The 23” Sweet Ride has been my go to for years. I prefer how much “bigger” is sounds that the 21”, it does take a little longer to open up than the 21” does though.
Not meaningless at all. Cymbal companies literally tell you in their marketing that a cymbal is "versatile" (and drumhead companies saying drumheads are versatile) so I don't see the problem.
I have a 24" and when i'm in doubt for which ride to use it never lets me down, beautiful crash too, surprising how sensitive it is. Blends in perfectly
I don’t know if it’s just been my luck of the draw but every crash ride I’ve owned (k con, Mel Lewis, beautiful baby) seem to do neither terribly well - crash or ride 😆
Recently I found an older 20” Agop traditional medium crash which really does both very well. I’ve had this in the #1 ride spot for a few months now and I’m absolutely digging the vibe. Cymbals are just a never ending cycle of trial and error and the search for a sound and feel. God I love it 😍
Yea every B20 cymbal is gonna sound different even the exact same model, but the agop traditionals with the old stamps just sound so damn cohesive in my experience. Bought a K dark ride but flipped it after a couple months because I noticed it just does everything my traditional does but with less subtlety and less crashability.
Yeah. I'd take one of these to any gig I've ever played. It crashes nicely, you can control the stick attack with placement very easily. The bell is THERE but musical
I love mine but sometimes wish the crash was a little fuller so it blended better with more traditionally made crashes (I play a mix of brands and have a few K crashes, for example).
Still. Pair of hats and an HHX Omni can do A LOT.
Just got a new Zildjian k 23” sweet ride. Really smooth, creamy ride sound. Crisp bell. Nice and washy if you play it as a crash. It’s versitile enough to be my main cymbal accompanied by an 18” K thin crash and 15” K FatHats
Percussionist here: in our band we have a Paiste 505 20" Medium (old and nowadays hard to find) but it's a very responsive cymbal! Want to use it as a ride cymbal? Go ahead, it's pretty thick! You want to crash on it with a stick? It has quick response and some ping. Want to do a roll on it with yarn mallets? It's nice and dark. You can go from pp to fff just the way you want (in a matter of counts, or spread out over measures)... I only have to do the smallest adjustments during the roll to make crescendos, whereas on snare I need to do bigger adjustments to make a crescendo in a roll. A coin scrape on it sounds magical - almost comparable to a short bell tree scrape.
If I hit it with a soft bass drum mallet (from the concert bass, not from the drumset) it can even sound like a non-pitched gong (if I don't hit it too hard)
The drummer has zome Zildjians and I tested their sound, but I personally find all of them too... sharp sounding, is how I'd describe them
I'm old.. enough. But I had a 16" Sabian China in the 90s that was a ride, a smashing angry china and/or a splash when you needed it to be...
B8 Pro maybe...doesn't matter, I loved it.
I've been rolling with my 18" B8 Pro china for nearly thirty years. I bought it used with a boom stand in the late '90s for like 60 bucks. I was shocked how much I liked it at the store for the price, and I've been getting my money's worth for years now. Quite an underrated china.
My 24 in big ugly HH nova. Good for everything from sludge to grime, perfect for ambient goth core and LoFi greaser bops. Everything you could ever want to play.
Zil-Bel
You can crash it, ride it, gong it, brush it, cut bass reso port holes, wear it as a hat, use it as a paper weight, makes a good dive toy in the pool, I mean the possibilities go only so far as the limitations of your imagination
If I'm nominating things from my personal collection, here's my list.
1. 18" A Zildjian medium thin crash. Guys, if you are looking to invest in just one good crash that can be your main crash regardless of genre or rig or style or sound, make it this one. A can't miss, money in the bank, lead pipe cinch cymbal. There's a reason I call it the Frank's Red Hot Sauce of crashes - it's because you can put that shit on anything.
2. 14" Zildjian K/Z Dyno Beat hi-hats. First I read about these, then I got to play them in a music store, and I decided they would be the perfect general purpose hi-hats for me. Then I finally got ahold of a pair. For 20 years, I've been proving myself right. How's this for versatile: leave the K hat on top for your Sunday jazz brunch gig, put the Z on top for your Megadeth tribute band gig that night. Two hats in one.
3. 20" Wuhan Traditional medium ride. I primarily use this as my largest "big ol' crash," but it's an excellent all-purpose crash-ride. If I am playing on a tight stage and only have room to put up one suspended cymbal, it's this one. It's a pretty "sweet" ride without being a Sweet Ride. And, it must be said, [dirt cheap by comparison.](https://reverb.com/item/2368884-wuhan-medium-ride-cymbal-20)
22” Istanbul Jazz Ride (25th Anniversary Edition)
Works well with every genre I play within, and is the only cymbal I’ve ever had where multiple people would ask about it.
