Which cymbals should i buy

To be clear, though, you should avoid put tape on your cymbals… It looks ugly, leaves residue that is really hard to remove, and there are much better options out there.

If there is a lot of tape across the cymbals, they might sound different even after the tape is removed. How do you remove tape residue from cymbals? You can clean brilliant finish cymbals with cymbal cleaner , but other types of cymbals are best left as they are… otherwise you can actually change the surface of the cymbal.

Make sure to dry off any water reside right away. You should expect to pay less for used cymbals with a lot of tape residue. They can often be cleaned with a dry cloth, or with cymbal polish if the used cymbal has a brilliant finish.

Fingerprints will naturally build up over time, although best practice is to avoid putting them there in the first place. If there are a lot of fingerprints, used cymbals will look less appealing.

However, it takes a lot of oily fingerprints across many decades before the cymbal has any real structural changes. Like stick marks, fingerprints can often be cleaned with a dry cloth, or with cymbal cleaner if the used cymbal has a brilliant finish. If there are a lot of bad fingerprints on a used cymbal, you might pay slightly less for it. As well as usually having a black printed logo, most cymbals have a logo stamped or engraved into them.

On old used cymbals, this can sometimes be the only way to identify them… The printed logo wears off over time and with cleaning. If you find better cymbal dating resources, please let us know! Take a second to think about whether it fits with your sound. Used hi-hats and used ride cymbals are pretty tough… these cymbals are usually stronger than other types.

Sounds can be both complimentary and contrasting. An example would be to have washy crashes that complement each other along with fast, cutting stacked cymbals.

Used well, this kind of setup could drastically alter textures and help shape the music. When buying cymbals, it is important to consider it in the context of your existing set up. It is worth taking a current cymbal along for comparison, and hear it mix with a variety of others to pick out the most fitting companion. As always, keep in mind the styles of music you will be playing and the likely situations it will be in.

Considering the points mentioned above and asking yourself these kinds of questions, you'll ensure that you will get the most from your cymbal choice. The courier will contact you to arrange payment of these fees. Read more. This item has been successfully added to your list. Continue Shopping. Track Your Order Help Centre. Making Musicians Since Andertons Loyalty Points Scheme Earn loyalty points whenever you shop at Andertons Redeem points for discounts on your next purchase Online, in store or over the phone, earn and use points however you choose to shop No need to sign up - points are added automatically when you make a purchase!

How Loyalty Points Work What are points worth? Search Search. Suggested keywords menu. Account Cart. Popular Brands Shop All Brands. Boxes Acoustic Guitar Accessories. Laminate Tops Acoustic Piezo vs. Soundhole Pickups Dreadnought vs. View all Guides. Should I buy a Shell pack or drum kit? Beginners guide to cymbals More Buyer's Guides. Do I want an electric or acoustic kit? Beginners Guide to Cymbals There are many types of cymbals that exist, produced by a number of brands including Zildjian, Sabian, Meinl and Paiste.

What Are Cymbals Made From? B20 bronze, hand-hammered cymbals at knock-down prices. Read full review: Stagg SH. Dream produce professional quality cymbals in the ancient Chinese cymbal-making region around Wuhan city. Dream's Contact series lies somewhere between the slightly darker, trashier Bliss series and the rockier Energy series. The Contact series is, unusually, made from B 23 percent tin content and 77 percent copper. With such a high tin content the result is a lovely silvery-gold colouring and a slightly brighter stick response.

If you're into heavy metal, you should maybe look away now - these cymbals won't deliver a face melting. The vibe is softer and mellower: a hint of China trashiness, a spicy tang and bell-like clarity.

They need coaxing, not slaying. But while they're not clangers, they can certainly be played hard. Each cymbal will sound slightly different, so you need to choose with care. Read full review: Dream Contact. Featuring splashes, crashes, chinas, hi-hats and rides, PST8s contain a fair few attributes from higher-spec Paiste ranges - chief among these is the CuSn8 bronze that the cymbals are made from. CuSn8 is Paiste's own blend of B8 and is also known as bronze after the legendary Paiste range that it was formulated for.

