Sabian or Zildjian Cymbals

Wakacha

Junior Member
I'm going to buy new symbols but I'm not sure whether I want Sabian or Zildjian. Which symbols (High-Hat, Ride, Crash) are better overall (durability, sound, etc.) and why? I need legitimate reasons, not just "Sabian because i like the way they sound", but something like "Zildjian because of the resonance of the soft ride symbol and the power of the crash". I need an answer that at least sounds fancy.

Thanks,
Wakacha
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

Not gonna get that I'm afraid mate. You're asking the impossible........I said it recently on another thread "beauty is in the EAR of the beholder"

There is no ONE BEST cymbal. Just like there is no BEST drum.....or BEST drummer....or BEST stick.....or BEST pedal. They simply don't exist as such. It's all horses for courses. All of the top line drum, hardware and cymbal makers offer quality products. One is no more 'durable' than another.

Go out and play as many as you can and figure out what YOU think sounds best........That's the BEST cymbal, my friend.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

Yep, there's no gettin' around that one. PFOG is absolutely correct, of course - there is no best. And for that matter, I'm not sure there's a "worst".

A Sabian HHX (good) is better than a Zildjian ZXT (bad), and a Zildjian K Custom (good) is better than a Sabian B8 (bad), which is nowhere near as good as a Paiste 2002 (good), despite that a 2002 is also made from B8. However Sabian APX (good) are also B8 and are arguably better than Sabian Xs20's (meh), which are B20. B20 is what the Zildjian K Customs (good) are made of. Then there's the B15 Paiste Signatures which sound like angels on crack, which is good if that's your thing. (kidding, they are very good)

Those are just a few of the lines from the Big 3: Zildjian (USA), Paiste (Switzerland), and Sabian (Canada). Maybe I should say Big 4 since Meinl (Germany) are getting more market share these days.

There are Chinese made cymbals (Dream, Silken, Wuhan). These can be found for good prices, but since untrained starving children bang them out in sweatshops 16 hours a day, there's some variation, so you'll want to hand select them (I'm pretty sure I'm joking!).

Then there are the real McCoy's: Bosphorus, Istanbul (Agop and Mehmet), Diril, and some others that are hand crafted by trained professionals in Turkey. These cymbals easily compete with the Big 4. They are more tailored to the jazz crowd, but that is changing as more rock players are using them.

All this to just repeat what PFOG already told you: the best are the one's that sound best to you. They all break given enough effort!

Oh, and not to be a jerk, but "symbols" are things that have symbolic value. "Cymbals" are what I think you're asking about. If not, disregard the last hundred words or so!
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

If you know your cymbal history you'd know of how Sabian came into existance. If you know how they came into existance, you'd play Zildjian.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

funny post mike...

id go for zildjian, but thats probably because thats what i use and i am biased.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

Both are very good brands with long, proud histories. They have their upper and lower-end lines and are comparable in most ways.

Having said that, I wouldn't be caught dead with Sabians. I once tried to get rid of a Sabian ride by using at a lid for a garbage can but the garbage man was deeply offended I would leave something so offensive out for him to touch. I did find a use for them at a nursing home - plug up the hole and they make great bedpans.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

It would be very difficult to rid myself of either my Zildjian or Sabian cymbals. Both lines sound fantastic. Remember cymbals are bought for their particular sound, not from pictures on the Internet.

Dennis
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

i use a mix of zildjian and sabian cymbals on my kit. i love them all! there's no law that says you can't mix cymbal brands on your kit.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

FYI as a drummer you should be aware that a "Symbol is something like this # $ % & " A cymbal is a drumming instrument that you play ;-) Sorry it's just one of those things that bug me.

As for which "Cymbal" is better it's really a matter of personal preference as to which sound be to you. Me Zildjian has always met my needs and sound liking
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

Sabian or Ziljian ? IF you really do know your history most of the real talent making those cymbals back when it was just Ziljian are still at it in both shops.

Very equal product, but IMO Ziljians are lacking in sound consistency (ie. 20"med ride to 20"med ride)...maybe not a bad thing...
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

Sabian or Ziljian ? IF you really do know your history most of the real talent making those cymbals back when it was just Ziljian are still at it in both shops.

Very equal product, but IMO Ziljians are lacking in sound consistency (ie. 20"med ride to 20"med ride)...maybe not a bad thing...


To me that's a good thing, makes every cymbal unique.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

To me that's a good thing, makes every cymbal unique.

It is if you choose your cymbals the 'old fashioned way'.......that is, to actually hit them with a stick before you buy them.

So many cats these days are buying sight unseen (or is that sound unheard?) from Musicians Friend etc. Personally, I'd never dream of buying a cymbal I haven't heard......but, the times they are a changin'.

It also brings Paiste's idea of manufacturing each cymbal against a 'master cymbal' to ensure consistancy, into the equation.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

What line of Zildjian or Sabian? I mean, these brands have cymbals that run the spectrum of sound. Depends on what you're looking for.

Personally, Sabian's AAX line is the best I've ever played with.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

FYI as a drummer you should be aware that a "Symbol is something like this # $ % & " A cymbal is a drumming instrument that you play ;-) Sorry it's just one of those things that bug me.


You cant imagine how much it's bugging me too. It make us drummer look like idiot and inalphabet like we couldn't even write correctly the instrument we're playing.
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

I have Zilds, Sabians, and a Wuhan china in my set. All good stuff. Use your ears before you buy. :)
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

You cant imagine how much it's bugging me too. It make us drummer look like idiot and inalphabet like we couldn't even write correctly the instrument we're playing.

I corrected a kid on facebook the other day he was wanting a double "petal" I informed him a "petal" was part of a flower and a pedal is a drum part you play with your feet LOL!
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

You cant imagine how much it's bugging me too. It make us drummer look like idiot and inalphabet like we couldn't even write correctly the instrument we're playing.

Sorry, but your second sentence is far more offensive to me than "symbols."
 
Re: Sabian or Zildjian Symbols

. I need an answer that at least sounds fancy.

No problem!

You want Sabian -- why?

The Canadian Curling Team uses each Sabian cymbal as a stone during practice -- the vibration when they hit coupled with the cold temperature imparts a mild resonant cryo-alignment of the crystals of the special crubollium alloy* the constituents of which a secret branch of the Canadian Space Agency mines from comets

* (that's what actually caused the family split, impregnation during an alien abduction episode led to new undisclosed, extraterrestrial formulations)

-----

Back in the day OC spring reverb tanks (the kind you find in guitar amps) used to bear a sticker that said
"Manufactured by beautiful girls in Milton Wisconsin under controlled atmospheric conditions"
 
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