wuhan chinas

[bmeat]

hey guys. im sure this has been brought up so many times, but i was looking into selling my 16" zbt china for a wuhan china, becuase the zbt china is not thrashy enough.

currently my cymbal sizes are 14" hats, 16" crash, 18" crash, 20" ride and the 16" china that im trying to get rid of.

i was wondering how different a 14" and a 16" wuhan china would sound, which would sound/be better for my kit. would the 16" sound any better, or just be louder? theyre basically identically priced.

also do wuhan chinas break any faster than a starter zbt/b8 china? thanks

[Boom]

Are you located near any guitar centers? They have the wuhan chinas under a proprietary name "Agazarian" (spelling?). They are the wuhans with just a different stamp. And my local store always has a 16 and 18 in stock. So you could go in and hit them and listen.

I think the 18 sounds more like a china and prefer that one to the 16, but that is personal taste. I haven't found the wuhans to break that much easier. I've been horrible on cymbals for years and so far the wuhan has lasted me the past year.

You really should try to hear the cymbal. If you could take your current one in, you can set it up next to the wuhan on a kit at the store and play both to hear the difference.

I like them though. Great price for a very good sounding cymbal. There are definitely people that think those chinas sound as good as any. And man are they inexpensive.

good luck!

[bmeat]

i went and they didnt have the 14" i liked how the 16" and 18" sounded, but im wondering if the 14" will sound as good as the 16", worse, better. i mean the 16" is more expensive than the 14" for a reason right?

[DrumEatDrum]

In my opinion , if this is going to be your only china, get at least the 16", preferably an 18".

A 14" is more a specialty sound; more of an over-sized splash effect.

[Aicdrummer]

I have a wuhan 16 inch and it is amazing. Just a nice trashy sound. And VERY cheap

[simmsdn]

The bigger the Wuhan, the better. Go 18" minimum. I play a 19", but wouldn't hesitate using a 20" or 22".

Personal opinion and experience, Wuhan last longer than any Zildjian China I've ever owned. The 19" K China was the best cymbal I've probably ever owned, but it developed a nasty crack. The 19" Wuhan keeps kicking.

[makinao]

Wuhans are usually thin, so they can break if you hit them too hard. But they are usually so loud and trashy that you don't have to. I have a 16" and 18" Stagg Traditional (which is a Wuhan in sheeps clothing). The 16 is good for fast accents, and the 18 has a nice swell. My next target is a 22", which unfortunately is not carried by the stores in my country.

When you're ready to choose, have the store bring out all the ones they have and choose the one you want. Wuhans (like most b20 cymbals) are notorious for inconsistency. There are no "bad" ones though, just those you like and those you dont.

[bmeat]

thanks guys! probably gonna snag a 16", or maybe the 18" since you guys say the 14" will sound too much like an accent cymbal. it is going to be my main and only china

would i be silly to buy it off amazon without inspecting it first? i dont have a guitarcenter or samash nearby where i can pick one

plus the one i have now is a 16" and its more than loud enough for my basement haha. i figured my hi-hats were 14" and they sound nice, and loud enough, so why wouldnt a 14" china?

[John T]

I use a 14 and 22 wuhan chinas, chalk and cheese but love them both!
14 is very fast and bright, like breaking glass, great for accents and surprisingly loud for a small affect cym.
My 22" is a beast of a china, dark and complex great for big comedowns and wash riding and just fits my hardcase! Takes a stern beating too, that one and have gigged with them both for a year or so with no issues.
Had a 16" a while ago but not as suitable for my ear and style as the two above. For what its worth they are as good as any high end china on the market and a fraction of the cost (only my opinion).

[jakester]

if you take your old china to guitar center they will buy it from you and also give you 10% off
http://gc.guitarcenter.com/tradeup/index-10.cfm

[DrumEatDrum]

Originally Posted by bmeat

would i be silly to buy it off amazon without inspecting it first? i dont have a guitarcenter or samash nearby where i can pick one

Because of the way they made, there are HUGE variations between each Wuhan china cymbal.

