fourstringdrums
02-09-2007, 09:18 PM
Well only a week after Jamie received the cymbal I traded in, I have my first Saluda Crash!
This cymbal is unique in that it has a finish I don't think he's done before on a Mist-X. Basically it is a black Earthworks finish on a Mist-X cymbal. As you can see by the pictures there are alot of browns and darker colors, with a mix of some other subtly colors, blue, green, purple. You'll notice too that under the engraved Saluda logo on the front there is a line that goes around the cymbal. Looks wise it is pretty unique, but I'll have to ask Jamie what it does for the sound.
http://www.handidrummed.com/17misttop.jpg
http://www.handidrummed.com/17mistbottom.jpg
So sound wise, what do I think? Well first, I'm a very hard person to describe the sound I'm looking for. I have quite a few different sounds that I hear in my head, a mix of all different things. I like darker, dryer cymbals, I like a touch of brightness for cut and stick definition. I also like my cymbals to have some character and slight trash to them. When I ordered it I basically said I wanted something like a Sabian HHXtreme crash, but not so harsh with as quick of a decay. I said I wanted a crash that is darker, with a touch of dryness, a bit more sustain and some trashiness like the HHXtreme. I also wanted it to have a good clear bell and decent stick definition. At first when I took it out of the box, held it up by my index finger and played it, I wasn't sure if I liked it. I felt the same way after I put it on the stand and played for a minute or two. I felt that it had kind of gongyness to it, and more high end. But, I knew that like alot Saluda cymbals, they sweeten over time, and alot of people have said that they had to let theirs grow on them a bit. So I kept an open mind. I also had to keep in mind that, in my mind while I knew I wanted the cymbal to be have the qualities of a particular crash, I wanted something alittle different too. I also had to remember that I've played only a 19" crash for the last year and a half, so anything smaller was going to sound odd to me. I continued to play longer, comparing it to my 19" HHXtreme Crash and seeing how it blended and anazlying mentally all the sound qualities that this crash had. After about a half hour it started sinking in a bit, this crash I think is what I was looking for. It has a great, clear bell for a crash, with nice stick definition that is pretty clear up near the bell and opens up as you cross that accent line and get closer to the edge of the cymbal. It's definately a cutting cymbal, about as loud as I thought my HHXtreme was when I first got it. It does have a subtle dry, trashy sound, and while you can tell that this cymbal is a different model completely next to my 19" HHXtreme, it fits with it pretty well I think.
I made a quick MP3 of the crash. I also used my 19" HHXtreme while playing to show how they fit together even though there is a contrast. The audio isn't the absolute best, as I just used my digital camera mic, but I still think it sounds pretty good on the recording, although the little subtleties in the tone didn't come through as much.
www.handidrummed.com/17mist2.mp3
I'll continue to play it through the weekend and see how the sound progresses, but I think I will be shipping it back along with my HHX's in trade to have a full set of cymbals made and have this crash matched up with the set.
This cymbal is unique in that it has a finish I don't think he's done before on a Mist-X. Basically it is a black Earthworks finish on a Mist-X cymbal. As you can see by the pictures there are alot of browns and darker colors, with a mix of some other subtly colors, blue, green, purple. You'll notice too that under the engraved Saluda logo on the front there is a line that goes around the cymbal. Looks wise it is pretty unique, but I'll have to ask Jamie what it does for the sound.
http://www.handidrummed.com/17misttop.jpg
http://www.handidrummed.com/17mistbottom.jpg
So sound wise, what do I think? Well first, I'm a very hard person to describe the sound I'm looking for. I have quite a few different sounds that I hear in my head, a mix of all different things. I like darker, dryer cymbals, I like a touch of brightness for cut and stick definition. I also like my cymbals to have some character and slight trash to them. When I ordered it I basically said I wanted something like a Sabian HHXtreme crash, but not so harsh with as quick of a decay. I said I wanted a crash that is darker, with a touch of dryness, a bit more sustain and some trashiness like the HHXtreme. I also wanted it to have a good clear bell and decent stick definition. At first when I took it out of the box, held it up by my index finger and played it, I wasn't sure if I liked it. I felt the same way after I put it on the stand and played for a minute or two. I felt that it had kind of gongyness to it, and more high end. But, I knew that like alot Saluda cymbals, they sweeten over time, and alot of people have said that they had to let theirs grow on them a bit. So I kept an open mind. I also had to keep in mind that, in my mind while I knew I wanted the cymbal to be have the qualities of a particular crash, I wanted something alittle different too. I also had to remember that I've played only a 19" crash for the last year and a half, so anything smaller was going to sound odd to me. I continued to play longer, comparing it to my 19" HHXtreme Crash and seeing how it blended and anazlying mentally all the sound qualities that this crash had. After about a half hour it started sinking in a bit, this crash I think is what I was looking for. It has a great, clear bell for a crash, with nice stick definition that is pretty clear up near the bell and opens up as you cross that accent line and get closer to the edge of the cymbal. It's definately a cutting cymbal, about as loud as I thought my HHXtreme was when I first got it. It does have a subtle dry, trashy sound, and while you can tell that this cymbal is a different model completely next to my 19" HHXtreme, it fits with it pretty well I think.
I made a quick MP3 of the crash. I also used my 19" HHXtreme while playing to show how they fit together even though there is a contrast. The audio isn't the absolute best, as I just used my digital camera mic, but I still think it sounds pretty good on the recording, although the little subtleties in the tone didn't come through as much.
www.handidrummed.com/17mist2.mp3
I'll continue to play it through the weekend and see how the sound progresses, but I think I will be shipping it back along with my HHX's in trade to have a full set of cymbals made and have this crash matched up with the set.