How Many Crash Cymbals Is Enough?

[Roger]

I know that every one will have a different opinion, but that's good because that way I'll know how much is a good amount in most styles of music and not just the style that I play. I play anything from soft rock to extreme death metal. And I find that about four crashes is a good amount so that I never have to hit one twice when I'm doing something like hitting my crash and my snare at the same time for an entire bar, it allows to make small patterns and get some difference out of my simplistic beats.

Back when I was starting out all I needed was a single crash, I would play stuff like Linkin Park and some older stuff like Led Zepplin etc. But i found that when I got my second crash a few years ago I used it a lot, my parents told me that I didn't need it and I showed them how I would play a single song and they saw that I was using both cymbals almost evenly, my parents latter on in that year funded my nest set of cymbals and another two crashes (16" 17" 18") and I bought a 15" crash early last year, I couldn't even imagine how boring my drumming must have been with a single crash.

What are your thoughts on this matter?

[el presidente]

Got 2. And really, I feel that that's all I need. To me cymbals don't show up that much on record and lose alot of dynamic live. So when you get to the point that your cymbals are only an inch apart in size, the fine nuances between them just get lost in most settings.

[vinnysimmo]

1

[Stevo42w]

Got 2. And really, I feel that that's all I need. To me cymbals don't show up that much on record and lose alot of dynamic live. So when you get to the point that your cymbals are only an inch apart in size, the fine nuances between them just get lost in most settings.

I dont think thats true. I can here the tonal differences in cymbals and hear alot in there....

If were talking efx too I want
2 Crashes. Crash/ride. Ride. Splash x2 or 3. China and a rock crash

Varying over different makes and that..... I actually like hearing all the different cymbals in songs. Your right el by it being simular. But there are differences. I hate playing without 2 crashes these days. or an extra crash ride

[el presidente]

I dont think thats true. I can here the tonal differences in cymbals and hear alot in there....

If were talking efx too I want
2 Crashes. Crash/ride. Ride. Splash x2 or 3. China and a rock crash

Varying over different makes and that..... I actually like hearing all the different cymbals in songs. Your right el by it being simular. But there are differences. I hate playing without 2 crashes these days. or an extra crash ride

I'm not saying I can't heat the tonal differenced in similar cymbals. I'm saying that sort of stuff is lost to an audience. So that's why I use only 2 that have enough of a separation in the tone that it makes a difference live and on record.

Drummers tend to forget that their kits sound different to the audience than it does behind their kit.

Edit: splashes to me are overrated. chinas too.

[funkymcstain]

i usually use 3 crashes. for louder rock shows...a 16" k custom dark and 17" & 18" a customs. aswell as 3 splashes (12" & 10" a custom & 6" paragon) and 19" paragon china.
quieter rock shows...14" & 16" k custom darks and 18" avedis med thin. aswell as same splash setup as above but with 12" & 10" sabian hhx evolution splashes, 6" paragon and xs20 china.
22" paragon ride for all rock shows.
1 crash on jazz gigs... 18" avedis med or med thin. with 18" xs20 china and 18" k custom session ride.

being HUGELY influenced by guys like tim alexander (primus) and carter beauford (dave matthews) i have to dissagree with el presidente about chinas and splashes. i friggin love em.

[Ch33zz]

What ive heard, a true drummer, can make use out of 1 - 17 inch bright crash, and play TONS of things

Although i enjoy about 4, at jazz band in school, they had some old Vintage A's and some new A's, 4 crashes, 16 in MT, 18 MT , 17 M, and 19 MT

I liked the 16 and 17 on my left above my tom, and my to heavier over by my ride, of course, we really didnt play jazz, just some improvised rock

[Lafirin]

I think as many as you think you need for your band/drum career. I mean if you feel you need that extra cymbal all the time while your playing, mabye a higher sounding one or visaversa, then go out and buy it. if you need one, then just stay with one. just my opinion

[Roger]

Lafirin, the point of this thread was to try and find out how many you enjoy playing with for your style of music, I wanted to know how many you think you should have (Meaning you don't have the money to get what you want, all to familiar.) when you're playing X style of music.

[1DrumBum]

I use 4 (14", 16", 16" thin, 18"). I play a pretty wide variety of music and less than that just won't cut it. Anymore would probably be overkill. (yeah right)

[drums-rock]

i wouldnt mind havin 3 but i only got 2

[pastor_bob]

I like a 16" crash, a 14" crash. I think that would be enough for me (the initial questions was about how many crashes we would play with). I would like to add a 12' splash, and a 16' china to the mix (along with the ride and the hi-hat, of course).