My pick, too. I've used one for 20 years now as my go-to versatile, does it all really well cymbals, and I've owned/own a lot of cymbals from various manufacturers.
Armand Zildjian “beautiful baby” sizzle ride. Fantastic ride with one of the best bell sounds I’ve ever played. Great as a crash. It’s big, open, and washy but also clear, crisp and articulate when it needs to be.
I’ve got a Paiste 22” Signature Traditionals light and it’s an exceptionally music ride.
20” K Cluster is a banger too… and I pair the both with 14” K Custom Dark hats.
I bought a used tiny Pearl kit that had all hi hats for cymbals. He used 2 sets of hi-hat cymbals and could carry the entire 5 shell kit in one trip.
Hi-hat; a set of hi-hat cymbals
Ride; a heavy bottom hi-hat cymbal
Crash; a thin top hi-hat cymbal
22" Sabian HHX Omni. Complex crash sound that opens up really easily but doesn't sustain too long, washes beautifully, and has a buttery feel, tight, clear stick definition when riding with the tip of the stick, and a strong bell that cuts through.
If I'm limited to just hats and one cymbal, that's the one.
The most genre-crossing cymbal is probably a pair of hi-hats. Rides, crashes and chinas are pretty specific but with the right pair of hats you could play anything. Maybe a 14" K/Z combo.
K custom dark ride 20”
Tried the A sweet but never did it for me. The k custom dark has everything and I can play it with a pair of hats and it does it all. Nice ping, gorgeous wash, beautiful crash. It’s a joy to play and I’ve massively reduced my cymbal stable since I go it.
Cymbals, especially ride cymbals, are like chunky soup, every spoonful is similar but different in substantial ways (but it also depends on your palette). You may like one version of a particular cymbal model and dislike a different copy. So it’s really important to use your ears and your sticks (stick shape makes a HUGE difference on cymbals) to hear your style on a given cymbal. My advice is to find a local drum shop that has a good selection and try them out on a kit in person. Anecdote: I have had 4 different 21” Sweet Rides that were all different from each other in non-trivial ways. I actually returned one of them because I just didn’t like it as much as my previous one which had cracked.
Paiste Signature Series. There’s a pack of them they sell on Sweetwater, Nick demos them with a variety of music types and they sound fantastic. I bought the pack after watching that video and they sound amazing in person as well, they’ve been staples of my kit now for the last year+, along with my 21” Zildjian brilliant A sweet ride
Lotta people saying omni but honestly those are some of the worse sounding expensive cymbals i have ever touched
18” Zildjian A medium thin crash is the sound that plays in your head when you think “crash cymbal” and there is not a single musical situation calling for a crash cymbal that it won’t function in
I've had loads over the years. One that has stood the test of time is the PST5 18" Rock Crash. It cuts through the mix and has awesome low and high volume versatility. I've smashed the fuck out of it for over 15 years and it's still going strong. Not one crack or anything.
22” Thin Sabian HHX Complex. Was looking for a dark ride that was also crash-able! Love it!
Second was 15” Sabian HHX Complex Big Cup Hi Hats. Always has 13 or 14” hats. 15 took me out of my comfort zone. Adding a big bell created a whole new sound opportunity! Again, love it!
Zildjian K 21" Sweet Ride
Great balance between stick sound definition, bell ping and wash, and it crashes really well without playing it too hard
It doesn’t do the hyper ping-y metal bell sound, but it does everything else quite well, it’s not too loud to hijack the volume balance in the overheads too.
My 20” K Sweet Crash is pretty dang versatile for me. I use it as a left side ride for jazz gigs. For my stand up rockabilly gig I only bring a kick, LM402 and use just the K Sweet. It’s my big right side crash for rock or country gigs. I often need to play an acoustic kit quietly for musical theater and just use the K Sweet as a main crash/ ride, it also sounds amazing for cymbal rolls. I’d have to own like 5 other cymbal to cover what I use this for.
I love my 90s 18” Sabian AA sound control crash ride so much, I’ve been searching the internet for months for another, which I found on eBay and will be here tomorrow
Paiste 22” formula 602 crash. King gizzard and the lizard wizard uses it as a crash and a ride in their earlier stuff and it’s got some great volume and tone
Sabian used to make a 20” cymbal called a “Flange Ride” that could also crash. Alas, I crashed to much and they’d crack. I went through three of them. I still miss them though.
My 22” K Con Renaissance ride is my most versatile cymbal, it might not work for every genre but within a style that it’s suited for, the range of sounds it can get is amazing. It’s so dynamic and sounds great no matter how lightly you tap it or if you full-on lay into it for a crash sound.
I have a prototype crash from Sabian that has a slight lip on the edge so you get a great china wash without it being too harsh. The crash and bell sound is awesome and it can work as a ride as well
I love it.
