Classic ride cymbal sounds

8Mile

Platinum Member
I was thinking about how much the ride cymbal sounds on certain recordings influenced me and thought it would make for an interesting thread. So, here we go.

The other day, I was checking out an old favorite I hadn't listened to for a while: Chick Corea's Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. The sound of Roy Haynes' Paiste 602 Flat Ride from that record left a huge impression on me when I first heard it many years ago. I think it was the first record I ever heard that had such a clear stick articulation and woody attack sound coming from the ride cymbal. I started searching around the web and, sure enough, I found a link to interviews with Haynes and Corea about the cymbal. There turned out to be an interesting story behind the cymbal, which Chick has in his possession to this day.

A few years after hearing that Haynes ride, I would discover the legendary Tony Williams "Nefertiti" ride. Of course, that completely turned my head around again. The pursuit of that cymbal sound is well-documented all over the internet, so I won't spend too much more time talking about it. Although I'm still waiting for Matt Smith to spill the beans on a mysterious encounter he may have had with that cymbal!

In recent years, I've dug the ride sounds that Jack DeJohnette gets. Jack's signature Sabian model is discontinued, but he continues to play beauties from that company.

Ride sounds are really prominent in jazz but I'm curious what others you folks come up with, in all styles of music.
 
Bonzo's 24" Giant Beat on Stairway. Nick Mason using the same cymbal on Us And Them.

Both tracks do a great job of capturing that cymbals qualities accurately IMHO. And much like the Williams ride, both examples seem to come up often.
 
I would say 'Nefertiti' too, actually. That really is something incredibly special.

Billy Higgin's ride cymbal on 'Which Way is East?' is really interesting. I can't quite get my head around it. It's clearly a riveted cymbal, very thin and quite big but it's more than that. Very odd.

Jack DeJohnette on 'Gateway' (the first one) is another one. Very airy.
 
Justpicked up a Paiste Giant Beat 24" Ride. I wish it would have been available in a 22" model because 24 is just masive. That being said, this ride has that "ride" sound that has been in my head forever. Stairway to Heaven, Older Jazz records my dad used to listen too, this ride has THAT clear, glassy sound. Is is both bright and dark and thin enough to actually crash with a 5a stick.
 
Man - you will never regret to switch back your 24" ride for an 22". I have one PGB 24" and it's a huge monster with a delicate silk sound...just a lovely piece of art!

Justpicked up a Paiste Giant Beat 24" Ride. I wish it would have been available in a 22" model because 24 is just masive. That being said, this ride has that "ride" sound that has been in my head forever. Stairway to Heaven, Older Jazz records my dad used to listen too, this ride has THAT clear, glassy sound. Is is both bright and dark and thin enough to actually crash with a 5a stick.
 
The Zildjian 21" A Rock Ride comes to mind. Steve Smith with Journey in the early days used this ride.

Neil Peart with his old Canadian Zildjian A Ping which was also the Rock Ride. Back then they were the same cymbal. If you wanted a Rock ride they stamped Rock on it, if you wanted a Ping, they stamped Ping on it.
 
The Zildjian 21" A Rock Ride comes to mind. Steve Smith with Journey in the early days used this ride.

Neil Peart with his old Canadian Zildjian A Ping which was also the Rock Ride. Back then they were the same cymbal. If you wanted a Rock ride they stamped Rock on it, if you wanted a Ping, they stamped Ping on it.
That's pretty comical!

I remember the old Zildjian catalog from the early '80s that had Steve Smith playing a 24" A Medium Ride (but sounded like a Rock). I remember the little blurb in there where he said he was using Rock Hats and Rock Crashes because he liked how "beefy" they were. I thought that was kinda funny - jazz guy joins rock band and gets all rock cymbals for fear he might not be authentic if he played his thinner cymbals!

When in Rome, I guess.
 
Didn't know Nick Mason used Giant Beat back then on Dark Side. The other classic ride pieces are Bonham (again his 24" GB) on What is and What Should Never Be and How Many More Times....dreamy.
 
Elvin's 20" sizzle ride sound has had a huge influence on me. I'm going to have to third the Tony Williams ride as well, spectacular. The colors he is able to pull out of that cymbal on Dolphin Dance with Herbie Hancock are insane.

