Crash/Ride Cymbals ?

pocket player

Junior Member
Hey Drummers, i know its self explainetory but does anyone use a crash /ride cymbal instead of a regular ride cymbal . Why ? Pros & Cons ?

Thanks
 
Mostly that’s just marketing. You can crash on a lot of rides and ride on plenty of larger crashes. But there’s a market for people who only have money or space for one cymbal, who want to be reassured by the label.
 
It is a particular design, so they do crash differently than a regular crashable ride, and ride differently than a rideable crash. Maybe it used to be a more desirable model name, like “left side ride” is today.
 
There are definite design differences in some companies' crash/ride models-- taper, bell size, weight distribution, etc. But it's also true that a lot of crash cymbals can be used as rides and vice versa.

I use a Paiste Masters 20" Dark Crash/Ride as my left side cymbal for jazz and mostly as a crash for rock/pop music. It gives me a washier sounding ride than the 22" Dark Ride but a stiffer feeling crash than the Masters crash cymbals. So, I guess if you really want a second ride sound on your kit, it's a good way to go. I wouldn't get a crash/ride as a main ride unless I wanted that washier sound. However, I can imagine one-cymbal gigs where I'd choose a crash/ride as my sole cymbal. Mostly, I'd recommend using the designations to get you in the ballpark and use your ears for the rest!
 
I love my Heartbeat Custom Dry 22" ride cymbals. It crashes and rides incredibly well.
 
Rideable crash, crashable ride or one you can crash/ride? Seriously, I think several fit the bill. A 20" Sabian AAX crash is one. I use an 18" Vintage Sabian for all three jobs and it does quite well in a smaller venue. The most crashable ride I have is my 20" Sabian AA Medium ride. Also, my Paiste 505 Green label works just fine too. Lots and lots of choices. Back in the day before all the marketing they were just cymbals. You searched for one you liked and hit it. Ah, the good old days!
 
Sorry I meant verses a reg. ride ?

I mean, all things being otherwise equal? It would typically give you more spread/wash and a less defined stick sound. When I was playing a lot of blues I wanted a ride cymbal with a defined but not pingy stick sound but I still wanted it to be able to crash. So, I'd just be looking for a medium thin to medium cymbal (c. 2100g for a 20" or 2800g for a 22). I might use the crash/ride as a second cymbal in that context.

But, I mean, lots of guys want big, washy cymbals for blues. Bonham's cymbals were big and washy and I think they sounded pretty great and huge for that whole LZ blues/rock thing. All of the Giant Beats and Big Beats are "multi" type cymbals-- in a sense, crash/rides. If that's the sound you're going for, that's how you do it. Most of the companies make cymbals in that sort of range.

Is there a brand you're looking at?
 
I have a really old Zildjian (from 40's I think) small 16" very thin cymbal with rivets. Makes a great little ride behind keyboard player, and I also use it as my crash because it's a sweet little crash sound that decays quickly. Perfect for jazz. I could do a gig just with it in small venues. For other venues I also bring very thin 21" ride. The bigger ride I use behind jazz guitar and sax. I can ride it and swing it, and also use bell. But it doesn't crash very well. I could never use it as only cymbal at a gig.
 
In the rockabilly scene, I use one to do double duty as I play standing up.
I was lucky to find one that was good at both. The usual rule of thumb was they're either good crashes, or good rides.
Rarely both.
 
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I mean, all things being otherwise equal? It would typically give you more spread/wash and a less defined stick sound. When I was playing a lot of blues I wanted a ride cymbal with a defined but not pingy stick sound but I still wanted it to be able to crash. So, I'd just be looking for a medium thin to medium cymbal (c. 2100g for a 20" or 2800g for a 22). I might use the crash/ride as a second cymbal in that context.

But, I mean, lots of guys want big, washy cymbals for blues. Bonham's cymbals were big and washy and I think they sounded pretty great and huge for that whole LZ blues/rock thing. All of the Giant Beats and Big Beats are "multi" type cymbals-- in a sense, crash/rides. If that's the sound you're going for, that's how you do it. Most of the companies make cymbals in that sort of range.

Is there a brand you're looking at?
Thanks for your feedback,no not looking at brands yet ,just thinking maybe a C/R would fill more cymbal ride sound for this 3pc blues project i am doing. i dont have alot of monster chops and i am trying to cover alot of ground
 
I mean, all things being otherwise equal? It would typically give you more spread/wash and a less defined stick sound. When I was playing a lot of blues I wanted a ride cymbal with a defined but not pingy stick sound but I still wanted it to be able to crash. So, I'd just be looking for a medium thin to medium cymbal (c. 2100g for a 20" or 2800g for a 22). I might use the crash/ride as a second cymbal in that context.

But, I mean, lots of guys want big, washy cymbals for blues. Bonham's cymbals were big and washy and I think they sounded pretty great and huge for that whole LZ blues/rock thing. All of the Giant Beats and Big Beats are "multi" type cymbals-- in a sense, crash/rides. If that's the sound you're going for, that's how you do it. Most of the companies make cymbals in that sort of range.

Is there a brand you're looking at?

Yessr! I would not use as a main ride other than getting a big open sound.

Currently on my Vistalite kit, to get the 70s sound, I am using a 22” Sabian AA crash/ride as a main ride.

I also have a 21” HH Vintage ride on left crash position, a 22” AA medium crash above floor tom area, and 20” AAXplosion crash further down.

For context, the sizes of the 2 - 22” AAs (new logos) are:
22” Crash/Ride 3040 grams
22” Medium Crash 2774 grams

The 22” crash ride is almost a harsh bright crash but just right; as it’s rigid profile leads them at the end of spectrum, but not quite the stick definition that a medium ride would have at maybe a couple hundred grams or so more.

The 22” medium crash is bright and loud as well, with a cutting bell. It suits me better to ride on sometimes; and, in my opinion can be just as dynamic in terms of nuanced crash and/or riding.
 
I just started using a Crash/Ride recently. I have a 20" Paiste Giant Beat combo that works great.

The reason I switched was I wanted to reduce the number of cymbals I was hauling around, my 20" Paiste Twenty was pretty heavy.
I found that using a Crash/Ride allowed me to get rid of the weight and make my cymbal setup more versatile.

I also swapped my China for a Paiste Swish Crash which works as both a Crash and a China.
 
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I like crash-ride cymbals. Sabian's web site says that the Bash Ride is the crash-ride version of the Raw Bell Dry Ride. I love my AA 21 inch Bash Ride. I also have a rideable crash, which is an SR2 18" Thin. I bought it to use as a crash and found out later that it also makes a good ride. Sometimes I like to play with hats, a crash-ride, and one other crash, usually a 17 inch crash. Peace and goodwill.
 
I switched from a 20" K Custom to a 22" AAX Omni a couple of years ago and never looked back. It (and its HHX cousin) are probably some of the best crash-rides I've ever heard or played. The dual lathing makes it easy to play controlled and pingy or washy and crashy, plus they're just a bit dirty and trashy sounding and have a killer bell. Highly recommended.

(I might just have to sell the K Custom, since it sits unloved in the cymbal bag. Any interest?)
 
I have a 22in aax Omni also, it's a great crash ride. I think it's a better ride than it is Crash the crash is kind of thin sounding but overall it's a great cym.
I may have to look into the bass ride again.I listened to them in stores And was not all that impressed. It seemed like it was too heavy for a good crash sound
 
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