Topic: Cymbal Size

[yasha32]

ok, as of now as some of you may know, I am beginning to play drums (so far it's awesome) but my budget hasn't really allowed for me to purchase everything at once (others may note the step ladder throne I use) so now that I'm looking to get a crash cymbal, I'm a little lost on what all the sizes really translate out to. I figured bigger was deeper and louder, and smaller was higher and less noisy but I really don't know for sure. If someone can smooth out what the sizes really do come out to that'd be awesome. Thanks!

By the way I'm looking for a crash. I already have a ZBT hi-hat and a 20" planet-z ride.

[Bart Elliott]

There are a lot of factors that affect the sound of the cymbal ... the diameter, thickness, bell size, etc.

Generally speaking, larger cymbals will tend to be louder and deeper in pitch. I would go with a 16-inch Crash ... Medium Thin if you can. To me, that's a good general sounding Crash cymbal that will work in a wide variety of musical situations.

Visit www.sabian.com and check out the cymbal vault. You can listen to numerous sound clips of all their cymbals, and you can hear the difference  ... and how the sizes vary with a given style or model.

[yasha32]

Thanks a lot for the link, that actually helped out. That was a quick response much appreciated.

[marker]

I think 16" is a good one.  18" medium thin is good, too, for general amplified playing.

I would consider the type of  playing you do when picking cymbals.  If you're a heavy hitter, you should consider larger sizes and thicker weights.  Smaller, thin crashes will have short life span under those conditions.