Buying new Cymbals

pajamaman22

Junior Member
I have a standard set of cymbals problem is they are mismatched and not the greatest of cymbals. I have 14"inch camber hi hat /16"Planet Z crash/ 20" HCS Meinal ride/ and a camber 18" crash/ride......POINT im trying to make is they sound like crap and i need a new cymbal set I just want a basic set that will play "ANY" beat like the cymbals that you dont buy for any type of music just all in general. I would like a set so if you know of a series of any cymbal company that is considered "good" please help a bro out
 
I'm confused...Do you want versatile cymbals or lists cymbal series that aren't considered entry level?
 
I just want some cymbals that will get me through everything and i want like an entire series (for example zildgen ZBT) because if you just say zildgen or sabian how am i supposed to know what you mean so yeah the series thank you
i found a good deal on some sabain B8 pros tho please post your opinion about those cymbals to thanks
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SABB8PROSET
Sabain B8 Pros^
 
I just want some cymbals that will get me through everything and i want like an entire series (for example zildgen ZBT) because if you just say zildgen or sabian how am i supposed to know what you mean so yeah the series thank you
i found a good deal on some sabain B8 pros tho please post your opinion about those cymbals to thanks
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SABB8PROSET
Sabain B8 Pros^

Bad deal, dont look so much at cymbal packs, you can get a lot more for your money
Buy Used, save a lot
All you really need are hi hats, a crash and a ride.
You can get PRO CYMBALS(hi hats, crash, ride) for $550 USED.
Look on ebay, craigslist and guitar center(used) for good quality cymbals
Here are some cymbals to look for:
Sabian Hhx, Aax, AA
Zildjian K, K custom, K hybrid, A custom, A, Z custom, Z3
Paiste 2002, giant beat, twenty
ect. you get the idea

What styles do you play?
That would help narrow down the list

Or you can get Xs20 ymbals which are mid-ranged cymbals for a fair price
 
I just want some cymbals that will get me through everything and i want like an entire series (for example zildgen ZBT) because if you just say zildgen or sabian how am i supposed to know what you mean so yeah the series thank you
i found a good deal on some sabain B8 pros tho please post your opinion about those cymbals to thanks
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SABB8PROSET
Sabain B8 Pros^

ZBTs and B8s are basically the lowest entry level sets you can get in a name brand. I had ZBTs and found them to be too bright and pingy. They were very 'clean' and sterile sounding. My friend had B8s and I remember liking them better. They sounded warmer.

You can buy a basic (hihat, crash, ride) set of for about $200, and they usually come with a bag. You could sell either set later for about $100. So it'll cost you $100 to own them for however long it takes for you to tire of them.
Or you can buy a used pro level set for about $500, play them for years, and as long as they're maintained, maybe sell them for $500 down the line. You'll lose little or no money and the whole time had the pleasure of playing nicer cymbals. This logic applies to any instrument. *Try to buy medium price / high value things instead of low price / low value things.*

If you just want to beat on something in the meantime, I say go for the B8s and use the money from the sale of your current cymbals to start a fund towards nice used pro cymbals.
 
ZBTs and B8s are basically the lowest entry level sets you can get in a name brand. I had ZBTs and found them to be too bright and pingy. They were very 'clean' and sterile sounding. My friend had B8s and I remember liking them better. They sounded warmer.

You can buy a basic (hihat, crash, ride) set of for about $200, and they usually come with a bag. You could sell either set later for about $100. So it'll cost you $100 to own them for however long it takes for you to tire of them.
Or you can buy a used pro level set for about $500, play them for years, and as long as they're maintained, maybe sell them for $500 down the line. You'll lose little or no money and the whole time had the pleasure of playing nicer cymbals. This logic applies to any instrument. *Try to buy medium price / high value things instead of low price / low value things.*

If you just want to beat on something in the meantime, I say go for the B8s and use the money from the sale of your current cymbals to start a fund towards nice used pro cymbals.

I have both ZBTs and B8s, and play ZXTs at practice. They are okay for basic play, and the B8s are a little warmer. I bought a Zildjian A crash and that has a nice sound to it. I also have a nice sounding Paiste splash.

I'm going to Guitar Center and Sam Ash tonight to see what they have, both used and new. I want to replace my hats and my ride cymbal. I've made many visits to the stores and tested out countless cymbals, but have not been able to conclusively find something that I want to spend $500+ to replace what I have. It's really hard to discern the discrete sounds of dozens of cymbals when you are in a store sound room, as opposed to playing the cymbals on your kit in combination with everything else you have. It's a little overwhelming.
 
Ok, don't buy new.

There are no good cymbals new in your price range. TRUST ME!

Look at used and don't be afraid to mix brands and series. If they sound good together, which many of them will, than it doesn't matter what brand or series they are. A few of the best, most versatile series that work pretty well together are Zildjian A and A Custom, Sabian AA, AAX and Vault, Paiste 2002, Giant Beat, Signature and some of the Alphas. There are others but those are all fairly common. Buy with your ears, not with your eyes.

Seriously, buy used. You will save so much money it's crazy. Here is an example:

http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend.com/product/Zildjian-ZBT-HiHat-Cymbal-Pair?sku=444549
These are Zildjian ZBT Hi-Hats, purely entry level. They sound "ok" but trust me you'll grow to hate them.

http://drums-percussion.musiciansfr...-Series-New-Beat-HiHat-Cymbal-Pair?sku=441801
These are A Series New beats. Strongly considered one of the finest hi-hats in the world, these are industry standard, pro-quality hats that have been used on THOUSANDS of records.

Now what if I could tell you that you could get those New Beats for less than the price of the ZBTs? In fact I know that my local store has about 4-5 pairs of those hats in the price range of $50-$60, right now. They are all older pairs from the 80's to 90's, so you know that they are all broken in, which is a big plus.

I know the allure of getting something shiny and new, but, as I demonstrated, it really isn't worth it. This is how I buy all of my stuff and will continue to for as long as I can foresee. Good luck and welcome to the board
 
Just picked up the Zildjian A Custom cymbal pack at Guitar Center. I already had the 14" and loved it. The pack includes A Custom 20" ride, 16" crash, 14" hats and they throw in a 18" crash and a nice heavy duty Zildjian carrying case with backpack straps. The whole deal was $649. I went to both Sam Ash and Guitar Center to look for used cymbals, but they had next to nothing. The Sabian AAX cymbal pack was a close second, but it was $50 more and I liked the A Custom hats better.
 
for the money, zildjian zht series aren't that bad.

ride is okay, hats are pretty decent, but the crashes are clanky

Just set up my A Customs and played for a little while. Amazing cymbals. I have 14", 16" and 18" crashes across left to right, but am debating the arrangement. The 20" ride is really nice sounding too. The hats are okay, but nothing special. I can't seem to find hats that really give me what I want.

The biggest struggle is going to be keeping the cymbals clean!
 
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