AA medium ride isn't what I hoped.

yjb63

yjb63

Senior Member
I was looking for a new ride the other day and came across a used 20" Sabian AA medium ride that looked to be from the 90s (there is not much of an AA logo left and I had to put it in the sun to see the medium ride writing on it). I looked at the price tag and was shocked to find that it was only $60. I set it up and tried it out, it wasn't my favorite ride at the store, but I still liked the sound and wanted to replace my B8 and decided to spend the $60 on that rather than pay $300 on a different cymbal. When I took it home, I was excited to try it out wit the rest of my kit, so I set it up and started to play. It sounds okay played quietly, but when it's played loudly, there's a whole bunch of different sounds coming from it. The bell is also super ringy and sounds horrible without ear plugs in. I'm just wondering, would polishing it up and using nylon sticks give more stick definition? I watched a video on youtube of one and liked the sound of it, but mine just doesn't sound the same. I'm hoping that part of the problem is that I have to play in my tiny bedroom, everything is crazy loud in there, but I'll be getting it out tomorrow. Also, does anybody have a good recording of this ride? And, If I do end up selling it, how much do you think is a reasonable asking price?

Thanks
 
I'd say you could probably squeeze 100 bucks out of it if you wanted to sell it. I have the exact same ride. I got mine brand new for $120 shipped on ebay. I actually love mine. It has the exact sound I'm going for, but I do with I could have gotten a 22" version. It's also crashable, which is a plus in my eyes.
 
I find that any cymbal sounds really pingy and harsh if your right on top of it and don't have ear plugs on. If you walk away a little bit I think you will find a more pleasing sound, espicially if you have a bedroom thats small and noisy.I would get a friend or someone to play it for you and stand a little bit away from your kit then listen.
 
Listen to it an a few different rooms before condemning it. Outside too.
 
I ordered & bought this model, 20" with brilliant finish, with my 1st drumset in 1991. I'm still using it. It's a great all-around ride, and unknown to me at the time, obviously, it turns out it has a TERRIFIC bell sound, using just the tip of most drumsticks; a trait I learned soon is rare in a ride cymbal. [Yeah, it sounds good with the shoulder too, but the point is, most rides require the shoulder to get the bell to speak sufficiently, but this one doesn't.] I tried many with the same technique over the years, and I didn't find another with this trait until, on a lark, I tried another reg. finish model that arrived in the music store where I was working in 2007. Yep- same great bell sound, with the stick tip. About 4 years ago I found a 3rd ride with this trait- a Stagg SH 20" medium model!

I love my AA Medium. I hope it lasts my entire playing life. [It has so far.]
 
B8 cymbals (like your B8) are very different from b20 cymbals (like your AA). And I think you are just not used to the differences. My guess is that the reason you heard "a whole bunch of different sounds coming from it" is that B20 cymbals normally have a much more complex timbre (harmonics and overtones) then B8's. Also, B20's have different sounds in different areas of the cymbal. On my A. Zildjian's (which are similar to AA's), striking two spots just inches apart can be like night and day. Finally, the fact that you say the AA's are too loud means your B8's are way less responsive than your AA's, thus you ended up overplaying them. Your AA's probably have a much greater dynamic range. Just think about how much it would help your stamina if you didn't have to bludgeon you cymbals just to get a nice sound?

All the characteristics I mentioned are what make B20's more expensive, and more coveted than B8's. So I suggest you take some time to explore all the sounds of your AA's before you let go of it.
 
makinao said:
All the characteristics I mentioned are what make B20's more expensive, and more coveted than B8's.
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Actually, it's because they're much more labor-intensive to make. B8 cymbals (from Sabian and Zildjian) are cut from sheets, pressed/hammered into shape, and lathed. B20 cymbals are cast into blanks, rolled flat, hammered into shape, and lathed. But, because they sound so much better than B8s, it's actually worthwhile for the companies to make them, and people are definitely willing to pay more money for the better quality/sounding cymbals.

Oh, and I had a AA Med. ride for a little while. It played a little too "stiff" for me. Plus, it was too pingy, and I likes me a cymbal with a little "cush"...
 
Give me your AA Medium ride for 60$, I'll take it no matter what, I'm sure I would find sweet spots on it and I'm sure in band situation that ride would sound good into the mix. Also it would make a good third ride in my set up...