Above all, I love what Brian Blade does with his cymbal selection. 15-22-24-22. Amazing. His selection of 22s I seen him use are a Spizz TW clone with 6 rivets, KCON MedThin Low with 6 rivets, and one with two rivets. But his main ride is a 24" thin A from the 50s. I love it. And his vintage 15" New Beats can't be beat either. Huge inspiration on my playing.
 
The other classic ride pieces are Bonham (again his 24" GB) on What is and What Should Never Be and How Many More Times....dreamy.

A lot of conjecture over what Bonzo used on Zepp I & II. Both albums were cut pre-endorsement so what was actually used has been difficult to piece together. On the first album there are some who say he used either Zildjian or a mix of Stambuls and 602's. Others say all three were used at the same time. Cymbal profiles and lathe lines that are apparent in old pics and vids etc have been used to support the claims.

Zepp II is even harder to figure out exactly what was used as it was recorded on the road during the first couple of US tours. Again, a mix of Zildjians, Stambuls and 602's have been cited but as always, accurate clarification is difficult to find. However, there are some who argue that Giant Beats had found their way into his set up by this stage as well.

The confusion stops by Zepp III though. From here on in he is known to have used Giant Beats with 602 Sound Edge hats on III and IV. And 2002's from HOTH onwards....although GB's can be heard on selected tracks from Physical Graffiti and Coda as several tracks on both albums were hold overs from earlier sessions.
 
Ya I have read/heard that about Led Zep I. But Its pretty clear that by January 1970 (Royal Albert Hall, on DVD) he's got the complete GB setup going (24 - 20 - 18 - 15 hats).
 
Us and Them. that is an epic song and I was just playing to it this afternoon. I have to add that to my list of future purchases....
 
Neil Peart with his old Canadian Zildjian A Ping which was also the Rock Ride. Back then they were the same cymbal. If you wanted a Rock ride they stamped Rock on it, if you wanted a Ping, they stamped Ping on it.

I remember when Frank's Drum Shop in Chicago had a set of stamps from Zildjian. They classified and stamped the cymbals themselves.
 
Vernal Fournier on the 1959 Ahmad Jamal recording of “Poinciana” … at 2:10 in the clip he goes to his ride

To me that is THE ride sound, not sure what he was using though?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL01ZqRY4Lk&feature=related


_vernel_fournier__003.jpg
 
just found out that John Densmore is playing a Paiste 602 on "Riders On The Storm".

http://newdoorstalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=lyric&action=print&thread=1722

Just a point of information.That forum incorrectly identifies one of Densmores Ludwig kits as "citrus mod",when it fact that kit is actually "Mod orange" .The two wraps are completely different in color and pattern.

When I think of a ride sound,I really love Dino Danelli's on the Rascals "Collections"album.Bonhams on Stairway,and Densmores' on Riders on the Storm.

Zildjian actually made two different Rock ride cymbals.The first was the "Rock 21",which dates to the early 70's.This model was medium in weight and had a larger bell than a normal ride.That was my first Zildjian cymbal.That model was discontinued in the mid to late 70's,at which time Zildjian introduced the 21" Rock ride,which was more of a ping ride.

Steve B
 
Just a point of information.That forum incorrectly identifies one of Densmores Ludwig kits as "citrus mod",when it fact that kit is actually "Mod orange" .The two wraps are completely different in color and pattern.

When I think of a ride sound,I really love Dino Danelli's on the Rascals "Collections"album.Bonhams on Stairway,and Densmores' on Riders on the Storm.

Zildjian actually made two different Rock ride cymbals.The first was the "Rock 21",which dates to the early 70's.This model was medium in weight and had a larger bell than a normal ride.That was my first Zildjian cymbal.That model was discontinued in the mid to late 70's,at which time Zildjian introduced the 21" Rock ride,which was more of a ping ride.

Steve B

Thanks tamadrm for the info on the Rock 21. I wanted to try a Rock 21 when they first came out. But, as usual, none of the stores around Atlanta had one. A few years later (1981 or 1982), I purchased a 21" Rock Ride. I still have this cymbal and it is a heavy monster !! Ping, ping, ping, and clang, clang, clang, goes the cymbal.
 
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