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Thread: Another newbie gettting educated

  1. #1

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    Default Another newbie gettting educated

    so I got my first kit 3 months ago and my cmbals are a mish-mash of bronze bottom-feeders, literally the cheapest stuff I can find used locally. I had been feeling like my hi-hats (14" Meinl Meteor), slapsh (10" ZBT) and ride (20" Planet Z) are passable, but the crash is noticeably lousy (16" Meinl Meteor). It sounds better loud, but still not nice.

    Saturday I went to a shop that sells lots of used stuff for cheap, not knowing what I want. The owner is a long time dummer and spent about 30 minutes with me and we went through the ~40 cymbals he had on the wall. Then he remembers "oh I got one more in the back".

    He brings out this 15" Sabian AAX Studio and it was like angels singing compared to the other stuff he had. Hit soft or hard, it responds with a tasteful, refined "aaahh" without weird overtones. A tad bit more money than I was planning to spend than when I walked in, but still reasonable. A local seller had one for $10 less but I got to compare and chat with a much more knowldegeable dude, so I feel good about it.

    I already knew from playing with other drummers that good cymbals make a big difference but it was really fun to hear for myself in person.

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Another newbie gettting educated

    Hey Natman we all at one time or another where in your boots man. I mean most of us started with the lowest grade cymbals etc. As we got better then we started changing and getting more higher quality gear. We learned from watching other drummers and the sound they have that made it a bit easier and understanding of what new or used gear to look for. It is a learning experience but once you have found all the gear that make you and your kit sound good then you will be fully satisfied. Good luck mon ami.

  3. #3

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    Soon you will probably want to upgrade the rest of your cymbals too. Once you improve and hear all the sounds that are out there, bad cymbals really start to sound worse. The AAX Studio crashes are very bright and clean sounding cymbals, good for a lot of styles.

  4. #4

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    When I first started playing drums I had a rental kit. It had solar hi hats and an 18" planet z crash/ride. I thought they sounded great! When I got my first kit, the original owner had the same planet z, and planet z hi hats. Bent like nothing. Looking back, those cymbals were great for me, but when I saw what real cymbals were, I knew it was time to upgrade.

    Don't rush to upgrade because you can find some amazing used stuff for cheap. I found a Sabian HH ride for a fraction of the price in mint condition.
    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    There is intelligent life out there. The problem is that there isn't any here.

    -Mike

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Another newbie gettting educated

    AAX are nice,its good you bought the one you tried out and liked because the exact same cymbal your local seller has may no sound exactly the same.I once tried two hh raw bell dry rides side by side,one was a little thicker and the lathing was a little different and the sound was noticeably different.

    I have AAX studio hats which i love,I tried hhx hats,hh hats,new beats,a custom, and these just sound so clean but not too thin or too thick
    Mike
    Last edited by myk; 07-25-2016 at 05:53 PM.

  6. #6

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    Good for you.
    As you now know, cymbals are waaaaay more important than drums.
    It goes in this order: cymbals - heads - pedals - hair gel - hot girlfriend - drums.
    But drums get all the love cos they're big and shiny.
    And we're, like, drummers.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by FlayOtters View Post
    Good for you.
    As you now know, cymbals are waaaaay more important than drums.
    It goes in this order: cymbals - heads - pedals - hair gel - hot girlfriend - drums.
    But drums get all the love cos they're big and shiny.
    And we're, like, drummers.
    Now that's funny, right there. True, painfully, but very funny. Thanks for the belly buster.
    Signature here

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by FlayOtters View Post
    Good for you.
    As you now know, cymbals are waaaaay more important than drums.
    It goes in this order: cymbals - heads - pedals - hair gel - hot girlfriend - drums.
    But drums get all the love cos they're big and shiny.
    And we're, like, drummers.
    That's very true. You can make a cheap drum sound pretty decent with good heads and proper tuning, but a cheap cymbal will always sound like a cheap cymbal. Now as far as hair gel, some of us no longer have any use for that (notice my profile picture).
    Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam
    "I shall either find a way or make one"

  9. #9

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    I've found good drums highly pleasant and easy to work with. If a drum isn't true, well edged, and outfitted with solid workable hardware no head will help.
    That said, crappy cymbals can indeed ruin the sound of an otherwise nice kit.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by FlayOtters View Post
    Good for you.
    As you now know, cymbals are waaaaay more important than drums.
    It goes in this order: cymbals - heads - pedals - hair gel - hot girlfriend - drums.
    But drums get all the love cos they're big and shiny.
    And we're, like, drummers.
    Good one! I am starting to believe this is all true. Hey thanks for making a new guy feel welcome. Not every forum is like that.

  11. #11

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    yeah cymbals are EXTREMELY important. I'd rather have a great set of cymbals and a crappy kit then an awesome kit with crappy cymbals.

    I can at least tune the bass drum / snare drum to be semi decent on a crappy kit but you can't adjust or tune a cymbal...

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Powertrip240 View Post
    You can make a cheap drum sound pretty decent with good heads and proper tuning, but a cheap cymbal will always sound like a cheap cymbal.
    This is even more true today than it was when I started buying drums.
    I have made it a top priority to always buy very good cymbals.
    And I like to have many options as well.
    Gretsch USA & Zildjian
    (What Else Would I Ever Need ?)


