Nice Cymbals as a Beginner - Yes or no?

D

DefaultUsername

Junior Member
So I just started drumming about 6 weeks ago and so far I've been loving it. However, my cymbals aren't very good, especially my hi hats. I got my kit used and it came with a sabian b8 crash and sabian solar hi hats (13" brass ones). My friend who is also a drummer is letting me use his old ride, a Zildjian ZHT 20", until I can buy my own.

My cymbals are alright for now but they aren't very good and I'd like to get new ones. I'm looking at getting a mixture of Sabian XSR and AAX cymbals (I know the XSR line isn't 'pro' but I like the hats and ride on that line better than any AAX ones and they're all about $100-150 cheaper). But here's the problem...

I'm 16 so I have to save money from my job to buy cymbals or ask for them as a christmas present which makes it impossible for me to afford stuff like the HHX line and also makes dropping $200+ on one cymbal a big deal. On top of that, I have to share my drum set with my 9 year old brother who started learning after me, and I'm really apprehensive about spending money on nice cymbals if he will use them too. I'm also going to be going to college in 2 years and might not be able to take my drum set with me which also makes me a bit apprehensive about buying cymbals.

So what do you guys think? Based on my situation, should I wait until I've been playing longer to get some, especially expensive cymbals? Should I be worried about my brother using them if I do buy them? I'm mostly confident I'm going to keep drumming but I don't want to jump the gun on a big purchase.
 
You're being wise. I've learned over the years that cheaping out is a waste of time. Get the best you can as soon as you can.

I don't see anything wrong with XSR. They sound fine to me. Same with Paiste PST 7 and Zildjian S. I'd gig them.

If you have a local shop that has them, check out Sabian SR2. They're very individual, because they're refurbished pro-line Sabians. But there are some real gems to be found in that line.

Don't be afraid to buy used. Trawl your local online and other classifieds. Check the music stores nearby. You can often find real treasures used. If you *do* find an interesting item on Craigslist or something, take your drum teacher (or a knowledgeable drummer friend) along with you to help you learn to assess used gear.

In the meantime, make music, have fun, and be awesome. :)

P.S. Welcome to Drummerworld!
 
Get the best you can - first and foremost!!

Let your little brother use the cheap crap.

What type of music are you into? That helps narrow down (a bit) what type of cymbals you may need or want.

Be patient when searching used and don't be afraid to take back what doesn't work - don't try to shoe horn the wrong sound into the mix just because you bought it. Buy with you ears, not your eyes.
 
My advice.

Get a Zildjian A390 boxed set. New or used. They'll do exactly what you need for the first two years, possibly more. You'll eventually figure out which direction you're going to go cymbal wise, or just get an itch to try a different set. You can usually recoup 60-70% on a set when selling.
 
I can't give you any better advice than what has been already given to you. Another good brand is Saluda. They have a wide variety of cymbals that are less expensive than pro cymbals from other major brands. Like the XSR's.

One more thing, learn how to hit a cymbal properly and teach your brother the same thing, because no, they are not cheap. I have to buy new cymbals on payment plans myself. I can't just plop down two fifty just like that. But my cymbals last a lifetime because I hit them properly with good technique.
 
DefaultUsername said:
So what do you guys think? Based on my situation, should I wait until I've been playing longer to get some, especially expensive cymbals? Should I be worried about my brother using them if I do buy them? I'm mostly confident I'm going to keep drumming but I don't want to jump the gun on a big purchase.
Click to expand...

You sound like you're ready to make the commitment to being a better player. Having bad cymbals is detrimental to this because most of your experience will be gained playing with others, so you must have good sounding instruments. When I was a kid (your age, but I started when I was actually 7 or 8), there were student cymbals, but your only real choice back then were either Zildjian A's, or Paiste 2002's. Mom and dad got me into Zildjian A's based on a musical uncle's recommendation and I had 14" New Beats and a 20" crash/ride to get started.

Beginner cymbals are ok for a purpose, but you start playing with others and there's a certain acceptable sound you must have, and I haven't heard any beginner cymbals get anywhere near that sound. Go get real cymbals.
 
mmulcahy1 said:
What type of music are you into? That helps narrow down (a bit) what type of cymbals you may need or want.
Click to expand...

I like metal a lot, but I really doubt I'll be able to play a lot of the songs I like for a long while. I'm fairly confident that I like the sound of all the cymbals I'm looking at. I'm looking at the Sabian XSR rock hats and rock ride (the rock ride is my favorite ride I've heard besides the HH powerbell which I'm not getting cause it's $490) the AAX 16 & 18 inch crashes plus the 14" mini china, and lastly the AA 19" holy china. These are all cymbals that I know I like the sound of.

As for buying used, where exactly should I look for used cymbals? I got my drums off of craigslist and I've been keeping an eye on there looking for cymbals but I haven't found any so far.

Thank you guys for all the advice!
 
DefaultUsername said:
As for buying used, where exactly should I look for used cymbals? I got my drums off of craigslist and I've been keeping an eye on there looking for cymbals but I haven't found any so far.
Click to expand...

Few tips....

1: Go to guitar center's site, type the make/model, then click the "used" checkbox. Example

2: Goto eBay, search "cymbal", sort by ending soonest, set a price limit of $100, find good stuff and snipe it.