If you had 10 of the same sized all lined up, all 10 would sound different. I highly recommend NOT buying on one and testing them out in person.

[John T]

When i bought my 14" we had 4 of them on stands they were all completely different.

[bmeat]

Originally Posted by John T

I use a 14 and 22 wuhan chinas, chalk and cheese but love them both!
14 is very fast and bright, like breaking glass, great for accents and surprisingly loud for a small affect cym.
My 22" is a beast of a china, dark and complex great for big comedowns and wash riding and just fits my hardcase! Takes a stern beating too, that one and have gigged with them both for a year or so with no issues.
Had a 16" a while ago but not as suitable for my ear and style as the two above. For what its worth they are as good as any high end china on the market and a fraction of the cost (only my opinion).

why didnt you like the 16"?

im either getting a 14 or 16, so youd say 14>16?

wish they didnt all sound different. i guess im gonna have to take that trip or just order from amazon and hope for the best

[John T]

As already suggested it would be a very wise move to go listen in the flesh because of the huge difference in sound.
I made the mistake of not hearing my 16" before i bought it off E-bay.

[bmeat]

so my wuhan china arrived today. it has some damage to the face of the cymbal, like minor kinfe wounds. is this normal?

also the cymbal doesnt lay flat becuase the hole is tilted one way. is there anyway to fix this?

besides these two things, they cymbal sounds great. very quick and thrashy

[makinao]

The off center hole is not unusual. No problem.

The "knife wounds" are not unheard of. If it affects your confidence in it, ask for a replacement. But if the sound is irresistable, keep and enjoy it. I kept my shallow wounded 16" Stagg Traditional because it sounded perfect. I figured if it breaks, its so ridiculously cheap I can just get another one.

[bmeat]

Originally Posted by makinao

The off center hole is not unusual. No problem.

The "knife wounds" are not unheard of. If it affects your confidence in it, ask for a replacement. But if the sound is irresistable, keep and enjoy it. I kept my shallow wounded 16" Stagg Traditional because it sounded perfect. I figured if it breaks, its so ridiculously cheap I can just get another one.

yeah, it sounds great, i dont want to risk returning it for a different one. how can i fix the hole so it will stay flat while mounted upside down? i banged on it with a rubber mallet and it didnt work

[bmeat]

i dont really want to buy something else just to hold my china lol.
thats the most brilliant thing too those springs ive never seen them before.

i bought some rings like that for my drums too and i hated how they made them sound from the start. just waited for new heads instead

do you guys really think this china sounds that bad? i had an 18" zbt but it was just too loud for my basement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR9f4p8f7JE

the wuhan is not too loud for my basement, but im not sure which sound i like better and plus the zildjian sits nice :)

[Luke50001]

I think Wuhan chinas sound pretty sweet. Well not sweet in that way, but I like them. They are not sweet at all. They are trashy, quick, great china sound in my opinion.

As to their durability, I can see how they might break relatively easily. They seem kinda thin and malleable. But for the price... what have got to lose??

I'll stand by my 18" Wuhan China. At least until I can afford to upgrade to Paiste :P

But that's only for my OCD. I love the Wuhan.

[bmeat]

what do you guys think about this china? i think it sounds between trash and swell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR9f4p8f7JE


bad, good? better or worse than wuhan?

[bmeat]

ive been listening to some sound clips and the zbt china doesnt sound much different than a k or a "high" china. what gives?

[Luke50001]

Originally Posted by bmeat

what do you guys think about this china? i think it sounds between trash and swell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR9f4p8f7JE


bad, good? better or worse than wuhan?

I prefer the wuhan honestly. But I am more into the trash sound. It's just got a trashy aggressive kang to it.

[notfuzzi]

Those small chinas just seem so glassy to me. I like a deeper tone but it all comes down to personal preference. I have a 19" Sabian prototype cymbal which is very close to the paragon line, which is a favorite among a bunch of users here.

[Netz Ausg]

Originally Posted by bmeat

i mean the 16" is more expensive than the 14" for a reason right?

