Cymbal matching

Howdy people. I just started playing a few weeks ago and I have to say that things are progressing a lot faster than I thought. I haven't bought any cymbals, other than hats, because I wanted to get a good feel for the "main 3". I love rock and metal and that's the direction I want to go with my playing. I've looked all over the net at different types and brands of cymbals so I know how expensive they can get. Before I buy any, I wanted to get some ideas from experienced drummers on what combo's will produce the rock/metal sound without breaking the bank. Brand, size, and type are what i'm looking for. I'm definately getting a crash and a ride and possibly one more. Any help I can get would be GREATLY appreciated.

Start by identifying the basics of the cymbal you're looking for. Bright/Dark, light medium heavy, general size ranges etc. Rock & Metal have some common standards, look up your favorite groups and see what they're using. It's so subjective and personal that I don't feel I can recommend something in particular.

For matching it's important to play them together, even within the same brand & model you may need to play different cymbals before you notice a solid match that works for you. This isn't always practical but it is ideal. If your shop/used seller is nice enough to let you bring in your existing hats to find a match try it.

All of the cymbal companies who want to make good cymbals do make good cymbals. I prefer Sabian, but I have owned Paiste, Zildjian, and Meinl cymbals since I started playing drum set in 1969.

Check out this http://www.newb8pro.com and you may find what you are looking for. The online store with the best prices that I have found is Midwest Percussion. Good luck.

Drumolator said:

All of the cymbal companies who want to make good cymbals do make good cymbals. I prefer Sabian, but I have owned Paiste, Zildjian, and Meinl cymbals since I started playing drum set in 1969.

Check out this http://www.newb8pro.com and you may find what you are looking for. The online store with the best prices that I have found is Midwest Percussion. Good luck.

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Haven't heard the new B8 Pros, but I can recommend the next model up, the XS20's. Of course, that limits your sound choice, but they're excellent value for money. Mostly though, I would suggest going and hearing cymbals in person is the way forward. If this isn't an option, many people say Paiste's sound clips of their cymbals on their site are very accurate.

Just 2 days ago I bought myself a 6 set of sabian xs20 cymbals for $550 they sounds absoloutly great and I to am a bit of a metal head. For 6 cymbals $550 is a great price! just saying. However, they do also come in a pack of 3 where you get your basic cymbals (Highats , 16" Crash and 20" ride.) witch is around $250 I think

Take it from me, dont go out buying youself a whole heap of $20 cymbals. After a week you will hate the sound of them and end up spending more on real brands!

As you've probably gathered from my latest purchase Im a fan of sabian. The 2 most known brand are probably Sabian and zildjian and IMO I like to stick to whats known when it comes to big spending
Heres a link to the sabian site where you can get an overview of all there cymbals and the prices
http://www.sabian.com/EN/products/index.cfm

IMHO

Advice I wish I'd been given.
1. Don't buy anything yet...wait awhile, you're new,concentrate on your snare, high hat and kick.
2. Use MyCymbal.com to educate yourself and your ear. If they sell it, it's quality.
3. Go to Craigslist.com for your city and type "cymbals" into the search engine, watch whats for sale. Get an idea as to the depreciation. Take your time, weeks for sure.
4. Buy your first set used because real soon you'll want something different.
5. Be picky. Don't buy anything that's damaged. However, if they look bad they can usually be easily cleaned and sound like new.
6. IMHO only, stay consistent.Stay with one brand and go with common sizes i.e. Sabian AA 16"/18" crash, Sabian AA 20" ride. Easier to sell them as a set in a year or so.
7. Don't rush. Have fun with it.

Good Luck!

If you're looking at rock & metal, bigger and thicker cymbals are what you'll see the most. Dave Lombardo's first set of cymbals was actually a set of Paiste RUDE's, in fact. I'm not 100% sure how much a pack of those costs now, but if you don't want those, Alphas or PST 5's (same brand) would never hurt. Sabian B8s / B8 Pros are fine as well.