Most of the diameters of cymbal are available in two weights - Medium and Rock. As well as being heavier, the Rock models also have larger bells, a slightly flatter profile and have been on the end of a few more hammer blows.

Crashes open with a clean, silky blast of B8 that slides across the mix. The 20" Medium gives a bright stick sound that generates a sympathetic accompaniment of wash. In comparison the heavier 20" Rock has a toppier, more lively feel, while the 22" Rock ride has a deeper voice and bigger presence.

Read full review: Paiste PST8. The S Family is extensive, with 38 cymbals available individually or in two boxed sets - a Performer and a Rock Cymbal set. Medium spaced rippled lathing covers the top and bottom surfaces, and there is intensive, graded machine hammering everywhere except on the bells.

A highlight of the range, stick definition on the 20" Medium ride is exemplary, with the clarity of a top pro cymbal, quite woody and focused. The 18" hole-strewn Trash crash has a funky thin and trashy element, like a super-thin fast crash. It would make a great effects cymbals, regardless of budget. Read full review: Zildjian S Family. The top sides of each cymbal are finely lathed and then smoothed over with a tasteful shiny finish, plus small hex-circular computerised machine hammering all over except for the bells.

Underneath, the lathing is also fine but not smoothed. Meinl is well known for its edgy, raw finishes and this Pure Alloy range is much more classic looking. Hi-hats sizzle nicely when just fractionally opened, powerful enough and yet controlled. Rides boast a zingy, attacking brightness and are ideal for playing alongside electrified bands. Boasting a clean sound, Pure Alloy is an apt description for the series. Read full review: Meinl Pure Alloy. Italy is famous for many things. However, you may not know the country has long been associated with cymbal production.

Due to their fundamentally bright tonal characteristics, the UFIP Bionic series is aimed primarily at rock and metal players. The majority of the models are subjected to some rigorous hand-polishing, awarding them a glassy, gleaming finish. The high standard of manufacture is truly impressive. Crashes are big and powerful, with cut in all the right places, but never brash or trashy - they would have no problem pushing through the barriers of any acoustic or amplified instrument.

Overall, this is a fantastic set of cymbals which will be equally at home in a rock or metal environment and many other genres too. Effects cymbals are big business these days as cymbal companies strive to broaden the palette of acoustic players in the face of digital jiggery-pokery and e-kit popularity.

Amongst the range, Oriental China Trashes are versatile little things, offering at least three distinct sounds - a tanking rounded short 'doink' of a bell, a clean central stick-tip 'ting', and a sharp trashy edge crash. Hissy Spiral Stackers offer a cool sonic as well as visual effect and the Zil-Bel delivers a soft and pure ping. Elsewhere, the dazzling Trashformer offers an airy splash sound, ideal for quick accents.

The bottom line is that Zildjian has an FX model to match the sounds in your head. The only difficulty is in choosing which one to try first. Read full review: Zildjian FX. The two most well-known models in this category are Zildjian Mastersounds , and Paiste Sound Edge , which you will find along with the other most popular hi-hat models I recommend in the links below:. While I could have chose to cover rides and crashes separately …. The truth is…there are no set-in-stone rules saying whether a particular cymbal must be designated as a crash or a ride.

And technically, any cymbal could be used for either of those purposes. Many actually are. Ideally, this design results in a sound with very little stick articulation, and a lot of wash. For many players, effects cymbals can be a great way to add a distinct signature sound to their playing.

Currently, the two most versatile designs are splash cymbals , and china cymbals. In order to add strength to such a small cymbal, they typically have almost no taper, resulting in a sound consisting almost entirely of high frequency content, with very little complexity.

Well…not only can you get them all together…. In many cases, you actually should. So there you go guys, the ultimate guide to cymbals. I hope it answered all your questions and more. Starting with… 1.