Cymbals On Your Kit

[Captain Nemo]

I love cymbals. If you want to hear some nice cymbal work, pick up the latest Steely Dan from about 3 years ago with Steve Gadd. They won an Emmy for that and the drum work is very tight and subtle.

I've been trying to get just the right cymbals. I had nothing. Been ten years since I stopped playing. I started out with a 16" hand made Stagg. Very brilliant looking and a beautiful sound. The best crash I've had. Then I needed a ride. I brought home a used 20" Sabian B8. The sound was not bad, but it was thin so it didn't offer any 'resistance' to the stick for delicate bouncing. And, it sort of started to roar. So, I exchanged it for a very old 16" Zildgian marching cymbal and spent all day trying to clean it. It weighs a ton so I thought it would be perfect. The sound sort of gets on my nerves. My favorite ride is the 'ping' ride, but it is so big and heavy it just won't do. So, I ordered a 'learner's kit' from Stagg for only $100 bucks. Comes with a 18" crash/ride and a set of 14" hats!! I know they'll sound sweet. These have got to be the best value in the cymbal world.

I borrowed a set of 14" Zildgian hats (for open sound) from a friend and stacked those and a pair of 10" Stagg splashes (closed sound) on the same mount on top of each other. This set up sounds real for the open and closed hat sounds.

I'll post a report on the Stagg hats and ride when I get them.