3: When searching/buying used, "Symbols", "Simbals", and"Cimballs" are usually much cheaper than "Cymbals", and maintain the same quality. Much like "Remo Ambassador" and "Weathermaster student snare drum" ads are cheaper than "Ludwig Supraphonic LM-402"
 
Hi DefaultUserName and welcome to DW. You could go to the cymbal manufacturer's web-site and some have sound files that you listen too and down load them. Paiste sight has a sound file for every make and model that they produce. As others have said GC, Ebay also try SamAsh web sight and other music store web-sites for used and new cymbals. Also sign for news letter and special offers like SamAsh and Cascio Interstatemusic. Interstatemusic has free shipping and specials of 5-20% almost every week or two. www.interstatemusic.com , www.samash.com, www.sweetwater.com or www.explorersdrums.com just to name a few.

Your friend, Force3005


EDIT: Look at Paste's PST7 and compare them with 2002. If you like the 2002 let's say 17" crash then try looking at a PST18" in the sound files. From what I found is that if you like the 2002 find the next size up PST7. The PST7 rides are just o.k. IMO
 
Last edited:
Definetly check out the used market. that may look a lot different than in my area, so it's hard to be specific. Around here I'd start askingaround, lookin old school band closets etc...

I did, have money for many cymbals when I started out. Still don't. I have a reasonably big 9 cymbals setup, but it hasn't changed much for a long time.

Basically, what I did is I got hats, a crash and a ride first. Just for practice I'd use anything in that other spot just to have something there. (There's always some crappy old cymbal lying around somewhere. I'd even ask the music teacher at your school.) Then I just saved up and got most of the rest.

Only thing I advice against, unless you really have to, is buying cheap cymbals new. They're generally not very good and you'll usually find better stuff used for close to the same price.
 
When I was your age I saved up for one good cymbal at a time, starting with a 16" Thin Crash. I could live with cheap hats and ride, but my clangy crash really irritated me. Over time I built up a set of A Zildjians - some new, some second hand, which I kept for many years.
 
Every time you strike a bad cymbal its like a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. Wait...maybe that's when you blow up a planet.

As someone posted earlier, I can give you no better advice than what has already been presented by other members so far, and sounds like you have a good idea of what to do to reach your goal.

Bad cymbals can discourage an up and coming player quicker than anything. You can make a cheap drum set sound better (not great, but better) with good heads and tuning, but you can't make a bad cymbal sound better other than replace it with a decent cymbal. You can drill all the holes you want, add rivets, add chains, and (God forbid) add duct tape, but in the end you won't improve the sound.
 
At 16 years old you should really have good cymbals. As Bo said, you want stuff good enough where you can play with other people. At your age I had Zildjian A cymbals and Pearl Export drums. Kamak gave you some great advice about buying used. Guitar Center has some very good deals to be had on used cymbals. You just need to factor in tax and shipping to their prices. An example; I just grabbed a 17" AAX Dark Crash off there for $65 + tax and shipping came to a total of $84.
 
Thank you for your advice guys - I managed to find a new crash and ride that I like for a good price used. I'll continue to keep an eye out for good deals on used cymbals and I'll keep on saving up and buying one good cymbal at a time.
 
Hey Default, congratulations on your pick-ups. What type or make are they? Remember that you like them (sound) that's all that counts. Have fun playing.
 
Two Meinl classics custom extreme metal cymbals, the 20" ride and 18" crash. It'll be nice to replace my ZHT ride and add another crash to my kit.
 
DefaultUsername said:
So I just started drumming about 6 weeks ago and so far I've been loving it. However, my cymbals aren't very good, especially my hi hats. I got my kit used and it came with a sabian b8 crash and sabian solar hi hats (13" brass ones). My friend who is also a drummer is letting me use his old ride, a Zildjian ZHT 20", until I can buy my own.

My cymbals are alright for now but they aren't very good and I'd like to get new ones. I'm looking at getting a mixture of Sabian XSR and AAX cymbals (I know the XSR line isn't 'pro' but I like the hats and ride on that line better than any AAX ones and they're all about $100-150 cheaper). But here's the problem...

I'm 16 so I have to save money from my job to buy cymbals or ask for them as a christmas present which makes it impossible for me to afford stuff like the HHX line and also makes dropping $200+ on one cymbal a big deal. On top of that, I have to share my drum set with my 9 year old brother who started learning after me, and I'm really apprehensive about spending money on nice cymbals if he will use them too. I'm also going to be going to college in 2 years and might not be able to take my drum set with me which also makes me a bit apprehensive about buying cymbals.

So what do you guys think? Based on my situation, should I wait until I've been playing longer to get some, especially expensive cymbals? Should I be worried about my brother using them if I do buy them? I'm mostly confident I'm going to keep drumming but I don't want to jump the gun on a big purchase.
Click to expand...

Get used zildjian A cymbals. They cover every genre

Turkish cymbals are great too.

You'll probably wanna start with cymbals that are versatile simply because you're likely still developing your music taste.

I'm still developing mine. Though I have a good sense of what it is, I still use turks and zildjian A's.

Used old paiste's are very good too. (those turkish ones)
 
Midnite Zephyr said:
One more thing, learn how to hit a cymbal properly and teach your brother the same thing, because no, they are not cheap. I have to buy new cymbals on payment plans myself. I can't just plop down two fifty just like that. But my cymbals last a lifetime because I hit them properly with good technique.
Click to expand...

Can't stress this enough myself!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top