Should I Upgrade My Cymbals

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daniel1204

Junior Member
Hi I have Stagg DX Cymbals and i was wondering wether to keep them or upgrade.
If I upgrade I can get
Zildjian ZXT Pack
Zildjian ZHT Pack
Paiste PST 5 Pack
Or
Paiste Alpha H-Hats
Paiste Alpha Ride
Zildjian A-Fast Crash
This will cost about as much as the Zht Pack
If i get the cheaper packs I can get a china and a new crash aswell
Or i can keep my old cymbals and get more crashes a china and a couple splashes
I dont know what these cymbals sound like ao if you know please help me
 
The ZHT's are B12. The ZXT and PST's are B8 alloy. So if are choosing from the three cymbal packs I would go with the ZHT's. Also look into the XS20 line from Sabian. They, at least, use a B20 formula.

The Alpha's are also a B8 line. The Zildjian A in your list is the only cast bronze cymbal in the bunch and would be far superior to the rest. It also has a B20 formual, but in the end it all comes down to taste and what sounds good to you. My favorite cymbal is an old Sabian Pro 16in medium crash with a dent in the edge. It looks like crap, but I just love the sound, so more expensive doesn't always mean better. Get out to a store and bang on a buch of em before making a decision and beware of buying off craigslist and ebay. Many people will dump bad sounding cymbals that way. Even the best lines produce a clunker once in a while.
 
Good used cymbals are usually worth more than they cost, call up all the music stores in your area and compile a list, narrow it down from there. Ive gotten some excellent deals that way(22" Rude ride for $85, 8-9 years ago, still playin it,15" Z crash for $30 also) takes some time but worth it, just a suggestion.
 
Hey !!

I was in esactly the same situation and i went for the ZHT pro's there a brilliant buy worth every penny and now im selling my old cymbals to expand my ZHT range. If your a more rocky drummer obviously go for the ZHT rock set but either way, There brilliant !!
 
If your realy set on buying packs, my choice would be Sabian XS20. They are just like pro cymbals, B20 bronze, but definitely less expensive. Although they are a bit more than you'd pay for ZXT's, they're far superior in my opinion. They'll last you a while too, you won't feel the need to upgrade after a short time.
 
Jeeze, you can get used New Beats for like $75-100 all the time, get a medium ride and an 18" crash for a bit less, $250 total, no problem. Watch craigslist, eBay, and forum spam threads.

Otherwise, XS-20s, PST-5s, Saludas, or Dreams.
 
ermghoti said:
Jeeze, you can get used New Beats for like $75-100 all the time, get a medium ride and an 18" crash for a bit less, $250 total, no problem.
Click to expand...

This is true. You could EASILY find some used hats in the $100-125 range, a used ride in that range, and some crashes for a little cheaper. Keep your eyes open for the really good deals, where you could get all of them for under $250.

I would recommend getting one thing at a time. Start with whatever "deal" you can find. Maybe you'll get a crash first. Maybe some hats. Pick and choose what you want. Go to a music store, try a bunch of cymbals out, find out what you like, then look for that brand/model/size used, knowing that you should only pay up to half of it's street price (not retail price).

Stay away from ZBT, ZHT, B8, and those other entry-level cymbals. If you're going to upgrade, then UPgrade. Those other cymbals are a lateral move, in my opinion. Zildjian A and Sabian AA at the very least
 
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