Looking for nice 14” Hi Hats...advice needed

M

Monkey45

New member
Hi, just starting back on drums after a 10 year break. My go to cymbals back then was zildjian k custom dark. I primarily play across soul/funk/ pop covers and want the balance between nice chick, sticking but also enough cut.

I’m tempted to go Custom Dark again, but others for consideration are

K Mastersound
K Hybrid
Sabian HHX evolution

thoughts on the above...anyone been able to compare

any other recommendations

thanks
 
Swissward Flamtacles

Swissward Flamtacles

Member
www.ebay.co.uk

Zildjian A Armand 14" Hi Hats - Very good condition - No Cracks or Keyholing | eBay

Lighter weight specifications promote a faster cymbal response with special lower pitched overtones without loss of projection potential, and a tighter lathe pattern on the top of each model results in a unique feel.".
www.ebay.co.uk
www.ebay.co.uk

Sabian HHX Evolution 14" Hi Hat Cymbals | eBay

<p dir="ltr">Sabian HHX Evolution 14" Hi Hat Cymbals. Good used condition throughout with no cracks or keyholing. Usual signs of use and a little logo fade on top hat.</p>
www.ebay.co.uk
Buy used and there's no need to find the perfect cymbals right away - these might just do the trick, though. :)
 
Rattlin' Bones

Rattlin' Bones

Gold Member
New Beats New Beats New Beats. Can do most any genre from jazz to whatever. That's what I use for jazz and blues.

You can vary your sound by the gram weight. Play louder genres get a bit heavier gram weight. I use a pair that has an 873 gram top. The bottom is a bit heavier. Seems they might be too heavy for jazz, but they're not. When closing them on the 2 & 4 or whenever else I wanna close them, I can hear them. Can also hear in front of kit and on recordings. I've not tried a lighter pair but I'd like to compare. Maybe lighter would be better?

I'd also look for a good used vintage pair. Get an older seasoned pair. Old meaning OLD as possible. Cymbals get better with age.
 
P

prokofi5

Junior Member
wildbill said:
New Beats are the standard by which all others are judged for me.
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Rattlin' Bones said:
I'd also look for a good used vintage pair. Get an older seasoned pair. Old meaning OLD as possible. Cymbals get better with age.
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Agreed. I lucked into a set of hollow logo new beats and I'm not sure if I'll buy any other set unless these things explode. A good thing about the model is that they're so common they're fairly affordable and lots of info is available.
 
wraub

wraub

Well-known member
I'll be that guy and suggest you check out some Quick Beats. More chick and cut than NBs, but some I've heard can have an odd undertone, I think from the flat bottom cymbal. I like mine a lot, but definitely try a couple sets if you can.
 
Vintage Old School

Vintage Old School

Gold Member
I'll be the odd man out and of the three hats you listed I'd prefer the Sabian HHX Evolution.
That being said you can't go wrong with the New Beats.
You also might consider the Istanbul Agop Lenny White 14" Epoch Hats (my favorite 14" hats).
 
lefty2

lefty2

Platinum Member
Monkey45 said:
Hi, just starting back on drums after a 10 year break. My go to cymbals back then was zildjian k custom dark. I primarily play across soul/funk/ pop covers and want the balance between nice chick, sticking but also enough cut.

I’m tempted to go Custom Dark again, but others for consideration are

K Mastersound
K Hybrid
Sabian HHX evolution

thoughts on the above...anyone been able to compare

any other recommendations

thanks
Click to expand...
New Beats. Good for everything.
 
C.M. Jones

C.M. Jones

Well-known member
If you don't know exactly what you want, New Beats are a great option. Their adaptability is outstanding. It's hard to envision a genre or an environment in which they'd be glaringly out of place.

Beware of weight variations, however. No two pairs of New Beats will be the same. Tonal differences can be broad for that reason. Acquainting yourself with specs before making a purchase is prudent.
 
S

s1212z

Well-known member
I shared this a few months ago which is a good analysis of New Beats weight and era (more graphs in link):

I would not purchase a pair of New Beats without knowing the weight and era, some shouldn't even share the same name. I recall the 90s pairs (and all As for that matter) in the 90s-2000s sounded like clanky garbage since the weights were way out of wack; they sound much better now IMO with more consistent mid-weights.

Screen Shot 2021-01-11 at 12.04.20 PM.png
 
C.M. Jones

C.M. Jones

Well-known member
s1212z said:
I recall the 90s pairs (and all As for that matter) in the 90s-2000s sounded like clanky garbage since the weights were way out of wack; they sound much better now IMO with more consistent mid-weights.
Click to expand...
Yes, Zildjian tightened their specs a few years back, so weights aren't as haphazard as they once were. Still, with any Zildjian cymbal, it's wise to gather as much information as possible before buying. Their production process isn't geared toward consistency. They somewhat pride themselves on variation, which they define as individuality.
 
Kuromaku

Kuromaku

Well-known member
I'm add another vote for the KCDs. I am in no way taking away anything from NBs, but I do like the darker tone. I actually ran a bit of a test the other day where I really challenged myself to see if they were crisp and responsive enough and I loved them all over again.

I think you should consider what you're mixing them with - are you playing a K ride? K crashes? There are no rules here, but if you are playing Ks, that lower register tone of KCDs may mix better.
 
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iCe

iCe

Senior Member
I have the 14" New Beats as my mains and the 13" on the x-hat. I'm still looking at other hi-hats, but every time i play my 14" i think 'yup... very nice, don't need to replace them". I do want the 15" some day for a lower and sloshier sound, but you can use the 14" for everything. Used them for pop and metal. Works in every setting!
 
K

KamaK

Platinum Member
I'd also recommend New Beats for amplified Rock and other sonically dense genre's.
I'd recommend K's for acoustic and sonically sparse genres. If you liked the old K Dark, you'll probably like the new K Sweet.
 
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