Zildjian or Sabian?

tkoDrummer96 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-14-2009, 10:29 PM

Most drummers I know say that zildjian is better but I really like how some Sabian sets sound, like the B8's. I just want to know some other peoples opinions. also, if anyone could give me a website that I could get some low costing symbals from, it'd bepretty helpful. \ll/

Damo · #2 (**permalink**) 06-14-2009, 10:40 PM

Our opinions shouldnt matter. Buy what sounds best to your ears. For me that was Sabian, many many years ago. I now endorse their cymbals and couldnt be happier.

That being said, you would hear cymbals differently to me, and would undoubtedly have different needs (musically).

Trust in your own judgements. Its the first step to being a truly unique musician!

**Tainojim** · #3 (**permalink**) 06-15-2009, 01:25 PM

Mr. Damo is right.

For example, my preferences are Zildjian and Paiste. My ears tell me that the Zildjians are good for Rock and the Paiste for Jazz.
China's for that crash and emphases in certain pasterns.

So as you can see it's a matter of taste and what your needs are.

Harry · #4 (**permalink**) 06-16-2009, 07:18 PM

Hi all

,

I fully agree with Tainojim with my personal preference of Cymbal brand.

But of course it will differ from person to person, and also from a certain cymbal range within the same brands!

Yesterday I scored a very good deal on a 19" Armand (Zildjian) ride. This ride is officially called "Beautiful Baby" ( nicely written on the cymbal) it was the first signature cymbal to be released by Zildjian, and Armand's personal favorite.
It features 3 rivets and sounds divine

!!
A lot of drummers use this cymbal as a crash only, it is that versatile.

As I choose cymbals purely on the sound and secondly on the brand I have now a bit of a mixed bag, but together they sound great.

This is my current set-up:
Hats:
14" Paiste Sound Formula
Rides:
20" Paiste Alpha flat ride, 20" Meinl ping ride, 19" Zidjian Armand "Beatiful Baby"
Crashes:
19" Zildjian Armand "Beautiful Baby", Paiste 16" 2002 Full Crash.
China/Splash:
12" unknown brand but a great little feature cymbal

I feel I have now lined-up an ideal mix of cymbals for the style(s) of music I am playing.

The big cymbal companies Paiste, Zidjian and Sabian have each hundreds!! of cymbals in their reportoire, so one cannot really say "this brand is better than that brand"

Anyhow that's my 0.02's.

Cheers and Happy drumming,

Harry

don11817 · #5 (**permalink**) 06-17-2009, 12:58 AM

I too have diverse taste in cymbals.

My current setup:

Zildjian K 20" Heavy Ride
Zildjian A 20" Medium Ride
Paiste Sound Formula 18" Full Crash
Paiste Sound Formula 15" Thin Crash
Paiste Signature 16" Fast Crash
Zildjian A 14" New Beat Hi-hats
Sabian AAX 13" Studio Hi-hats
Zildjian A 12" Splash
Zildjian 16" China

Now, I keep 2 rides and 2 sets of hats for the ability to play different genres of music with the same drum setup--just a quick swap ( I have separate stands for them as well now) and you can change from a rock to a jazz setup... Or pop to hard rock etc..

Side note--I picked up the Zildjian A 20" Medium Ride WITH a PAcific Boom stand-brand new unplayed- for $100.00 off Craigslist...

**Tainojim** · #6 (**permalink**) 06-17-2009, 09:04 AM

Yo Harry you got two 19" Zildjian Armand "Beautiful Baby" on that list. Ever think of experimenting and make the first 19" Hi Hat?

Just messing with ya young fella. Nice cymbal setup and you also Don. Talk about versatility.

I was checking out some Bosphorus cymbals a couple of days ago. I wasn't too keen on them. I don't know if it was because I heard too much ring on them or if it's because of my Timpani-plasti I got done 30 years ago in my left ear. I felt like the Hunchback of Notradame in that movie riding a church bell.

Don't get me wrong, I like all sorts of cymbals, but this particular one still has me answering the phone and no one answers.
Maybe it's just me.....

Harry · #7 (**permalink**) 06-17-2009, 06:51 PM

Hi Mr. Tainojim

You keep cracking me up! Can you imagine the airlock on those!(19" highhats)

Talking about big highhats, I tried a couple of 15" Paiste's,
I thought they were Twenties, not so sure, but man were they cool!!
I played my new asset (The Zildjian 19" BB) yesterday evening, I just cannot believe that a grown up man like me can be so excited about a piece of bronze, ha-ha.

( Just a liitle cryptic verse for you TJ-amigo, we too were screwed over, from 1940/1945 )
But you see, I am a man of the world and a forgiving soul because my Paiste Alpha flat ride is made in Germany

Back to the thread, It is good to read all the different tastes and preferences in Cymbals, would women and cymbals have something in common? (OH Darn!!) I might just have started a new thread, but please be respectful!

Cheers and happy drumming,

Harry

Harry · #8 (**permalink**) 06-17-2009, 07:38 PM

Hi Mr TJ!,

I liked your reference to the Notre Dame Catherdral bell!
I am sorry but I cannot contain myself now, I have to tell a little annecdote.

In my (sinful) youth I was playing in a big band and straight in front of me was a very gifted trombone player sitting comfortable in the brass line-up.

He was also a nasty piece of work, a real backstabbing dipstick.
The orchestra had just purchsed a 24" big beasty bell-ride (BBB).

One day I was so fed-up with him that just prior to his solo I whacked the living s..t out of the cymbal with the blunt end of a 2B "oaker" .

I think he is sill walking the misty river banks of the river Amstel which flows through Amsterdam, trying to figure out what the hell happened.

To get the full picture, this was during band practice, and we had to play on a quite cramped (small) platform for a 30 piece band, so his head was very close to my BBB!

Back to the thread,
I agree with your findings, it seems that some new cymbal lines like Alchemy etc. seem to be hard to control for volume, you play them softly, no sound, you pipe-up a bit, too loud.
I guess it took the old cymbal makers like Zidjian(Sabian) and Paiste a long, long time to get the refinement in the Cymbals, not something that can be achieved overnight.

Cheers and happy drumming,

Harry

Luke · #9 (**permalink**) 02-21-2010, 11:45 PM

Don that sounds like a really interesting setup! I'd love to play that. When I first started picking out cymbals I was sure I wanted zildjian. That is until I tried out the sabians... They just sounded that much better to me.

Zildjian and Paiste make great cymbals but it seems like sabian always has something that satisfies my ears a little better. Who knows one day I might have a couple brands in my setup like dan does. For now though I'm sticking with sabian

Nsra65 · #10 (**permalink**) 02-22-2010, 03:41 AM

I am old school .........Nothing but ..........Both cmybals have great sound .....

Me my opinion on old cmybals ...Zildjian is one of the best out there ......Any bodie bought them zildjian black cmybals .LOL Yall got ****ed ! Aren't worth a ****t "

Now ' the old zildjian's like the 1970's and early 1980's early 90 .are very good ..

On my set i play with older zildjian's To me it sound more better ....

Every drummer have there own opinion on what cmybal's they like to play with !