I heard a guy in the cymbal room hitting a crash cymbal repeatedly and it sounded amazing. Dirty, washy, warm and kinda Mienl Byzancey lol. When I went in to see what he was hitting, he said "that cymbal sounds amazing but I could never put that cheap thing with my K's" Turns out it was a lowly 16" Agazarian crash (B20 cymbal probably made overseas). I haven't used a 16" in my personal setup in years since they usually sound thin or too light but this one had the presence of a 17" or 18" crash. All of my cymbals are a mix of Paiste Signatures, 2002, 602 and Twenty series cymbals but this one spoke to me so I bought it for the whopping used price of $29.99. lol I wouldn't feel funny at all playing this drum in my setup (although I probably will remove the label).
Anybody ever come across some great sounding cheap cymbals that at first glance shouldn't sound as good as they did? Just want to see how many others have experienced this.
-Tama Granstar II (12x11, 16x16, 22x16)
-Yamaha 7000 Series (12x8, 13x9, 16x16 22x18)
-Crush Sublime E3 (12x8, 16x14, 24x17)
-Pearl Mixed Series kit (8x7, 10x8, 15x13, 20x14)
-Brady Jarrah Ply 8x14
-HHG Purpleheart/Cherry Stave 7x14
-HHG Red Birch Stave 7x14
-Pearl Masters MCX 5.5x14
-Pearl Steel (Pre-Sensitone) 6.5x14
-Pearl Vintage Professional Series 6.5x14
-Tama Imperialstar Seamless Steel 6.5x14
-Tama Soundworks Maple 6.5x14
-Premier (African Mahogany with Beech Re-rings) 8x14
-Remo Bravo II 5.5x14
-OCDP Maple 6x14
-Crush Aluminum 5.5x14
-Crush 10 ply Maple 6x14
-Trixon Birch 5.5x14
-Wuhan Traditional Cymbals
-Paiste 2002, 602,
I just bought a 14" Wuhan med-thin crash. I wanted just the "thin" version, but no one had any in stock. I tried it in practice and didnt care for the harsh sound and slightly trashy overtones. I took it off after 3 songs and planned to return it for credit. The next weekend, I had to provide the back line drums for a multi-band festival....I figured, why not let other drummers beat on the cheap Wuhan? So, I set it up along with my 16" Paiste Sig and 18" 2002 crashes. I got to listen from the audience as other drummers/bands used my kit. I was amazed at how good the Wuhan actually sounded from out in front, in the context of live music. It sounded almost identical to my 16" Paiste Sig....but louder and more cutting. Once again, it convinced me you can't accurately judge a drum or cymbal sound from behind the kit. For $40, I decided to just keep it.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
I love my 10" Wuhan splash....which is why I wanted a 14" Wuhan Thin crash. I want the bright, full wash and quick(er) decay of a splash with just a little more power than the 10" splash offers. The 14" med-thin actually offers that, but just a little too strong for low volume acoustic gigs. I'm pretty sure the actual "thin" crash will have what I'm looking for.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
Some Chinese cymbal makers (Stagg DH ) are making some very nice sounding cymbals on par with Sabian K's and Zildjian HH's.
18 in DH medium thin crash $118 bucks at GC 18in K $309 bucks.
Not super cheap ,but cheaper.
If they can get their production in line,it will be some tough competition for the big boys.
Last edited by pgm554; 07-30-2015 at 09:15 PM.
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It's a lot like drums. An Asian Maple PDP kit for $700 verses an American Maple DW kit for $3000. No doubt the DW is better sounding/quality, but at over 4x the cost, it's much pretty hard to fault the PDP's. I find it true with cars, electronics, guitars, beer, tools, frozen food..... most things; that last little extra improvement in quality or upgrade (which many people can live without) usually comes at a substantial cost. Of coarse, there's always the bottom line trash that's a complete waste of money...
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
I just bought a Kasza fusion set of hats which are B20 14" for $113 new from MF shipped.. and i totally love them. Used them to replace my paistes and am much happier...
I am pretty much don't paying for a name on a cymbal. i have friends that use Dream rides and crashes and sounds amazing for under half the cost of paying for a big name...
I've been surprised many times. I had a WUHAN china splash that I loved to death. Even when it started breaking apart still sounded awesome. Finally ordered it's replacement and I HATED it... so I put it back in the box and it has sat there ever since on a shelve. I bought the more expensive Sabian China Splash to match the rest of the kit and of course it sounded great. But at the price tag...
ha ha ha. Wonder if the fellow ever thought of buying a full set of these and putting the K's to bed for a while. Then he'd have two sets of amazing cymbals.cymbal sounds amazing but I could never put that cheap thing with my K's"
all the best...
The Agazarian splashes are also very good. I owned a 12" for a while, sounded like a 14" thin crash but took up less room. There were 3 12" splashes to pick from, all the same but all sounded completely different...one like an ozone splash almost, the one I had (very clean), and another that was super bright and higher pitched. Quality control is not their strongpoint but if you get a good one it's very nice.
Wuhan's newer series, New Traditional, is very bright in both finish and sound. The older ones are dark and trashy and would work great as effect cymbals.