  13. #13

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    I could be way out here, but I think our ears open up to the sounds of cymbals almost immediately where as we may have to really play a while to get good drum sounds. My first set was a MIJ special which I didn't think sounded bad at the time, but the cymbals that came with it...man, were they crappo! My first step towards a half decent cymbal was a 20" ZYN ride with rivets. While it was nothing to write home about either, it just took the sound of everything up a small notch immediately.

    all the best...

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Natman View Post
    Good one! I am starting to believe this is all true. Hey thanks for making a new guy feel welcome. Not every forum is like that.
    But this is not every forum

  15. #15

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    Another thing to consider, don't go selling off cymbals as you replace them, at least not all of them...if you can afford to hang onto a couple that you like currently. Sometimes you might find that some cymbals that you really like the sound of in one room sound completely different in another room, or outdoors.

    I have an two 18" cymbals, and old Zyldjian that I set up every time, and a Paiste that I won't use indoors, but on any of my outdoor gigs it sounds pretty darned good. Most of the clubs where I play, my 16's get the bulk of the work, and the 18" Zildjian barely gets used but for the biggest sounding sections of songs. I often set up a 14" Zildjian for my indoor gigs, but it gets completely lost outdoors, so it stays in the bag.

    Can you tell I recently played three outdoor gigs in a row?

    Even primarily indoors, some cymbals just sound different in certain rooms. The primary place I buy my cymbals from, I take one of my 16"s that I use often to use as a benchmark, so I can try and guess how stuff is gonna really sound when I'm out playing. That's how I ended up with the afforementioned Paiste, it sounded great when I tried it out before buying it, but in some of my regular gigs it all-of-a-sudden didn't sound nearly as good.

    Buying and swapping cymbals is fun, tho. Good luck on your journey.

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by pcs90 View Post
    Soon you will probably want to upgrade the rest of your cymbals too. Once you improve and hear all the sounds that are out there, bad cymbals really start to sound worse. The AAX Studio crashes are very bright and clean sounding cymbals, good for a lot of styles.
    Already on it. It seriously is fun scouring the classifieds like a madman. I'd really like to complete an all AAX set.

    I grabbed 13" AAX Studio hats yesterday and dig them a lot. The high end sound is right there with the 15" crash. Now I have a bead on the 8" splash and trying to land a ride for a good price. Hey I'm just following your advice!

    On a side note, my mounted toms are tuned a major 3rd apart and my 2 crashes happen to be also. Not only is that a weird coincidence, but the pitches match the toms almost perfectly. It makes me not want to change the 18" Meinl Meteor because it contrasts nicely with the 15 AAX. If the Meteor is a blue collar sledge hammer, the AAX would be a surgeon driving a BMW.

    I find my 10" splash sustains too long; I want a smaller one to dry it up, maybe a small china too for accents (not gong-like).
    Last edited by Natman; 07-29-2016 at 07:06 AM.

  17. #17

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    Congrats..............scouring the ads for used cymbals is fun...........and I've scored some great deals over the last 30 years. Just be patient and you will find great deals out there

    Welcome to DC

  18. #18

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    I have a 14" AAX studio crash and it sounds great. This is the first Sabian cymbal I owned. Keep searching those ads/ websites for affordable gear. Lots of good deals out there also check pawn shops, flea markets, local music stores, vintage/antique stores, and finally the GC's and Ash's.

  19. #19

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    Long before I started I spent much time in drum forums so I had a bit general knowledge that stopped me from buying crappy cymbals but this was only developed during the years, when I imagine I had enough money to buy directly I would have ended up with a Millennium kit and some Meinl HCS, so sometimes it is good if you have to wait and save first.


    Before I had my own kit I played on a lot of crappy kits and discovered my love to Yamaha Drums and my love for PAISTE Cymbals.


    Yamaha manufactures great sounding drums to really good prices.


    And paiste's are very cool, because all cymbals are sound matched within a series and a model, so you'll always get the perfect match to your current cymbals.



    i play a Yamaha stage custom birch kit with PAISTE 2002's
    Yamaha Stage Custom Birch (CR):
    20,12,10 + 14x5,5" PDP Maple/Bubinga snare
    Tama hardware
    Remo drumheads
    Paiste cymbals

  20. #20

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    I might as well follow up on this thread since it started with my revelation about the AAX Studio 15. Since that time, I bought the 8" AAX splash, a 15" AAX-Treme china and most recently an 18" Studio crash. I was stoked and thought for sure I would love it as a big brother. When I got home, I realized that it was a Natural finish while my 15" is brilliant. I was a bit surprised to hear the difference between them. The 18 has a higher fundamental pitch, more zing in the high overtones and a fair bit more volume and longer sustain. It rides very nice for a thinner change from my real ride. I will probably keep it and get good use out of it, but I still prefer the 15 (from behind the kit). If I had to pick just one, it would be the 15 hands down. I can't help but wonder if a brilliant 18 would be more to my liking? Oddly I did not like the sound of the 18 in online samples, sounds better in person IMO.
    Last edited by Natman; 08-22-2016 at 07:43 AM.
    Taye Tourperformer, PDP Hammered bronze snare, 15" Diril Primitive hats, 17" XPlosion, 10" duo splash, 15" Xtreme china, 22" HHX Omni, 7" cup chime, Yamaha 9415 w. Vickicks

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