Dude - have you not noticed that in all cases - bigger cymbals within the same range as smaller ones are more expensive. More bronze, more work to make, more shipping costs (etc...). It's more expensive because it's a bigger cymbal.

Also - be careful banging your cymbals with rubber mallets to alter them with some considered experience. You can dramatically alter the sound of a cymbal by changing its shape in any way.

[bmeat]

i understand the wuhan is made of a more expenisve material, but right now i have my friends wuhan and my friends zbt china.

im actually liking the more musical sound of the zbt. why do people hate on the zbt china so much? to me it sounds similiar to the zildjian a or k "high" china.


would a 16" or 18" zbt sound more trashy, becuase i like the trashiness, but i also like the musical sound the zildjian has, especially when i mute it.

what do you guys think? better or worse sounding than a wuhan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7amwhdb5mE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR9f4p8f7JE (condenser mic)

wuhan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrJC4HpRBcs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFmtYSyEoQs (condenser mic, kids hella good as well)

[makinao]

Originally Posted by bmeat

im actually liking the more musical sound of the zbt. why do people hate on the zbt china so much? to me it sounds similiar to the zildjian a or k "high" china.

Is this based on youtube clips, or actual personal experience?

[bmeat]

Originally Posted by makinao

Is this based on youtube clips, or actual personal experience?

personal experience. i have both in my basement right now, a 16" wuhan and my friends 18" zbt china. the 18" is just much too loud, but besides that it sounds nice, except when playing fast on it.

i cant decide which i like better

would the 16" zbt be anymore trashier? becuase i wouldnt buy a 18", its too loud

[bmeat]

scratch that. anyone know if the wuhan crashes/hi-hats/ride are better than the zbtz?

i heard my friends B8 ride yesterday. it was an older b8 rock ride, not very musical at all.

he also had older 16" zbt crash and a zbt ride. they sounded great, same quality as my newer zbts, but the sound behind them is much different. the older zbts were very gongy and natural sounding
'
im wondering if the wuhan cymbals sound nice. thinking about trading in my zbts for them. wish i knew they had a "traditional" 3 pack before i bought my cymbals

i also got to play on his premier drum kit. it was nice it was older and had a wood finsh. the drums sounded like they had so much more power, like a set made for donkey kong. the snare also had a lot of attack and it felt more like heavy wood and less like plastic. hoping to get a silverstar sometime soon if i can

[Luke50001]

Originally Posted by bmeat

scratch that. anyone know if the wuhan crashes/hi-hats/ride are better than the zbtz?

i heard my friends B8 ride yesterday, and although it looked like a much older model, my zbt ride sounds SO much nicer than it.

im wondering if the wuhan cymbals sound nice. thinking about trading in my zbts for them. wish i knew they had a "traditional" 3 pack before i bought my cymbals

I haven't heard the wuhan cymbals besides the china. But I've heard my bud's old zbt's. They were dreadful.. more so than the Sabian B8's I started out with in my opinion. I've heard good thing's about the wuhan's sound, but not to their durability.

[bmeat]

Originally Posted by Luke50001

I haven't heard the wuhan cymbals besides the china. But I've heard my bud's old zbt's. They were dreadful.. more so than the Sabian B8's I started out with in my opinion. I've heard good thing's about the wuhan's sound, but not to their durability.

just the chinas, or also the crashes/ride/hats?

[bmeat]

i went with a 16" china. she sounds amazing. first one i got the bell was hammered real crooked and it wouldnt sit up at all. i exchanged it and got one that sounds identical that sits up better. the hole is offset, and it still doesnt sit flat, but its no where near as bad as the first one. i think the hole needs to be offset on these things or else they wont sit correctly. the other hole was dead center and it was almost sideways lol

thinking about switching to all of their cymbals

[Luke50001]

Originally Posted by bmeat

just the chinas, or also the crashes/ride/hats?

Oh. Well I love my Wuhan china it's just that I've heard negative things about their durability. Mine's still going strong though! In regards to their crashes, hi hats and ride I have no idea.