Winston_Wolf
Platinum Member
I think budget cymbals have their place, and with a little bit of figuring out what kind of sound you're wanting it's getting easier to put together a good sounding set of cymbals with just a little effort and a whole lot less money.
I also think that overall the level of useful noise coming out of many big companies has improved quite a bit in recent years, and the number of options from lower cost brands like Stagg, Dream, and Wuhan have opened up the sound palette beyond the typical B8 sheet bronze that was so common even 10 years ago.
But I do honestly believe even some of those low end lines like Sabian's B8Pro and Paiste's PST5 are perfectly usable and pretty decent for the price. I've owned several cymbals from both of those lines and when I wanted something bright and transparent they were perfect.
I know the "buy used pro cymbals" mantra is popular around here, but a beginner is just as likely, if not even more so, to buy a cymbal they won't like or doesn't suit their sound doing that as they are buying a beginner-level cymbal. And if they buy used they lose the option of returning it if it isn't what they want, unlike when buying a new cymbal from a dealer.
I also think that overall the level of useful noise coming out of many big companies has improved quite a bit in recent years, and the number of options from lower cost brands like Stagg, Dream, and Wuhan have opened up the sound palette beyond the typical B8 sheet bronze that was so common even 10 years ago.
But I do honestly believe even some of those low end lines like Sabian's B8Pro and Paiste's PST5 are perfectly usable and pretty decent for the price. I've owned several cymbals from both of those lines and when I wanted something bright and transparent they were perfect.
I know the "buy used pro cymbals" mantra is popular around here, but a beginner is just as likely, if not even more so, to buy a cymbal they won't like or doesn't suit their sound doing that as they are buying a beginner-level cymbal. And if they buy used they lose the option of returning it if it isn't what they want, unlike when buying a new cymbal from a dealer.