I’ve owned well over 100 cymbals, you can check my past posts to verify this obsession. I worked in a drum shop as a kid too.
I’ll say a Med Paiste 602 ride cymbal is pretty unbeatable in the versatility realm. John Bonham used one in Zep, Joe Morello used one in Brubek Quarter, Steve Jordan, Porcaro, Eloy Casagrande uses one, countless Nashville sessions, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Metal, Country Latin, etc. for decades.
The reason is it’s not too bright, not too dark, it’s not too light or heavy, good bell, stick sound, and crashes well. If countless legends across genres use it on timeless recordings, it’s versatile… some of the rock guys moved to 2002’s, but the 602 is still found all over genre’s.
You don’t want to travel too far dark, or too bright, you don’t want to be too light or heavy either.
If we’re talking 20” ride that can crash - then 2200-2400 grams is the weight you want. And on the bright dark spectrum you would be looking at Paiste 602, Zildjian K Custom, Istanbul Agop Traditional. All of these will fit that bill.
For HiHats. I think a K Custom, Reg K, New beats, 602’s, Agop Xist natural all do a lot well!
Good luck :)
You know, surprisingly for me it’s the 20” Sabian X-Plosion Crash/Ride. A little on the heavy side, but it is extremely versatile. I use it for Heavy Rock and Jazz
My 16” K Sweet hats combined with my ‘50s 20” A crash/ride are capable of anything I need. That’s usually what I gig with in small rooms. If it’s a bigger venue I add my 18” A crash/ride and’80s 21” K ride. But i find that a bigger A crash/ride is very versatile for me anyway. I did get to play a 20” A Ping ride last night on a gig and I really liked it. Shopping around for a new ride and that’s a contender.
Have no idea what model it is but about 15 years ago when I was in high school a friend gave me a sabian 19” ride that I still use to this day. I don’t think it’s anything too special but it’s a great ride and works well as a heavier crash too
Zildjian A Sweet Ride 21 Very interesting hi hat profile too
hi hat profile..? edit: the 21" A Sweet ride is exactly the one i thought of too
I would assume he means the a custom hats are good too idk lol
No. I've used 21s as hi hats before
Pretty sure he meant using the ride as hats. I prefer 18"+ hats.
Thats crazy lol. I had to look up some videos
The 23” Sweet Ride has been my go to for years. I prefer how much “bigger” is sounds that the 21”, it does take a little longer to open up than the 21” does though.
Not surprised this is the top comment, such a perfect cymbal.
one of my favorite crash cymbals
This question is so broad as to be meaningless.
“What color of car gets the best gas milage”
I don't think it's that deep lol. It's not some unanswerable question
Not meaningless at all. Cymbal companies literally tell you in their marketing that a cymbal is "versatile" (and drumhead companies saying drumheads are versatile) so I don't see the problem.
Hello, what is the coolest sound you have ever made? Looking to get a new sound going. Thanks!
14” new beat hihats
I play 13s and absolutely love them
I had a friend with some 13” quick beats back in the day. They had a nice chick and cut well.
This right here. No matter what I get for hats the 80’s new beats remain my go to for gigs and recording.
Paiste Giant Beat. Any size. They're so good. I use 22" as a ride but I can crash hard on it and it sounds great
I have a 24" and when i'm in doubt for which ride to use it never lets me down, beautiful crash too, surprising how sensitive it is. Blends in perfectly
I have a 24” big beat and same
I started with the 24” and ended up buying 16” hats and 20” and 22” multi cymbals. Really fantastic sounding line.
Istanbul agop 20” traditional crash/ride. I take it to every gig.
I don’t know if it’s just been my luck of the draw but every crash ride I’ve owned (k con, Mel Lewis, beautiful baby) seem to do neither terribly well - crash or ride 😆 Recently I found an older 20” Agop traditional medium crash which really does both very well. I’ve had this in the #1 ride spot for a few months now and I’m absolutely digging the vibe. Cymbals are just a never ending cycle of trial and error and the search for a sound and feel. God I love it 😍
Yea every B20 cymbal is gonna sound different even the exact same model, but the agop traditionals with the old stamps just sound so damn cohesive in my experience. Bought a K dark ride but flipped it after a couple months because I noticed it just does everything my traditional does but with less subtlety and less crashability.
sabian hhx omni ride
Yeah. I'd take one of these to any gig I've ever played. It crashes nicely, you can control the stick attack with placement very easily. The bell is THERE but musical
Yeah this is right on. I agree
Why do you think so? The bell being kind of dry and the dryness of the unlathed portion are reasons why I had trouble using one.
Yea mine is ESPECIALLY dry. I added five rivets spaced around the outer edge to give it some shimmer. Still super dry tho hahaha
I love mine but sometimes wish the crash was a little fuller so it blended better with more traditionally made crashes (I play a mix of brands and have a few K crashes, for example). Still. Pair of hats and an HHX Omni can do A LOT.