If there's nothing can be done, a little reshaping & mod process from new cymbalsmith "mbettis" or "smakmauz" or maybe even by me (I wouldn't let this ride be my first attempt though) would do the trick and ultimately having a custom personalised ride fitting your taste & needs.
 
I use that same ride and I love it. I think the weight distribution might be a bit off on mine, but the sound is good. Quite crashable as well.
 
Got it out today, It sounds great from far away but from close up there is an annoying high pitch ring to it. But I definitely won't be selling it anytime soon though. Also, I found a pair of AAX-celerator 13" hi-hats for $100, how do they sound, a friend of mine is thinking of picking them up.
 
yjb63 said:
Got it out today, It sounds great from far away but from close up there is an annoying high pitch ring to it. But I definitely won't be selling it anytime soon though. Also, I found a pair of AAX-celerator 13" hi-hats for $100, how do they sound, a friend of mine is thinking of picking them up.
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Jeeeeez! Where are you finding all of these good deals?
 
Long & McQuade, there cymbal prices are excellent, but there other prices are not so good. I got a new K custom hybrid 16" crash for $190, but a pork pie big boy throne is $300. Used cymbals there tend to be extremely cheap though.
 
Hey i got my AA sabian medium ride for 100 bucks off ebay, i wasnt crazy about it at first, but the sound some how kinda got better, and now i really like, but would prefer a 22inch myself, anyways best of luck.
 
zepplin92 said:
Hey i got my AA sabian medium ride for 100 bucks off ebay, i wasnt crazy about it at first, but the sound some how kinda got better, and now i really like, but would prefer a 22inch myself, anyways best of luck.
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That's exactly what happened with me.
 
When you get new cymbals, either new or used, it's worth noting two things:

One, cymbals sound different from a distance. It's always worth listening to the cymbal from 10-15 feet away while it's being played by somebody else.

Two, we usually try out the cymbals we buy in a large room. Often a cymbal will sound very different in a small practice space. But since we play out in large rooms, you put up with how it sounds at home to get the sound you want on stage.
 
MAIN ISSUE: what kind of sticks are you using?? Sticks make all the difference in sound. If you are using big sticks or sticks with big tips you will get that loud sound of overtones. Use something smaller like a Vic Firth 5A, nylon will emphasize the attack more. From what I have seen of 20" medium rides, sometimes they can be too heavy for their design. The profile calls for a nice wash under the ping, but the extra weight creates too much sustain making the ping somewhat useless. Such a cymbal can't be played well quietly or too loudly, but just somewhere in the middle. I had a Zildjian 20" medium ride this way. You might be able to fix this with a piece of tape too, but if not that's just going to be how that cymbal sounds.
 
Cymbalrider said:
MAIN ISSUE: what kind of sticks are you using?? Sticks make all the difference in sound. If you are using big sticks or sticks with big tips you will get that loud sound of overtones. Use something smaller like a Vic Firth 5A, nylon will emphasize the attack more. From what I have seen of 20" medium rides, sometimes they can be too heavy for their design. The profile calls for a nice wash under the ping, but the extra weight creates too much sustain making the ping somewhat useless. Such a cymbal can't be played well quietly or too loudly, but just somewhere in the middle. I had a Zildjian 20" medium ride this way. You might be able to fix this with a piece of tape too, but if not that's just going to be how that cymbal sounds.
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Great point. Different sticks, different sound. I like my Sabian 20" AA medium ride. It's a good all purpose ride.
 
I hear one in person last week at a local music store. Didnt like it at all, but i could see how its a very well rounded ride as far as the applications it can be used in.
 
drumtechdad said:
since we play out in large rooms, you put up with how it sounds at home to get the sound you want on stage.
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Exactly! All of those extra high-frequency overtones that your ear perceives may sound overwhelming when you're playing solo (especially in a small room), but when you're on stage and you have a bass player using an Ampeg SVT on one side of you and a guitarist using a Marshall half-stack on the other, all of that extra sound works to your advantage!
 
dont mean to thread steal, but this is kind of related to the topic...

if i wanted just a nice pingy ride, and wanted to almost completely eliminate overtones, should i just tape it to hell?

and then take the tape off if i play live or something?
 
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