I would like to upgrade my cymbals, but I think I would stay with this basic configuration. I think it would give me the widest possible musical latitude.

[Pdplayer]

Here is my list, and it is still growing, you can never have enough cymbals in my opinion.

1-Set of 14" New Beat Hats,
1-6” A Custom Splash,
1-8" A Custom Splash,
1-10" A Custom Splash,
1-12" Wuhan China,
1-14” Wuhan China,
1-20" K Custom Ride,
1-18" A Custom Medium Thin Crash,
1-16" Wuhan S Series Medium thin crash,
1-16" A Custom Projection Crash
1-17" A Custom Fast crash(new)
1-18" China boy-low(new)
1-18" Oriental china(new)

[Roger]

Pdp, you just have a weird thing for cymbals and some kind of cash flow coming from somewhere.

[funkymcstain]

Here is my list, and it is still growing, you can never have enough cymbals in my opinion.

1-Set of 14" New Beat Hats,
1-6” A Custom Splash,
1-8" A Custom Splash,
1-10" A Custom Splash,
1-12" Wuhan China,
1-14” Wuhan China,
1-20" K Custom Ride,
1-18" A Custom Medium Thin Crash,
1-16" Wuhan S Series Medium thin crash,
1-16" A Custom Projection Crash
1-17" A Custom Fast crash(new)
1-18" China boy-low(new)
1-18" Oriental china(new)

pretty killer setup. 4 chinas on one kit you should be able to milk alot of sounds you want out of that collection.

[Pdplayer]

Pdp, you just have a weird thing for cymbals and some kind of cash flow coming from somewhere.

I love cymbals, I could never have enough of them, they all have a unique voice and character to them.
But seriously I have no cash flow, I have 4 kids and a single income, BUT my trick is I seriously shop around, I also sell some of my stupid stuff I have lieing around on ebay, I probably only have about maybe $500 total invested in my cymbals, when you are broke, and you want cymbals, you got to get creative.
My new 17" fast crash was an 18" with a 1/2" hairline crack, so I cut it down to a 17" and now I have an AWESOME brand new 17" fast crash, I have done ALOT of this, mainly to sell, I bought this fast crash for $15 + shipping, and I have bought A handful more like this and I cut them down, clean them up and turn around and sell them for $80-100 ea or I keep them, thats how I do it.

Ya just got to be creative if you have no money and want something.

[Pdplayer]

pretty killer setup. 4 chinas on one kit you should be able to milk alot of sounds you want out of that collection.

Yep I love it, seriously I find myself just playing my cymbals, because they sound so cool.

[Roger]

That is a great idea PDP. Also just playing cymbals: with your amount of cymbals I doubt that could ever sound bad.

[Shazane]

Well I'd like to have a bunch of them with different tones and resonance and such. There's definitely a noticeable difference between them, and I plan to make sure my cymbals are nice and audible in all future recordings.

[Metal forever]

the most crashes i've ever used was eight, but that got ridiculous after awhile so i striped it down to 6 or 4 and that works pretty good for me,i like the tonal options and the movment i can achieve with that but i actually only need 2 or 1 and sometimes thats all i'll use, so its all about preferance ya know

[Stevo42w]

Here is my list, and it is still growing, you can never have enough cymbals in my opinion.

1-Set of 14" New Beat Hats,
1-6” A Custom Splash,
1-8" A Custom Splash,
1-10" A Custom Splash,
1-12" Wuhan China,
1-14” Wuhan China,
1-20" K Custom Ride,
1-18" A Custom Medium Thin Crash,
1-16" Wuhan S Series Medium thin crash,
1-16" A Custom Projection Crash
1-17" A Custom Fast crash(new)
1-18" China boy-low(new)
1-18" Oriental china(new)

Woo im with ya brother.... Some of them i wouldnt need. But you have 3 splashes. Thats awesome for those splash beats some people play there so much fun. The only reason i want 3 different ones :P

[Roger]

*Drools* What was it like the first time you used 8 crashes?

[Ethel_The_Frog]

2 normal crashes, one above each tom above bass drum.
Fast crash.
Crash ride.
Dark crash.

[pastor_bob]

Uh, ETF, that's three. Or are you saying that you would have 2 normal crashes, plus the other three?

[Metal forever]

*Drools* What was it like the first time you used 8 crashes?

well it was great ya know, the sound and the movement made me more comfortable around the kit, it made people look at my kit alot more so i got some more attention, at least on stage (its when i was really into death metal,still am but not as much), but i realized after a while that i was only actually using about 6-4 of the crashes so i started using those as my regular set up, but like i said i can get by pretty well with 1-2, because your not always gonna have 6 crashes, gotta be prepared for any musical situation