In the market for a new crash....

burn-4

Senior Member
I have recently cracked my beloved 18" K dark thin crash and it's ages out of warranty so I'm getting that, and an old A custom, reduced in size (to get rid of the cracks) by a professional cymbal repairer (I'm also having the A custom cut into an O-zone type crash but that's another story).

Anyway so whilst they're away getting sorted I need something new to gig with.

I want something dark, either an 18 or 19", but with a bit more body than the K dark thin.
Also it has to blend with or sound simmilar to my 19" sabian artisan crash (best sounding crash ever!) http://www.sabian.com/en/cymbal/a1906-19-inch-vault-artisan-crash

I absolutely love the Sabian it's honestly the perfect crash, so if I can get anything that sounds anywhere NEAR that then I'll be pretty happy.

I've recently been turned on to Istanbul Agop as I got some of their hats real cheap (£75) so was wondering if any of their range fit the bill?
Or feel free to suggest any from sabian/ zildjian.

The reason I'm not going for another K dark thin is;
a) I will have a 17" k dark thin pretty soon once the 18 is repaired
b) The main venue I play in is a 3000 capacity large room and it was 'too thin' sounding and seemed to sound a bit empty/ lacking body for this situation- the artisan sounds amazing in the bigger room (and any other room for that matter ha!)

Anyway let's hear your suggestions :)
 
A Sabian AAX 18" dark crash would be a good choice. Or a AAX 18" Xplosion fast crash. The xplosion fast crashes seem to be a lot darker than advertised IMO.
 
The AAX dark isn't bad, not a huge fan of the other plus extra thin sort of goes away from the increased body I'm after

They are both still quite 'bright' sounding even though they are labelled dark- I guess because of the brilliant finish

I'm not a huge fan of AAX/ A custom- they both sound a little 'cheap' to me (no offence meant to anyone- that's just my personal opinion) it's got to be K or similar really
 
A K Dark Medium Thin crash might get you the sound you are looking for.

It should have a bit more body to it without being too bright. I played a couple a while back to see how I would like them because I'm in the opposite situation as you. My A Custom crashes are a little too much for what I'm playing now so I'm looking for a nice K thin crash probably 17" or 18".
 
haha typical isn't it! yeah the med thin's aren't too shabby

I'd even go for something slightly trashy as well. The artisan has that trashy edge to it

I had a K Custom 18" dark crash for a while too but it had a manufacturers fault so I returned it then sold it on when I got the replacement back maybe I should go for another one of those

Anyone who plays Istanbul at all? What would be simmilar to a k dark thin or k custom dark crash in their lines? Traditional thin maybe? traditional dark?
 
Paiste Twenty? Full of great overtones.


F
 
Been playing UFIPs for years, and yes they are magic...but I'll let you know a little secret. I never hit my cymbals...they don't like that really. With my UFIPs I just look at them when I want them to sound and they do...perfectly, as if I had hit them. Sssshhhhh!
 
Any other suggestions?
 
Tho I've never played/heard one, the K custom Hybrid crashes might be something to look into. They are discribed as dark, yet cutting and unique. The prices are a bit scary tho.
 
I have an 18" K Dark Medium Thin that I like quite a bit. I also have two 19" K Dark Medium Thins, but they're both a bit heavy for my liking (and discontinued). For Sabian, I have 18" & 19" HHX Xplosions and they've got a nice full, smooth body and are surprisingly warm. They're medium-thins like the Ks but smoother and warmer.

The bummer about going thicker to get more body is losing that trashy quality.
 
The Artisan crash reminds me of my Paiste Signature Full crash: http://www.paiste.com/e/cymbals.php?category=2&family=3&action=category&menuid=239

I pair mine with a Paiste 19" Dark Energy crash and thinks it goes really well: http://www.paiste.com/e/cymbals.php?category=2&family=2&action=category&menuid=234

Istanbul Agop makes some fine cymbals and I have a China I love. But, they vary A LOT from individual cymbal to indivdual cymbal so I would recommend lugging your cymbal down to dealer and just checking the Istanbuls out.
 
Back
Top