Does anyone else hate splash cymbals?

Alright, not hate, but just a kind of disdain for them.

Maybe it's me being a bit particular. There's a very specific sound that I go for; it's quietly dynamic, woody, brushy and played on a small kit - I only use two snares, my floor tom bass and a set of hi-hats. Style wise; Bernard Purdie meets Clyde Stubblefield meets Tony Allen with some rudiment-based grooves thrown in (minus some class and feel, but it's getting there).

That said, I could tolerate a four piece with hats, crash n' ride. Maybe even a second ride. But as soon as you add that splash, that kit turns ugly.

Not a big fan of huge kits at all, but I can appreciate them. Except those splash cymbals, yuck!

I bet I'm alone here...
 
They're appropriate for some music, and not appropriate in other genres. I use them on one kit when playing one style, and not at all currently. To each his own.
 
I think they're dumb too.

I've got 2 nice ones, every time I put them on the kit I just feel like they're more clutter than they're worth.

Also not a china guy either. I like trashy cymbals but I never liked hitting chinas.
 
I have a couple that I like. What I mainly like is that they are quick and short. A very nice accent in places without overwhelming things. What they won't do is be quick and short and loud enough for an important part of the song. So I've recently discovered the Ozone type cymbals for a bigger but still short sound. I'm not into having a bunch of stands or things around the kit so it's usually one or the other depending on the volume of the gig.
 
I brought a 10 inch splash cymbal last month. It was inexpensive. It looks great on my set.

However, I can't figure out where it might fit in when I play. It sounds trashy.
I tried to use it a few times, but you can't hear it when the band is playing. (rock & roll)

So I guess it is sort of useless.
I'll save it for when 1940's big band music comes back in style.

OK, I convinced myself, I agree with you, I don't like splash cymbals.
.
 
I have 8" and 10" splashes mounted on my hi hat stand

It enables some nice punchy accents to be mixed in with double stroke patterns on the hats

Don't use them for anything else

I like them a lot

Hate Chinas though (a lot)
 
Nope, sorry, I like 'em! Find myself using 12" splash cymbal a lot as a soft landing accent. Somewhere in between a splash & a short/small crash.

As for china haters though, my 24" paper thin china/pang may change your mind :)
 
Any setup has to be appropriate to the sound you want. Surely that's a no brainer. I love my splash but only because it suits the music I play and my style of playing. They are great for accents.
 
I don't like splashes. They get my clothes wet.
 
I like them - as has been said, nice for accents and they have short decay and would clear up quickly, with a nice transparency. They have their purpose - if you need them.

What I don't like is splashes sounding harsh but this also applies to any cymbals.
Unfortunately, the half a dozen splashes that I've cut out of cracked cymbals do sound harsh so that's why I haven't been using them. (Other options: reworking them, selling or creating stacks.)
 
I've had this one splash for years, but never really had much use for it playing the music I played. Now, in my psychedelic rock fusion band, it is a great tool for adding more color to the sound. I finally figured out how to use it, and now I love it for playing that music in that band, but it is not really needed in the garage band. Not really.
 
Of course, to each his own. But I recall owning a couple of nice A Zildjian ones back in the 80s (an 8 and 10), and once I broke them, I never got around to replacing them. Although most people would add a clamp-on arm to a stand, mine got their own boom stands back then. I always thought it was ironic to use a couple of Tama Titan boom cymbal stands (that you could jack a car up on) for two of my smallest cymbals.
 
What I don't like is splashes sounding harsh but this also applies to any cymbals.
Unfortunately, the half a dozen splashes that I've cut out of cracked cymbals do sound harsh so that's why I haven't been using them. (Other options: reworking them, selling or creating stacks.)

Hey Arky, I'd suggest the reason the splashes you cut out of crashes would be harsh is due to the fact that they're just way to thick to act like a splash. Like, if you cut down a 10" splash into a bell, it would sound weak and light, whereas the reason the crashes work so well is because they are thicker. You probably already knew this, but hey, just throwin' it out there! :)

I myself love splashes. I have a 10" which I use a bit, and another 10" china splash which I use all the time. It's just so short and quick, with a lot of bite that cuts through everything. Perfect for accents, or dare I say it, even riding on.
 
I brought a 10 inch splash cymbal last month. It was inexpensive. It looks great on my set.

However, I can't figure out where it might fit in when I play. It sounds trashy.
I tried to use it a few times, but you can't hear it when the band is playing. (rock & roll)

So I guess it is sort of useless.
I'll save it for when 1940's big band music comes back in style.

OK, I convinced myself, I agree with you, I don't like splash cymbals.
.

Jim I have a similar splash that sounds slightly trashy, dark and warm. i.e. not bright and punchy. I tend to hit it alongside the odd snare rimshot for an extra bit of colour. Or as an alternative to a hi-hat bark.

alternatively give it a little strike on notes where nobody else in the band is playing anything. Works nicely in and around staccato riffs and verses etc.

I also have a lovely brighter K splash, and the darker one sounds nice when you play the two in quick succession.

To the OP, you seem to have a very definite and unique set up, something that you have obviously thought a lot about. But I put it to you that you don't like cymbals at all!!!!! :)
 
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