New Sabian "Stratus" line

Maybe a little "ANKH" association.. šŸ˜ rub-off

www.anfdrumco.com

ANKH-Sabian/A&F Collaboration Hi Hats

MAKING HISTORY!!! FIRST TIME brass is tempered, formed, circled, and hand hammered into cymbals. FIRST TIME a Cymbal company and a Drum company collaborate on Cymbals. FIRST TIME 2 companies in our industry introduce a series of instruments together under a new brand. We are excited to introduce...
www.anfdrumco.com www.anfdrumco.com
 
The 22 ride was sorta agop(ish) traditional(ish) which I liked. I liked the 18 crash. The 20 with mallets was the perfect It Don't Come Easy opener. Hihats?..15s were nice but I spent 20 years with 15 soundedgers and I'm burnt. 14s?..nope. Not yet but I was so hoping.
 
Bozozoid said:
The 22 ride was sorta agop(ish) traditional(ish) which I liked.
Click to expand...
I thought the same thing listening last night. Complex midrange, but not super dark.

I really like the crashes. They're reminiscent of the HHX Legacy, but not quite as dark. Still quite a bit darker than any AAX I've heard lately, and certainly more interesting sounding.

The hihats were all a little too thin for my tastes, and that's okay.
 
Stroman said:
Sabian spent a crap-ton on promotion, I'll give them that. I've seen so many ads this morning it's insane. DCP, MDS, everyone!
Click to expand...

Good observation. It looks like they went all out with a coordinated big bang marketing campaign. The drum stores have them stocked already. The drum store in my area has just posted the picture of their first Stratus customer. Perhaps, the endorsers with a visible social media presence got samples too.

 
bermuda said:
Yeah, promoted to everyone... except their artists!! This is the first I'm hearing about them! Then again, I've only been a Sabian artist for 30 years... :(

:)
Click to expand...
They probably lurk on drummerworld and figured you have enough cymbals already. :)

Just found out that my LDS is hosting a Sabian event in about a month - IĀ“ll go and check them out.
 
This is a midrange line, and Sabian's midline traditionally can't hold a candle next to Paiste (unless you're a B20 snob) or various Chinese makers (unless you're a name brand snob). I hear quite some midline stiffness in it, but none of the reputed "darkness" of even the cheesy type (like Paiste 900 or Zildjian S Dark). Sabian's marketing is great indeed, as soundclips are available within a day and no one knows it's a midrange line.
 
I was at the Sabian booth at PASIC that morning and they told me that Jake Sommers played them at the CMA awards for Luke Combs and apparently plans to keep them in his setup.

I think they sound pretty solid, especially at the price point they are selling. They are a touch trashier than the HHX Complex Thin line but I could see where I add some of those crashes.
 
I tried the 22" ride, and the 18" Zero models out today at a music store and liked both. The ride took a little getting used to, but after playing it for a minute, I grew to like it. The overall character was a bit on the dark side, with a cutting bell, and with very good stick definition and a pingy response as well. The Zero crash was trashy, as expected.
 
bermuda said:
Yeah, promoted to everyone... except their artists!! This is the first I'm hearing about them! Then again, I've only been a Sabian artist for 30 years... :(

:)
Click to expand...
I think theyā€™ve been slowly changing their marketing strategies over the years, moving away from putting as much emphasis on their endorsement roster. An old friend that passed away some years back (R.I.P. CMFJ) was a stage manager on a bunch of Ozzfests and other traveling festival tours. He told me stories about talking to Sabian reps working promotional booths telling him that doing these promo booths were a much bigger ROI than their entire artist roster. It made me somewhat disappointed to hear it, but at the end of the day, itā€™s all about selling product.

Plus, I think the Stratus line is aimed more at the hobbyist/semi-pro than anything. Still, itā€™s odd that they didnā€™t let their artist roster know about this in well in advance in order to do some early R&D. Sabianā€™s still going through some difficult to understand transitions, for sure. All I know is I love their cymbals (despite disliking the new logo, ha), and the Stratus clips Iā€™ve heard sound great.
 
I've heard a few that were quite interesting, and at a mid-line price point(if that is the case), I might be tempted to add a few. I'm a big Sabian fan too, but while the sound is invited, that logo is NOT.



Dan
 
Iristone said:
This is a midrange line, and Sabian's midline traditionally can't hold a candle next to Paiste (unless you're a B20 snob) or various Chinese makers (unless you're a name brand snob). I hear quite some midline stiffness in it, but none of the reputed "darkness" of even the cheesy type (like Paiste 900 or Zildjian S Dark). Sabian's marketing is great indeed, as soundclips are available within a day and no one knows it's a midrange line.
Click to expand...
Interesting... The name REEKS of budget line to me. I have not heard them yet though
 
bermuda said:
Yeah, promoted to everyone... except their artists!! This is the first I'm hearing about them! Then again, I've only been a Sabian artist for 30 years... :(

:)
Click to expand...
Time to have a "Sopranos style sit down" with your reps.
 
iCe said:
The prices are far from budget! :oops:
Click to expand...
Not that far from intermediate, though, especially considering bronze prices today. Just a bit higher than Paiste 900's which are also intermediate, and slightly lower than Giant Beats (which I'll take over this any day of the week and twice on weekends).
This thing has the 900-esque rigid thinness, a tell-tale sign of intermediate cymbals, but without the harmonic complexity of 900. If the 900's brighter I don't see it as a distractor, I'll take a bright and rich cymbal any day over a dark but bland one.
 
Iristone said:
Not that far from intermediate, though, especially considering bronze prices today. Just a bit higher than Paiste 900's which are also intermediate, and slightly lower than Giant Beats (which I'll take over this any day of the week and twice on weekends).
This thing has the 900-esque rigid thinness, a tell-tale sign of intermediate cymbals, but without the harmonic complexity of 900. If the 900's brighter I don't see it as a distractor, I'll take a bright and rich cymbal any day over a dark but bland one.
Click to expand...

I had a full set of 900s and ended up disliking them. I found them very one-dimensional, one-trick ponies, although the hats were good. One live show and they were gone. Very disappointing.



Dan
 
equipmentdork said:
I had a full set of 900s and ended up disliking them. I found them very one-dimensional, one-trick ponies, although the hats were good. One live show and they were gone. Very disappointing.



Dan
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'll definitely save up and go for Giant Beats for the money. I'm saying that I don't see the Stratus as a better option than the 900.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top