Cymbal brands

[Meatplow]

Hey all...this is my 1st post here. I need some advice regarding cymbal brands.

I've been using zildjian K crashes for years.The problem is that they always end up cracking. I'm not a heavy hitter even though I play on a regular basis in an ac/dc tribute band. Are there cymbal brands more resistant than zildjian or are they all the same? Thanks.

[maddrummr]

I would check your technique. K's are resilliant and shouldnt crack often. There are people here that have had K's for many many many years.

[Ozzy Biz]

Remember: Glancing sweeps, not striking through the cymbal...

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Are you striking your crashes on the edge, or on the bow?

[Skitch]

You can play a cymbal as hard the right way and never crack it! Play it the wrong way, and you will! Use an arcing or sweeping motion, never straight into the cymbal and not right into the edge.


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=drummermikemccraw
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=78564594

[Skitch]

I would check your technique. K's are resilliant and shouldnt crack often. There are people here that have had K's for many many many years.


And some of us even have all of our original splash cymbals!


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=drummermikemccraw
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=78564594

[fooleeze]

Where are they cracking? On the edge? Bow? Base of the bell?

#1: Check your sticks, are you playing with marching sticks? Because tree-trunks will break cymbals easier than smaller sticks. Would you rather be buying more sticks, or more cymbals?
#2: Check your cymbals. Are you playing with cymbals that are too thin for the music you are playing?
#3: Check your nuts (hehe), are the cymbals tightened down too much where they will not swing / sway as you hit them? They need to be able to move, or it will cause too much tension when you hit. Tight nuts (hehe) often lead to cracks in the bow and at the base of the bell, and also contribute to edge cracks.
#4: Check your technique. When your taking a swing at it, aim off to the right or left of the center when doing edge crashes, not directly in the center. Also make sure your fingers and wrists are not really tight, allow the stick to react a little to the cymbal. Otherwise you might as well strap some wood to your arm and just start hitting with your arm, which is a lot more weight than your cymbal can handle.

Ks are pretty versatile cymbals, and should not be cracking like that. Most pro-line, B20 cymbals will react the same way.

Good luck!

[tamadrummer132]

Where are they cracking? On the edge? Bow? Base of the bell?

#1: Check your sticks, are you playing with marching sticks? Because tree-trunks will break cymbals easier than smaller sticks. Would you rather be buying more sticks, or more cymbals?
#2: Check your cymbals. Are you playing with cymbals that are too thin for the music you are playing?
#3: Check your nuts (hehe), are the cymbals tightened down too much where they will not swing / sway as you hit them? They need to be able to move, or it will cause too much tension when you hit. Tight nuts (hehe) often lead to cracks in the bow and at the base of the bell, and also contribute to edge cracks.
#4: Check your technique. When your taking a swing at it, aim off to the right or left of the center when doing edge crashes, not directly in the center. Also make sure your fingers and wrists are not really tight, allow the stick to react a little to the cymbal. Otherwise you might as well strap some wood to your arm and just start hitting with your arm, which is a lot more weight than your cymbal can handle.

Ks are pretty versatile cymbals, and should not be cracking like that. Most pro-line, B20 cymbals will react the same way.

Good luck!



lol. you saying (hehe) made my day.

[fooleeze]

Thanks. I just couldn't say 'check your nuts' without some kind of sign that I recognized what I had just said.

[Meatplow]

I forgot to mention that they crack after at least a year of use. But some of you did mention that you still had your original cymbals......so....

I do have a tendency to thighten my nuts a little (hehe). I'll try to keep them loose next time i gig and see if there's a difference.

My cymbals are set up straight so i hit the edge a bit more i guess. However i hit them in different areas.

I use vic firth "rock" sticks. Not sure if those are considered as being tree trunks (LOL!!). I just feel more comfortable playing with those than smaller sticks.

As far as my technique goes, well you be the judge: www.ruffedge.com/Videos/RuffEdge_ACDC_shoot_to_thrill.wmv

Any other tips you may have are more than welcome.

