If you were to bring one cymbal to a gig?

Midnite Zephyr

Platinum Member
I have a small gig next week in Long Beach, and I'm going to go with a small set up: 1 cymbal, 1 hihat set, 1 snare drum & 1 bass drum, and all associated hardware. So, which cymbal do I bring? I have a few choices of crash/rides, like my 20" AMIR or 17" El Sonido, but for classic rock I'm bringing my 19" Diril AD Crash because it rides well too. I like the Turkish vibe that cymbal has, and it mixes well with a lot of stuff.
 
Based on cymbals I've tried, the 20" HHX Evolution Raw Bell Ride would fit the bill perfectly. Very crashable, nice bow and bell sound and not completely out of control. I used it as my main ride for an album recording a few years ago and it performed excellently.
 
I used a designated crash/ride last week for the first time ever, it was a Planet Z so I was expecting it to be absolute dog dirt, but it was surprising (I did put surprisingly good at first, but that seems too strong).

I think a proper 18" crash ride would be a lovely thing to own, definitely putting one on my list of things to collect along the way.

That said, my local shop has a bunch of 20" and bigger Dream cymbals on sale that were bought at a discount to promote a Scott Pellegrom clinic, and they're lovely. They're not designated crash or ride, but they'd all do both jobs just fine.
 
+1 for the Turkish vibe out of the ones you've listed.

If you have a 20" Giant Beat that's the answer to you question.

Enjoy the gig dude!
 
Once again I have to say the Sabian AA El Sabor 18" is perfect for that. I use mine as my only ride and crash on it too. Peace and goodwill.
 
I used a designated crash/ride last week for the first time ever, it was a Planet Z so I was expecting it to be absolute dog dirt, but it was surprising (I did put surprisingly good at first, but that seems too strong).

I think a proper 18" crash ride would be a lovely thing to own, definitely putting one on my list of things to collect along the way.

That said, my local shop has a bunch of 20" and bigger Dream cymbals on sale that were bought at a discount to promote a Scott Pellegrom clinic, and they're lovely. They're not designated crash or ride, but they'd all do both jobs just fine.

A lot of people say a crash/ride does one thing better than another, or they do neither one well. I can't say if this is true or not, I haven't tried enough of them, but many rides crash well. We know that. You should try that 18" El Sabor like Drumulator is suggesting. You might find it used even.

+1 for the Turkish vibe out of the ones you've listed.

If you have a 20" Giant Beat that's the answer to you question.

Enjoy the gig dude!

Yeah, those Giant Beats are nice. I've had a chance to try one out for a couple days. I really like them. That would've been the perfect cymbal for this gig.

Once again I have to say the Sabian AA El Sabor 18" is perfect for that. I use mine as my only ride and crash on it too. Peace and goodwill.
I would really like to find a used one. I heard them before. Tat would also be perfect for this gig, I agree.
 
Based on cymbals I've tried, the 20" HHX Evolution Raw Bell Ride would fit the bill perfectly. Very crashable, nice bow and bell sound and not completely out of control. I used it as my main ride for an album recording a few years ago and it performed excellently.
I've heard a lot of good things about these HHX Evolution cymbals. I would really like to try a couple one of these days for sure. I have a K Custom Hybrid, but I thought it might be too much ride, even though it is crashable.
 
Either a crash able ride or crash cymbal eith a decent ride sound. How often do you use a ride in lieu of riding on the hats? I’ve seen drummers go a whole night just using the hats to keep time and never use the ride except for the bell
 
My "one-cymbal" cymbal is a particularly magic 18" AA Medium Crash, which is a great ride when played with a lighter touch, and a great crash when laying into the edge. I think 18-19" is a good range for a crash ride, not too heavy for a crash, and not too light for a ride. I find that a larger crash may make a nice ride, but it can be overpowering (crash-wise) for the kind of gigs that benefit from a compact set-up. I have a 20" Vault Crash like that, but it only works well on slightly louder gigs.

Bermuda
 
Either a crash able ride or crash cymbal eith a decent ride sound. How often do you use a ride in lieu of riding on the hats? I’ve seen drummers go a whole night just using the hats to keep time and never use the ride except for the bell
About a little over half the time I use the hats. I was just wondering what cymbal other people would use if they had this situation. I'm pretty set on using my 19" Diril AD Crash. Just curious what other cymbals people would use.
 
My "one-cymbal" cymbal is a particularly magic 18" AA Medium Crash, which is a great ride when played with a lighter touch, and a great crash when laying into the edge. I think 18-19" is a good range for a crash ride, not too heavy for a crash, and not too light for a ride. I find that a larger crash may make a nice ride, but it can be overpowering (crash-wise) for the kind of gigs that benefit from a compact set-up. I have a 20" Vault Crash like that, but it only works well on slightly louder gigs.

Bermuda
Interesting, another crash. I'd be curious to see how that cymbal compares to the 18" AA El Sabor. I also have a 19" AAXplosion crash that rides really well too. It's in storage though.
 
I have a 19" A Zildjian medium-thin crash from the 80s that is my do-it-all low-volume cymbal.
 
Interesting, another crash. I'd be curious to see how that cymbal compares to the 18" AA El Sabor. I also have a 19" AAXplosion crash that rides really well too. It's in storage though.

El Sabor could be nice... :)
 
What was the one Joe Morello used?

I'd want that one.
dude.gif
 
I do a regular gig with the setup you've described. After some trial and error I've settled on an Armand Ride, 20".
Ride sound is clear at low volumes, gives a 60's washy sound a bit louder, the bell is nice, and I can get crash-like sounds at various volumes. I consistently get 5 or 6 useable sounds from it at these gigs.
 
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