbal somewhere it usually elicits one of three responses...

WOW!

Hmmm

NAH

all the best...

well... yes it boils down to that.. I was just going through the list of what I listen for to determine if it does 'sound good'.

I guess it depends on the cymbal. I typically buy the 'complex' cymbals so I spend a lot of time deciding if I like it or not. But if you're just buying a 'rock ride', you probably don't need to really think too much about it.

[N2Bluz]

Same as me... If I try a cymbal somewhere it usually elicits one of three responses...

WOW!

Hmmm

NAH

all the best...

That's how I respond when I look at the price tag, LOL. I try to avoid looking at the prices of cymbals until after I play them....just to have an open mind.

[pastor_bob]

I own 2 rides, but only use one at a time on the kit. I tend to evaluate a ride, like any other cymbal - do I like the sound? - then I'll listen to the bell, bow, and edge. Like rickthedrummer noted, when I use a ride, I choose the part of the ride that gives me the exact sound I want in a song.

[rickthedrummer]

What the hell is a "complex" cymbal?