Should I get cymbals piece by piece or just get a set?

[emodrummama]

Hi Guys

am getting a new drumkit soon in Dec.
It will not come with any cymbals - Been considering for sometime..

Should I get cymbals piece by piece or just get a set?
Not sure which brand to buy too.
I'm quite particular about my hi-hat sound.. definitely dun want lousy hats, at the same time can't afford too high end ones..

Any mid-level cymbal sets to intro?

Also... do you think the room with the drumset should be airconditioned?
Cos the last time i had a set it went pretty rusty...compared to my friend's who had his set in an air conditioned room.


Thanks, awaiting the advice of all you pros out there. ha

 

[weckl-x]

With regards to cymbals, do tell us more so that the guys here can help ya.

I'll just throw in some questions to guide ya.
Tell us about:
a) The genre of music you intend to play with them
b) Are you looking for specific type of sounds (give a band as example if you can), or stuff as versatile as possible within your chosen genre of music in (a)?
c) What is your approximate budget? This will help with recommendations. Who knows, some of the guys here might have stuff they might let go at your budget.

About your last question, if you neglect a kit, it's still gonna rust, A/C or not. A/C does suck out the humidity, only when it's on., but when you turn it off, it'll usually cause some mild condensation, which may lead to rust over time. More important is to ensure it's not near places with high humidity like bathroom, kitchen (cooking/steaming), etc.
Simple things like making sure parts are cleaned and lubed will help too.

What kit are you getting, btw?

 

[emodrummama]

a) Mostly rock songs but want to venture into funk
c) budget - $500 -$600 to get hats, crash, ride? is that too little? I dont mind second hand

how do i maintain the kit? what should i use to clean the wood and metal parts?

Will be getting a Mapex VX set. unlike the usual drumset, it does not have gloss finish

 

[sidmontu]

500-600 might be a little low for all 3... i can recommend the paiste pst5 series, played a bit on it and seen samples of it (esp of cobus the drummer on youtube). sounds great, sweet hats. sabian hats are also quite sweet, nt sure what model exactly but the broken hats in fourtones smaller room sound great to me(even though cracked badly lol). i myself got paiste rude hats, quite good for rock, funk not too ideal i think, missing the sweetness (duh, its named rude for a reason)

 

[jesperz]

hello emodrummama,

From what i know ranges from $500 - $600, you can get the Zildjian Sheet Bronze series which are ZXT set.. It has a crash, ride and a pair of hi hats. Even though it doesn't sound as good as cast bronze series, but still playable.

 

[plainsman]

for budget of 500-600, sid's recommendation of paiste pst5 series is a good one.

do check it out, trawl the net for reviews/sound samples, mikedolbear.com has a mini review here:

http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=930&Source=Search&txtSearch=Pst5|paiste


if rock and funk are along lines of RHCP, these cymbals would serve the music well.

otherwise, it might be a matter of personal taste.


i quite like the new paiste 201 bronze series as well, and they are cheaper than the pst5 (just under S$400)

although i've always used sabians and zildjians, i find the engineering of the other cymbal companies fascinating and interesting. paiste struck a niche for itself when it managed to make b8 alloy sound fantastic (fans would even claim it sounds superior to the b20 alloy)

go read up some and don't forget to try 'em out yourself personally! =)


cheers

 

[drum_hobbyist]

With that budget, check out the Alchemy Pro ART series, hand hammered B20 cymbals at machine hammered price, you can get an additional 10" splash all under $600. Check the website of ezi music...

 

[weckl-x]

Rock/Funk. Cool. Many lines will actually work for these genres.

With a budget of $500-$600, like sidmontu said, it's a little low. But not impossible! Just gotta wait around for the right bargains to pop up.

Used hats can be had for $200+ to $300+, same for rides, while 16"-18" crashes will hover between $100+ to $200+. Very very rough figures. Gotta be patient and wait to acquire piece by piece if you wanna try to go for pro-level stuff. But the good thing is, if you don't crack 'em, you'll pretty much keep them for life. Of course, until your tastes change, etc.

Actually, maintenance is just basic stuff like wiping, dusting things down once in awhile. When dust accumulates, it makes it easier for moisture to be retained, instead of evaporating.

Here's some you could check out perhaps.

There's a pair of A custom projection hats that were going for $200-$220 in the buy/sell section?
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php?t=36754

Istanbul 15" Sultan Series Crash (6 months old, 10/10) - $160
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php?t=39253

16" AAX stage crash - $180 relatively new.
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php?t=39498

 

[emodrummama]

wow thanks everybody
Just tried on the zxt jesperz mentioned - used them (brand new!!) at Rockstar studios.. The hats and rides were nice, but cymbals would prefer sth more swizzle. but could consider tho. Paiste pst5? hmm think i should go check em out.

