New hi hats and ride (Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste)

Emmaticus00

Emmaticus00

Senior Member
Ok guys I got a predicament. I'm usually a Zildjian girl, because I've always played on really nice stuff. But ever since I got a Sabian AA 16" medium thin, I've changed. Ya know I thought Sabian was horrible; nah it's great. So I love New Beats and I'm undecided on a new ride but I'm not usually a brand whore, so I can handle Sabian, Paiste, and Zildjian all on my kit. I'm not really familiar with all the hats for Sabian and Paiste and rides. I play everything so I need something universal. I need something B20 under max $250 for each cymbal. My goal is to upgrade all the keys before more adding crashes and such.

So any pro, universal, consistently good sounding hi hats and rides used?
 
All three make nice rides - Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, you just have to go forth and listen to them and figure out which one you like. If you're trying to cover bases, Zildjian's Sweet Ride is a good all-arounder. Paiste's 2002 Ride, Sabian's AA MEdium ride.....all good. I like Zildjian K rides myself, because I can bash them and ride them. It's all up to you.
 
I think it's a silly question because it's about what you like from your own experiences but I'll share my preferences. I ignored your budget because if I know I want a particular cymbal I will save for it. No point buying a cymbal that you don't love.

Hats:

From paiste I like the 2002 14" Mediums, also don't mind the alpha sound edges (they're a cheaper set)
From Zildjian I love the K custom hybrids
From sabian I like the hhx evolutions and the groove hats

Crashes (no smaller than 18"):

paiste - giant beats are okay
zildjian - I love k custom hybrid
sabian - I like the hand hammered series.. I have a hhx evolution and it's okay too


Rides:

paiste: giant beat 24
zildjian: k con 22 medium
sabian: artisan vault 22 light
 
The new revamped A Zildjians are awesome. Sweet Rides and Medium Rides sound great. 2013 New Beats are the next cymbals on my list. Probably closer to $300,though.
 
For hats, the New Beats are go-to and pretty universal. Sabian's AA Regular Hats are almost exactly the same. If you want something a little different but still very versatile, the K/Z hats or the Sabian HHX Evolutions are also great.

For universal rides, anything "medium" is pretty universal, as is the K 20" ride. On one kit I'm currently playing an older 21" Sabian AA Dry Ride that works well in a wide range of music.

You want to spend some time picking these cymbals, to find the exact set that speaks to you. Spend some time on mycymbal.com to narrow down sounds. Then go hunting on CraigsList. I prefer CL to eBay because usually I have a chance to hold and hear the cymbal before I buy. And oftentimes you can get a great deal if someone is just trying to unload gear.
 
Emmaticus00 said:
Ok guys I got a predicament. I'm usually a Zildjian girl, because I've always played on really nice stuff. But ever since I got a Sabian AA 16" medium thin, I've changed. Ya know I thought Sabian was horrible; nah it's great. So I love New Beats and I'm undecided on a new ride but I'm not usually a brand whore, so I can handle Sabian, Paiste, and Zildjian all on my kit. I'm not really familiar with all the hats for Sabian and Paiste and rides. I play everything so I need something universal. I need something B20 under max $250 for each cymbal. My goal is to upgrade all the keys before more adding crashes and such.

So any pro, universal, consistently good sounding hi hats and rides used?
Click to expand...

Hi Zildjian girl,

I don't know what your preferences are for sounds but have you considered Meinl? They make some GREAT sounding hats and rides, particularly the Byzance line. Some of the most versatile hats I've owned are the 14" Byzance Dark hats. They can be had used for around $200.
 
Emmaticus00 said:
... I love New Beats...

... I play everything so I need something universal....
Click to expand...


From this ^^^^, I'd say if you get different hi-hats, also keep your New Beats. They're about as universal as you can get.

All the manufacturers make good hats and rides. You just have to sift through what's available to find what you like.

If you have a place where you can try Dream cymbals, give the Bliss hats a try. I'm a New Beat guy, but I like those almost as much.

My universal rides are the regular 20" Zildjian K, and the Zildjian Sweet Ride.
Rides have a lot of variety though - bright/dark, washy/ringy/dry, loud/quiet, focused/broad overtones, crashable/not crashable, and so on.
Most manufacturers make stuff that falls into those categories and you've got to pick what's important or universal for yourself.
 
I like Zildjian rides and their vintage crash-rides, but for a crash sound, I prefer Sabian. I was playing somebody else's kit last night and he had a nice set of Zildjian K crashes and a nice 20" K custom ride. He also had a great sounding 14" china. I forgot to get the exact model of the china, dammit, but I'm just getting a 14" Wuhan, so it didn't really matter to me.

Judging from playing that set, which was an awesome 90's American made OCDP 6-piece with a 20" bass drum, I'd say I like my K Custom Hybrid ride better simply for the fact that it crashes better. He puts his ride right where I usually put my main crash so I kept hitting it, and it wasn't working for me, but if it was that K Custom Hybrid, the crash would sound better. I know because I own one. The K crashes are cool, but not for my playing really. Not in this band at least. I just like the brightness and the clean snappy sound of a Sabian crash. What can I say? Even the Dark 16" AAX just has that Sabian wow factor to it. As far as hi-hats, I can't help you really because I am pretty happy with the ones I got which are not hats that any of these guys are going to recommend to you. I use Sabian XS20's and some old Pro's.

I can't say too much about Paiste because I can't afford their good stuff. haha!
 
^^^ nothing wrong with XS20. I've had several different kinds of xs20 cymbals and though they regularly go on rotation out of my collection I'm never hesitant to buy one again if I find it for the right price. In my opinion xs20 is like a less glamourous sounding AA. They have that AA quality but a bit more grit to them. My fave splash was a 10" xs20 but I sold it for cash. Grr.

In the end you gotta play what's right for you. If that means a pro set of hats and a b8 ride with wuhan crashes, so be it. Just don't be afraid to expore new opportunities.
 
I love my Zildjian K Custom Dark hats, ride, crashes, but the Sabian AA regular hats (mentioned already) are great hi-hats. I owned a pair for years and regret selling them.
 
I'll throw my lot in with the Sabian AA Regular Hats and AA Medium Ride as well. They're extremely versatile cymbals that won't wreck your budget.

If you're going to go the used route, I would like to recommend Sabian HHX Stage Hats/Ride. They're more responsive, but drier, darker, and warmer than the AA. However, they'll still project in loud situations, should the need arise. I recommend these used, only due to their higher price in-store.
 
Bull said:
The new revamped A Zildjians are awesome. Sweet Rides and Medium Rides sound great. 2013 New Beats are the next cymbals on my list. Probably closer to $300,though.
Click to expand...

This is true! I have a pair of 2013 New Beat 14s and I love them.
Other hats I like include the K 14's, and the Sabian Fusion hats, plus the K/Z 13's (they don't get so much love as New Beats around here but are still great).

I would also consider the 'core' rides from each range if you want versatility, such as:
A medium ride (I might be in the market for a 22 inch one soon)
K ride (very nice, I love my 20)
Paiste 2002 ride (love this one too!)
 
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