DRUMMER CAFE - Community Forum

I am making this post to hopefully spare some NUBEE drummers like myself,from making a big mistake.I recently payed $300.00 for a set of ZXT's prepack(14"hats16"crash20"ride14"china).I thought it was a good deal,but i now think i made a big mistake of not tring them out first.Im not happy with sound of them and after going to the guitar center last night and hitting on some cymbals ony to find out the ones that i think sound good are nearly that much for one cymbal.(i bought a D.W. 5000 pedal while i was there...without trying it out ...some people never learn!)Anyway,Do you think that most of those prepacked cymbals are geared towards beginners.Do you all think that all these prepacked cymbals are crappy cymbals?

pls. exucse tying/clarity --just had other hand surgery:


Yep.  I agree you should test them out before you buy them to see if you like the sound.  Every cymbal out there sounds different, even those of the same make and model that are stacked individually.   That's why I'd never buy a cymbal off the net.  But sometimes you have to just go with what you can afford.  I bought a pack of zbts a long time ago when I lived in the Caribbean and that's all they had.  I think trash can lids sound better than those zbts.   Sure, the prepacks serve their purpose, and are good for beginners, economical, etc.,, but yes in my opinion, I've found the prepacks to not be the best sounding things I've ever heard, but beauty is in the ear of the beholder.  Now I'm not saying there's a zbt/zxt out there that I wouldn't like the sound...

 I'd be curious to ask 563 or someone what it is exactly about the economy line prepacks, particularly the zbts, zxts, from the aspect of elemental composititon/manufacturing, etc.,  that make them different from the other cymbals.

Crap--i'm frsutrated with my tyoping--i can't say what i want to say.  i gove up. :P

oh my goodness, this reminds me:  i was at a small music store the other day that carries mostly guitars.  Well, they had the Sabian prepack cymbals out of the box and were selling them invidiually so they coud make more money. ;D ;D

If it makes you feel any better, i bought a drum kit off of ebay that i didn't test before, and not only do the cymbals that came with it sound horrible, but the kit itself did too :'( Lesson learned the hard way

Thanx for the response guys and gals.Have iether of you had any experience with the D.W. 5000 series single pedel,Im taking it for my first "test drive"tomorrow weee!!!!!!

Back to the cymbals. Always test drive them before you buy them, now matter what the cost range. You can go into the high price Zildjians and find that just because the hats and crash sound great, the ride is also going to be what you want. Your taste may drive you to a different model ride to get the exact sound you're looking for. I found that to be the case during my last cymbal search. Go with what your ears tell you is the best.

The ZXT's are a decent beginner cymbal.  They are basic B8 alloy and are spun as opposed to hammered.  They are relatively thick and and therefore have a wide frequency range so the sound can be muddy compared to a thinner hammered cymbal.  If you hate them, then try to trade up.

Also, try a nylon tip stick....it will give a thinner sound - or try other tip shapes.

The DW5000 pedal is very good.  You shouldn't be disappointed with it as a beginner.

Yes, I know those pre-packaged Zildjian Cymbals suck(excluding the Aseries Pre-Pak). I bought a ZBT Pack when i just started playing for my first kit it sounded good for like 2 months then it started to get ugly. Especially those ZXT titaniums, those are the stupidest things ive seen. What a joke, they sound so bad. When i was getting my first kit and cymbals i had my eye on them and i liked them a lot. But i tried it out like 7 or 8 months after and it just sounds plain UGLY to me. I don't know about anybody else but i didnt like them. If you are going to go witha  cymbals pre-pack though that is from Zildjian definatly get the A series setup.  

As far as the best Pre-packs of cymbals which gives a lot of bang for a cheap price is by far the Sabian XS-20 Performance pack. Now thats B20 bronze for $305.00 at Musicians Friend. The same price you got your ZXTs for. But of course every body has to start somewhere and if you have the money for Expensive cymbals then go for it.

Other than that yes you should try out cymbals before you buy them. It is pointless not too. Like again with the Titaniums, Zildjian came up with a pretty good marketing scheme with the addition of the ZXT Titanium series which would allure the beginning drummer in with its looks. So always try before you buy.

The XS20 cymbals sound pretty good for the money, only 289, 299 depending on the pack you get at Guitar Center.  The ZBT/ZXT are as said before a B8 bronz. They have more tin in them so they sound thin and cheap.

Red, I asked about trading up,the guy at guitar center said they would give me $1.00 an inch lol!