I never heard of alchemy before.. drum hobbyist you played them before?

weckl x, thanks for helping me check out the current selling posts. Will consider but wanna look around more.

Was talking to a friend about cymbals.. and he mentioned he has this set of Turkish cymbals (that's the brand name) Apparently he loves the sound to bits. Anybody tried?

 

[emodrummama]

wah the alchemy art cymbal set really cheap....

 

[drum_hobbyist]

The Alchemy Pro ART cymbals was used in the previous drummers' meet-up and from what I heard was that the sound quality is beyond the pricing.

For the Turkish set, you have to pay slightly above $600 for the Classic series.

 

[DullTheater]

i've got 2 crashes and 1 pair of hats for sale

16" paiste dimension crash
16" paiste innovations crash
14" sabian AA hats

 

[jEva]

If you only have that much of a budget, for a new set, it would be beter if you choose from either
1. Bosphorous
2. Istanbul Agop
3. Istandul Mehmet

But if you can wait, you will get very good deals here. Believe me when I say GOOD..

 

[alvinthedrummer]

Hi All, just a quick note....I hope that the comparison of Turkish cymbals with other brand's box sets should stop because all three range that I'm carrying now are Turkish's top line cymbals.

Turkish however do have their own box sets too which I did not bring in....and even those which are considered semi-pro is 100% hand made unlike some other brand's box set cymbals or semi-pro cymbals which are part machine machine made.


I'll bring in some box sets in the next couple of months too and will keep everyone updated...

 

[spinninsticks]

Just a question..

Does hand made cymbals means that they are hand hammered in the process?

 

[alvinthedrummer]

From Turkish:-

The cymbal-making process is a dramatic one that employs ancient techniques from the early 17th century. Red-hot discs are forged in great, fiery ovens. These discs are made of bronze, a metal which is not found in the earth. Rather, it is an alloy fashioned from a mixture of tin and copper. The magic of Turkish Cymbals starts here. Our smiths demand only the finest quality bronze. Once the alloy passes their strict quality standards, they melt it down, and pour hot, liquid bronze into a mould shaped like a cymbal. Upon cooling, the disc is reheated in a traditional oven stoked with wood & coal. Rolling mills are fed these red-hot castings. As each casting hardens, a cup is added, and this becomes the bell of the cymbal. Our smith then retrieves the cymbal, and begins hammering it by hand. The tone, as well as the pitch, is created in this way. After each disc is hammered and coaxed into perfection, it is ready for the final step in the process. The new cymbal is spun upon a lathe until it is perfectly round. The lathe may also cut grooves to add character. Finally, our cymbal is either left with a natural finish, or refined with a mirror-like, high polish. As with every other step in the process, the polish is added with care and devotion by hand.

 

[Stickman]

wah the alchemy art cymbal set really cheap....

And good too.

 

[marcdadrummer]

yes get the alchemy pro art cymbals.. their awesome and CHEAP!!!

check out the website, www.ezimusic.com

myner is converting from sabians mix with stock cymbals to alchemy pro art cymbals!!!

other brands to look for are:

1) Sabian XS20 (sale box set around 700-800)
2) Turkish cymbals
3) Bosphorus cymbals..

but i'd put my money on alchemy art if they we're brought on earlier.. budget wise and sound wise and quality wise is there...

 

[alvyn]

If you only have that much of a budget, for a new set, it would be beter if you choose from either
1. Bosphorous
2. Istanbul Agop
3. Istandul Mehmet

But if you can wait, you will get very good deals here. Believe me when I say GOOD..

Eh bro... bosphorous, agop and mehmet not that cheap right?

Anw my personal opinion is that if you have approx. ~$500-$600 to spend on cymbals, don't scrimp. Like what I tell a lot of customers... if you're intending to take drumming on as a serious, long term hobby, what's the point in getting entry line cymbals? You will end up upgrading them along the way, so the eventual cost will be relatively higher.

IMO, it would be wise to spend the money on a pair of good hihats and a good ride. A good option would be the Istanbul Alchemy line. I've owned a 20" alchemy sweet ride and I can safely say that it was one of the better rides I've used that cost me below $200, 1st hand. For hihats, from the soundclips I've heard they sound crisp and articulate. For everything else, there's the 2nd hand market. With the newest craze in Turkish-made cymbals, I won't be surprised if there'll be an influx of people letting go of their Sabians and Zildjians soon, so bro maybe you could bookmark and check the Gear - Buy/Sell section often.

P/S: i'm selling my 14" a custom regular hats so do PM me if you're interested aahahahaha shameless pimpin' of my gear