Kasza hi-hats as mentioned above are a great value.
I have an 8" XingSir china splash that cost me $15 new and it sounds super cool.
But the most shocking one of all... I bought in a stack of used cymbals to sell, and one was a Camber 18" crash that the guy threw in for $5. Every Camber cymbal I've ever heard sounded like absolute garbage. This one actually sounded better than most intermediate lines. I sold it to a friend and on recordings it sounds really high quality. It has that shimmer that a lot of the nicer Paiste cymbals have. Close up there are some odd overtones if hit quietly, but in a mix or out front I was amazed. I have never seen another Camber like that one so not sure what was up with that!
I had a similar experience with a Camber 18" that came with a Mapex kit I bought for $200---I gave the other cymbals, and a 4-piece Pearl kit to my 8 year old grandson for Christmas, but I just put the Camber in the shelf. About 3-4 months later I was looking for a different sound for a new song, and decided to give it a shot---it quickly became a permanent part of my setup!
Agazarian sold by GC...have no idea in what I was told by GC sales guy to be true or not, but he said GC owns or bought into them
I received my 14" Wuhan "thin" crash today. So far, it seemed to be exactly what I wanted; a slightly louder & powerful version of my 10" splash. I'll give it live test run at band practice on Sunday.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
Agazarian, Wuhan, Istanbul, Alchemy, Kasza, etc.. Anything you hear what you like, and has a price tag you feel content with, is going to be a less costly and worthwhile investment. Personally, i'd go for an established name brand and top series in their product line but see if you can get it at a good used price, clearance, on sales, etc. That way if you ever have to sell, you'll have an item that holds value, and is better quality in the long run.
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
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i think sabian xs20s are really good for the price
Technique doesn't mean **** if you can't blast beat and spin sticks - Steve Gadd
Well Paiste's alpha series (the new one!) has some nice but some bad pieces too.
My Medium hats aren't perfectly size matched and I want to replace them cause the chick is like "booooing".
Closed they sound not too bad but aren't loud enough and powerful enough.
Am looking for some 14"-15" Paiste hats but can buy some at late September.
My favourites:
1. 14" 2002 sound edge / 14" 2002 wild
2. signature dark energy mark 1 (they were available at eBay for a very good price but someone bought them)
3. Paiste 2002 medium (they don't sound bad but not as powerful I'm looking for)
4. Paiste Alpha Sound Edge 14" (the price is very nice and the sound too but I'm worried about the "booooing" chick sound I had with the mediums).
18 and 16" medium crashes: warm, smooth sounding cymbals but not what I'm looking for.
18" rock crash: I think I'll add one to my setup.
18" metal crash: awful and too bright sounding cymbal.
24" Rock ride: so sad it isn't available anymore.
18" Rock China: bad sound but if I haven't enough money...
18" PSTX Thin crash: what a wonderful smooth China like sound.
Last edited by skills; 08-23-2015 at 04:04 AM.
Yamaha Stage Custom Birch (CR):
20,12,10 + 14x5,5" PDP Maple/Bubinga snare
Tama hardware
Remo drumheads
Paiste cymbals
I was going to buy a 12" wuhan china, loved the sound, but the guy at guitar center said it would crack within 1-2 months (return policies dont mean much when you live across the atlantic).
I bought this kit to turn into a portable kit, it came with a bunch of cymbals. Made in good old Czechoslovakia, Amati drums sound pretty good for their cheap price...anyway, in the bundle was a 17 or 18" crash ride, it sounds pretty nice i have to say. I wouldn't put it with gig cymbals, but if I had it from the beginning, I would probably not upgrade it for a while...in any case, it stays with the portable kit proudly
Yamaha DTX 500 module
Anatolian Kappadokia 14" Rock High Hats
Sabian El Sabor 20" Ride
Zildjian A 18" Crash Ride
Istanbul Agop 16" Trash Hit
1950's Zildjian 14" Splash/light crash
Istanbul 8" Splash (pre 1997)
Mapex Black Panther Steel Piccolo
1965 Premier 3 piece 10, 16, 22
Zultan Aja 10" Splash.
Thought I would update this;
I gave the "thin" crash a try at practice, then used it in an outdoor acoustic gig. I can't say I like it much. A little too dark & trashy sounding. I compared it side-by-side with and old 14" Zildjian A thin crash, and it pretty much sounds identical to the Zildjian. I don't like the Zildjian either, hence my search for a replacement, but it's hard to criticize a new $40 cymbal that sounds identical to its Zildjian A equivalent in size and weight. On the flip side, I used the 14" med-thin again at a private party gig on Saturday. Another drummer sat in for several songs and I got to listen to my kit from out front again. That Wuhan 14" med-thin sounds seriously FANTASTIC. I may pair it with the 14" thin and try them as hats as well.
This makes 3 Wuhan cymbals Ive bought sight-unseen via Internet orders (10" splash, 14" thin & 14" med-thin). Although I don't care for the 14" thin, I can't blame it on the cymbal brand, but rather on the style. I'm definitely planning on trying out more Wuhans.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
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