Using a ride as a crash?

H

HeavyDrums

Junior Member
I've recently noticed a lot of hard rock drummers using a 20" ride cymbal as a dedicated low crash, as opposed to using a crash cymbal. I originally picked this up from Jean Paul Gaster and purposely bought my newest dry light ride to mimic his crash. Anyone else doing this?
 
HeavyDrums said:
I've recently noticed a lot of hard rock drummers using a 20" ride cymbal as a dedicated low crash, as opposed to using a crash cymbal. I originally picked this up from Jean Paul Gaster and purposely bought my newest dry light ride to mimic his crash. Anyone else doing this?
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While there are tons of Ride / Crash cymbals out there (I have one) I think your real question is about using a cymbal for something the maker either didn’t intend or originally market it for.

If it sounds good to you and fits what you do, go for it.
 
I crash my ride frequently but I'm not one of those "wash riders" or whatever they called themselves. I have always been a minimal cymbal kinda guy so for me I'd much rather carry a ride cymbal that has an edge crash when needed then bring a dedicated crash cymbal and stand to add splashy accents... That my hats and ride can already do. If you bring dedicated cymbals and use them accordingly, that's just fine as well. In my opinion, the biggest crime in the history of drumming was cymbal companies stamping a "type" (ride, crash, etc) on the cymbal. This has caused many drummers to focus on what they "should" do and not what they can do.
 
I love my 22" Omni for crashing as well as riding; it's very mellow and blends nicely with the overall sound when crashed but has a lovely, deep 'tah' stick sound and a killer bell. As you can see, sometimes it's all I need...
 

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A "dedicated" ride cymbal...I use them for large epic crashes. I mean the decay is like 7 seconds. I also use the ride for quiet little shoulder spanks on the bow in place of a full on crash, when I want a small crash sound without stepping on anyone. Rides have a different crash quality than "dedicated" crash cymbals to my ear. Longer decay mainly. Different O-Tones too. More untamed. Even the "famous for not being crashable" Sabian Raw Bell Dry Ride...it sounded fine in the audience. To the drummer, yea they are a little thick and take a bit of force on the edge to make them work. But if you really lay into it, it sounds good from the crowd.
 
HeavyDrums said:
Anyone else doing this?
Click to expand...

When was it when cymbal manufacturers started distinguishing rides from crashes? Late 60's / early 70's? Strange to think that there was a time where "everyone" was doing it.

While I typically don't crash my 24" K-Thin, I do give it a good one every now and then when I need to generate wash or create some sonic mayhem. I also ride the bell on my 20" K-Dark on occasion, which is marketed as a crash cymbal.
 
alparrott said:
I love my 22" Omni for crashing as well as riding; it's very mellow and blends nicely with the overall sound when crashed but has a lovely, deep 'tah' stick sound and a killer bell. As you can see, sometimes it's all I need...
Click to expand...


I could be comfortable on that sat all day.
 
alparrott said:
I love my 22" Omni for crashing as well as riding; it's very mellow and blends nicely with the overall sound when crashed but has a lovely, deep 'tah' stick sound and a killer bell. As you can see, sometimes it's all I need...
Click to expand...

Love that setup, could do that for 90% of what I play, damn you key fills in covers!

I use my 22" A Medium for exactly the same thing. It's great for a big crash as well as being a great ride. I'm a minimal setup guy anyway so adapting and overcoming is all part of the fun.
 
Multi-functional capability in a cymbal is one of the most important things for me! I have a couple cymbals in my collection that I really enjoy for this: a 20" Istanbul Agop "Traditional Original" ride, and a 22" Soultone "Vintage Old-School" crash/ride. I can create a lot of different sounds with these two (crashing the edge, riding the bow, playing the bell) and they sound great in any style of music. If I had to, I could do a cover band gig, a recording session, and a jazz gig all in one day, with this one set of cymbals!
 
Here are rides that are crash worthy based on my limited experience.

All Sabian

21" AA El Sabor Ride
21" AA Bash Ride
20" AAX Dry Ride
20" HHX Evolution Ride

Peace and goodwill.
 
HeavyDrums said:
Anyone else doing this?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't dare do it again. I did it once back in the 80s, and I was immediately fined $95 by the cymbal police. It was humiliating. Worse still, my wife left me, and I started drinking heavily. I didn't fully recover until a few weeks ago.

Your question has caused many painful memories to resurface.
 
notvinnie said:
I wouldn't dare do it again. I did it once back in the 80s, and I was immediately fined $95 by the cymbal police. It was humiliating. Worse still, my wife left me, and I started drinking heavily. I didn't fully recover until a few weeks ago.

Your question has caused many painful memories to resurface.
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Oh wow, you too? Don’t forget about the prison time.

Pete
 
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alparrott said:
I love my 22" Omni for crashing as well as riding; it's very mellow and blends nicely with the overall sound when crashed but has a lovely, deep 'tah' stick sound and a killer bell. As you can see, sometimes it's all I need...
Click to expand...

For a little demo and comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dHKxXjTCF0

I'm intrigued by that Omni sound - it might be on my list now
 
alparrott said:
Yeah, that's the HHX and I have the AAX, but it's not as bright as the label might suggest - very warm and buttery. Yeah, that crash is very trashy, it's gorgeous. It's the ride I never knew I was looking for.

And when needed, it can keep up with the volume too...
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Man that was some nice playing Al! And a good time was had by all by the looks of it.

Yeah, I really like that ride
 
On my setup, I'll be using a 20 Epic ride from Heartbeat as a crash along with a 22 Jazz crash and 24 Jazz ride. Little grittier than a crash.
 
FWIW, all my 6 Istanbul rides, except 1, crashes like a champ, rides like a dream, and has what I consider perfect sounding bells.

(the one cymbal does 2 out of 3, but it has a small bell, not my fav)

They are the only holy Grail cymbals I ever owned.

Their less expensive, machine hammered Xists series IMO could be the best value in cymbals going. I really dig mine. I gig with an 18, 19, and 21" Xist ride. I paid $214 for the ride, and $154 each for the crashes.

They crash, ride and bell just as good as the higher priced ones.

You don't hear about them very much, so I feel they deserve props. For a low cost cymbal set, there is no contest.

I'm really curious about those Heartbeat cymbals Martin has.
 
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