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Thread: 15'' crash/hi hat

  1. #1

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    Default 15'' crash/hi hat

    I found a 15'' pair of Zildjian Quick Beat hats with a cracked top but bottom cymbal is good. Would a 15'' Zildjian thin crash work as a good top, want to keep brand the same. Can't find gram weights right now, at work.
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  2. #2

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    Short answer...I'm gonna say YES. I've tried all kinds of match ups over the years. Currently playing a 15" K light top over a heavy ancient Z bottom You can't really go wrong with Zildjian.

    all the best....

  3. #3

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    I've used a 16" Zildjian A crash as a top cymbal for hats (16" K Custom dark on bottom) and I couldn't get the hats to sound crisp enough. There was no definition and sounded very washy!

  4. #4

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    thanks guys, the question to myself earlier was, "is a 15" hi hat cymbal top or bottom somehow more dense than a 15" crash?" It seems a QB bottom hat has gram weights in the 1320's with the QB top being a little over 200 grams lighter. This is just a quick average I came up with from people that have weighed their hats.

    I found weights for a couple of 15" A crashes.
    15" A Custom 867g
    15" A Custom Fast 785g
    so that may explain the washy sound. I think the top should be a little heavier than those crash weights. It'll be kind of fun to search this out in more depth.
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  5. #5

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Short answer...I'm gonna say YES. I've tried all kinds of match ups over the years. Currently playing a 15" K light top over a heavy ancient Z bottom You can't really go wrong with Zildjian.

    all the best....
    kay-gee, is the top a hat or crash?

    give or take a few grams the K Light top hat weight is 1101 and cannot find a weight for a Z or Z Custom bottom. Did find the Z3 bottom is 1372 so that is about right.

    the standard seems to be a little over 200 grams between tops and bottoms.
    Last edited by slinky; 03-06-2017 at 05:36 PM.
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  6. #6

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    Your best bet is to weigh the cracked top hat to see what the weight is. I believe you'll find that most top hats (including light hats) are considerably heavier than crash cymbals of the same diameter.

    From what I've seen on youtube/read the people that claim success using crashes for hats tend to use 16 - 18" crashes (1000 - 1400 grams?).

    Occasionally I use a thin 14" crash as a top hat when practicing at home - I do this because the general volume is 'neighbour friendly', they produce a great 'sloshy' sound when slightly open but that is about all they are good for... practically inaudible foot chick and cut through like a fart in a thunderstorm.

  7. #7

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    Yeah the smaller crashes are just not heavy enough. You could and pretty sure someone has cut down a heavy 17 or 18 crash. Bells will be different
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  8. #8

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    I have an older set of sabians I broke the top also. Just used a crash and I love them. I have them at my teaching studio.

    So yes it will work.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    i would............

    fix the crack or find a replacement/similar hat-top to replace or turn it into a mini stack

  10. #10

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    I'm thinking a thin crash will be too light.
    Gretsch USA & Zildjian
    (What Else Would I Ever Need ?)


  11. #11
    BackStreetDrums Guest

    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    I currently use a Paiste PreSn 602 crash, heavy 16" for bottom, and a K-Dark thin 16" crash for top...sounds wonderful.

    Looking for a PreSn 602 thin 16" crash to use for top, but hard to find.
    (all my cyms are vintage 602's..like to keep in the family)

  12. #12

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    watched a video this morning of the guy up in Montreal that buys cracked and damaged cymbals then reworks them. He does all the lathing and hammering. The latest one #80 I think, he cuts down a 20" B8 ride and another B8 crash and made 16" hats. I thought they sounded pretty good. I'd post the vid but he's being sponsored now by a cable company.
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  13. #13

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    I used a 15" k dark thin as my top with a 15" new beat bottom. Was an absolute perfect pair of hats

  14. #14

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    Default Re: 15'' crash/hi hat

    I’ve had some cheap cymbals like zbt’s or planet z’s where the top was cracked. Used a cutoff wheel in an air grinder to gouge out the crack nice. Now the hi hat sounded awesome with a great chic sound because of the instant air escape and had a unique sound playing.

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