Heavy rides anyone?

Lennytoons

Senior Member
I just took a chance on a 70's Zildjian 20" heavy ride cymbal. It's 2689 grams and in perfect condition with a beautiful patina. Heavy rides seem to be out of fashion at the moment, hence the low price. I must say at first listen I'm very surprised at how great it sounds. It has a medium-low tone, not very loud at all with a bit of wash. All in all, it's a keeper. Anyone else have any experience with these cymbals? It is a pleasant surprise for me!
 
Generally, I prefer the more moderate presence of medium rides, but heavies do have merits. I like their clarity and focus, though weight alone does not a cymbal make. Manifold elements define a cymbal. You never really know until you sample.
 
I had a Zildjian K custom dry that was awesome but it wasn't loud enough for my playing. If I remember it was about 3100 grams heavy. These cymbals are hammered but not lathed and have a built in patina. Maybe from double firing. Great stick definition with minimal wash and when crashed were gong like. Probably good for jazz or acoustic use.
 
I had a heavy Zildjian a few years back, I don't remember the exact grams. Had great stick action. I sold it and I don't know why.
 
I had a K heavy ride for a bit. I liked it at first, but once I heard an annoying ringing rather than a wash, I couldn't stop hearing it.
And there's the rub with heavy rides. Almost all of them have a single dominant resonant frequency, and once I hear that requency I tend to obsess over it. That can happen with lighter cymbals, as well, but heavy ones are logically more inclined to do it. In my mind, the mark of an excellent cymbal is one where there are no dominant frequencies - just a wash - almost like white noise. Or pink, depending on the cymbal.

GeeDeeEmm
 
I have an AAX metal ride that is heavy profile.
I like it to ride on as it has great ping, but as a crash the thing is deadened.
Was it weighed prior or did you weigh? I would love to hear it.
 
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i had a sabian 22" paragon ride at one point, and i weighed it to post, it came in at around the 5-6kg mark.........got it cause i thought it would sound good, instead it rang like a bell and clanged when crashed.
 
I have 2 AAX metal rides, and they are crash able but you need a hammer. Once a long time ago I was adjusting things on my rack and forgot to tighten the filter on the boom arm, put the ride on it and it flipped over and came crashing to the linoleum floor. The resulting sound put the fear of god in me, because I thought something was exploding in the room.
 
I might be looking for an old Zildjian Earth ride thanks to this thread. Always loved those, never could afford it back then
 
I have 2 AAX metal rides, and they are crash able but you need a hammer. Once a long time ago I was adjusting things on my rack and forgot to tighten the filter on the boom arm, put the ride on it and it flipped over and came crashing to the linoleum floor. The resulting sound put the fear of god in me, because I thought something was exploding in the room.
That’s my sentiments, for the Metal X. Moreover, a heavy profile cymbal is not going to have wash but a ping or ring as some are calling it.

Hammering deadens the sustainability of the cymbal a bit as well as drying it out. Higher bows usually project, some say are darker, and have definition (think of a large bell as the cymbal bow is now is more prominent). Brilliant finishes generally give some brightness but no wash. Diameter and bell size generally equate to volume and power.

Honest inquiry here. What technique/technology could give a heavy cymbal that washing affect the OP is describing? I bet it’s a beautiful sound.
 
That’s my sentiments, for the Metal X. Moreover, a heavy profile cymbal is not going to have wash but a ping or ring as some are calling it.

Hammering deadens the sustainability of the cymbal a bit as well as drying it out. Higher bows usually project, some say are darker, and have definition (think of a large bell as the cymbal bow is now is more prominent). Brilliant finishes generally give some brightness but no wash. Diameter and bell size generally equate to volume and power.

Honest inquiry here. What technique/technology could give a heavy cymbal that washing affect the OP is describing? I bet it’s a beautiful sound.

Tape?
 
I don't make cymbals, but would think a thick cymbal would generally be thicker/less flexible, have a higher pitch, and would need to have more energy put into it to get that any usable wash. Being thicker/stiffer it's not able to physically move as much/enough to generate that wash. I would think the bow of said cymbal would have to relatively flat so wouldn't that change the overall tonality?

I'm wondering if the OP ever looked into a Sabian Omni, because it kind of does a little of both (crash and ping). Ultimately, think the desired cymbal may be similar to a crash ride. It kind of does both, but doesn't do either well.
 
I don't make cymbals, but would think a thick cymbal would generally be thicker/less flexible, have a higher pitch, and would need to have more energy put into it to get that any usable wash. Being thicker/stiffer it's not able to physically move as much/enough to generate that wash. I would think the bow of said cymbal would have to relatively flat so wouldn't that change the overall tonality?

Precisely. The purpose of a "rock" ride, which is usually on the heavier, thicker side, is to maximize focus and stick definition while minimizing wash. Most rock rides are parochial and clean, not eclectic and trashy. As they have less flex, they aren't designed to be crashed. Their role is to be ridden.
 
My 22" ride is 3110 Gms, it definitely has a growl to it, and you can crash it with a little effort, but, it's on the loud side... ;)
 
Generally don’t care for ride cymbals. I keep getting them, using them for a while and then getting rid of them.

And today I’ve gone and made an offer on yet another one. Sigh. 18 inch. 1675g. I’ll never learn.

Pete

Edit - I LOVE the way ride cymbals sound. I just don't like playing them. Maybe when I become a better drummer
 
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When i started drumming i was heavily influenced by the drummer of Status Quo at the time who used Paiste cymbals. Believe he had a Signature or Sound Formula Power Ride or Heavy Ride. Really liked the ping and short sustain it had on the (live) recordings. Before i got my current ride (21" A Sweet Ride) i was more into medium or heavy rides, but these days i tend to lean more towards thin models with a nice wash and that's crashable.
My ride is great for that, but ultimately i'd like it to be a tad thinner and a bit more trashy.
I'm always on YouTube checking out cymbals and to me the Paiste Traditionals 22" Thin Ride or the Meinl Byzance Vintage 22" Sand Ride are probably rides i would get if something should happen to my ride. I also have a Paiste 20" Sound Formula Dry Ride (don't use it anymore) which is too loud and has too much ping for my likings.
 
I used to have a Zildjian Z 21" Mega Bell Ride & that was a monster. Great ping to it & obviously a very loud bell. Absolutely un-crashable in every way. Very much a "one trick pony" Somehow I managed to crack it in the middle of the bow :oops::oops:
I now have 5 ride cymbals (Zildjian 21" A Sweet, Zildjian 22" K Custom Dark, Paiste 2002 20" Heavy, Paiste 2002 22", Scymtek 22" Xtreme) The Scymtek is the heaviest & has a good ping, some wash but a poor bell. When recording, I will use two rides, The 21" Sweet because it has the best bell of all of them, then, whichever my mood likes :)
 
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