Thank you all for your help.


Meat

[fusssion]

After seeing that video...you tell us why they're cracking! :)

Your cymbals (based on how you sit) are high and FLAT...very flat,....so when you watch that video....do you see the contact point of your sticks ?

Your sticks are striking your cymbals at a 90* angle...NOT GOOD ......your cymbals need to be :
1) lower
2) angled more ..see a pic of me ......I "never" break cymbals.....

p.s. In this pic I'm not at "playing position" I'm relaxed - leaned over kind of .....but you get the point...and YES, I wear ear protection! LOL :-) [the little orange things in my ears!]

[fooleeze]

Hmmm. . . it doesn't seem to me like you are really 'bashing.' Playing hard? Yeah, but not bashing. Now at the same time having the cymbals that flat is not a good thing. Do your cymbals end up breaking chunks off of your sticks? I think maybe you're hitting them too much on the edge. . .

. . . here's the stick: | Here's the cymbal ----^----

Seems like you're kinda hitting it like this:

| ----^----

When you'd be better off with something more like this:

__
----^---- (not quite that drastic, but you get the point)

Try to hit it so the angle of the stick is closer to parallel with the angle of the bow of the cymbal. You can easily help this by lowering your cymbals just a little, and angling them towards you a little.

And For your relatively hard playing, it seems like your cymbals aren't moving that much. So I would certainly try unscrewing your nuts (hehe. . . doesn't get old) a bit. And make sure you have good felts and a cymbal sleeve.

You didn't mention where your cracks are happening. Edge? Bow? Bell?

Also seemed like you were hitting them straight on quite often. So, straight on, on the edge as I illustrated above, with tight nuts ( <-- there it is again). I think these can lead to some cracks.

I think these tips will certainly extend the life of your cymbals. If you're playing rock, on a lot of gigs and practice a lot. . . eventually cracks will happen. . . but I'm talking years down the road.

[evans_69]

cymbals a bit tight i think lol....

[fooleeze]

After seeing that video...you tell us why they're cracking! :)

Your cymbals (based on how you sit) are high and FLAT...very flat,....so when you watch that video....do you see the contact point of your sticks ?

Your sticks are striking your cymbals at a 90* angle...NOT GOOD ......your cymbals need to be :
1) lower
2) angled more ..see a pic of me ......I "never" break cymbals.....

p.s. In this pic I'm not at "playing position" I'm relaxed - leaned over kind of .....but you get the point...and YES, I wear ear protection! LOL :-) [the little orange things in my ears!]

And Fusssion definately uses baseball bats as sticks, based on the hat and shirt. :) Nice kit. Oh, and nice possum on your wall, too. Ooh, is that a sweet portrait of yourself by the Possum? :)

[KCDrummer]

My roommate had the same problem--he was cracking all of his Zildjians, but he made a switch to Hand Hammered Sabians and he says they're much more durable. I think hand-hammered cymbals are generally less likely to crack.

The metal alloy also effects this. Good metal bends and flexes, cheap metal breaks. Take, for example, my Bosphorus cymbals. I have a 22" flat ride that I can bend almost into a semi-circle, yet it won't crack. .

[Meatplow]

They always crack on the edge.

I'll definitely give your tips a shot: cymbals lower and tilted slightly.... and of course keeping my nuts loose...

So i'll stick with zildjian for now.......


Your help was appreciated. Thanks guys.


Meat

[fooleeze]

If it's always the edge, on top of all of this stuff, I would at least consider slightly lighter sticks, and also pay attention to the comments about your grip. Monster Death Grip with rigid wrists are bad. Relaxed grip with a little 'give' in the wrists will work better.

And don't loosen with the nuts too much, or they might fall off when you're playing.

Sorry, was that too much?

:)

Good luck!

[masonni]

You proably don't need to lower you cymbals, but make sure you angle them more, and change the way you hit them.

I play with my crashs real high up and kind of flat, I also hit real hard, but because I glance off them when striking I don't break as many.