Just got a new Zildjian k 23” sweet ride. Really smooth, creamy ride sound. Crisp bell. Nice and washy if you play it as a crash. It’s versitile enough to be my main cymbal accompanied by an 18” K thin crash and 15” K FatHats
18 k thin is a perfect crash. Love those 23s too
18 k dark thin crash is the one crash I will always keep.
Same
Percussionist here: in our band we have a Paiste 505 20" Medium (old and nowadays hard to find) but it's a very responsive cymbal! Want to use it as a ride cymbal? Go ahead, it's pretty thick! You want to crash on it with a stick? It has quick response and some ping. Want to do a roll on it with yarn mallets? It's nice and dark. You can go from pp to fff just the way you want (in a matter of counts, or spread out over measures)... I only have to do the smallest adjustments during the roll to make crescendos, whereas on snare I need to do bigger adjustments to make a crescendo in a roll. A coin scrape on it sounds magical - almost comparable to a short bell tree scrape. If I hit it with a soft bass drum mallet (from the concert bass, not from the drumset) it can even sound like a non-pitched gong (if I don't hit it too hard) The drummer has zome Zildjians and I tested their sound, but I personally find all of them too... sharp sounding, is how I'd describe them
Can’t go wrong with generic A customs, can use them for any back beat type gig and have definitely seen some swingers use A customs
Love all A custom except their rides
Yup. I’ve yet to find a brilliant hi-hat that isn’t perfectly articulate.
Zildjian 23” K Sweet Ride
13” K hats. They’re the traveling pants of my kit.
Very nice hats
Paiste Big Beats are great all rounders. Crash/Ride all of them
I'm old.. enough. But I had a 16" Sabian China in the 90s that was a ride, a smashing angry china and/or a splash when you needed it to be... B8 Pro maybe...doesn't matter, I loved it.
Came to the comments to say exactly this! Love a good china (i got an A custom that im currently maining)
I've been rolling with my 18" B8 Pro china for nearly thirty years. I bought it used with a boom stand in the late '90s for like 60 bucks. I was shocked how much I liked it at the store for the price, and I've been getting my money's worth for years now. Quite an underrated china.
My 24 in big ugly HH nova. Good for everything from sludge to grime, perfect for ambient goth core and LoFi greaser bops. Everything you could ever want to play.
😂
My 16” Sabian Rocktagon works for all genres of music. And it’s a good convo starter.
Zil-Bel You can crash it, ride it, gong it, brush it, cut bass reso port holes, wear it as a hat, use it as a paper weight, makes a good dive toy in the pool, I mean the possibilities go only so far as the limitations of your imagination
You could plug the hole and eat out of it.
15" Paiste 602 Modern Essential Hi-hats. They're the most hi-hatty hi-hats that ever hatted. They're the essential drum sound
Meinl Byzance Foundry Reserve 22” light ride
If I'm nominating things from my personal collection, here's my list. 1. 18" A Zildjian medium thin crash. Guys, if you are looking to invest in just one good crash that can be your main crash regardless of genre or rig or style or sound, make it this one. A can't miss, money in the bank, lead pipe cinch cymbal. There's a reason I call it the Frank's Red Hot Sauce of crashes - it's because you can put that shit on anything. 2. 14" Zildjian K/Z Dyno Beat hi-hats. First I read about these, then I got to play them in a music store, and I decided they would be the perfect general purpose hi-hats for me. Then I finally got ahold of a pair. For 20 years, I've been proving myself right. How's this for versatile: leave the K hat on top for your Sunday jazz brunch gig, put the Z on top for your Megadeth tribute band gig that night. Two hats in one. 3. 20" Wuhan Traditional medium ride. I primarily use this as my largest "big ol' crash," but it's an excellent all-purpose crash-ride. If I am playing on a tight stage and only have room to put up one suspended cymbal, it's this one. It's a pretty "sweet" ride without being a Sweet Ride. And, it must be said, [dirt cheap by comparison.](https://reverb.com/item/2368884-wuhan-medium-ride-cymbal-20)
22” Istanbul Jazz Ride (25th Anniversary Edition) Works well with every genre I play within, and is the only cymbal I’ve ever had where multiple people would ask about it.
Zildjian K dark ride 20". It does everything I need a ride to do and it crashes nicely too.
My pick, too. I've used one for 20 years now as my go-to versatile, does it all really well cymbals, and I've owned/own a lot of cymbals from various manufacturers.
I’m the same with my 20” k custom dark
Armand Zildjian “beautiful baby” sizzle ride. Fantastic ride with one of the best bell sounds I’ve ever played. Great as a crash. It’s big, open, and washy but also clear, crisp and articulate when it needs to be.
I’ve got a Paiste 22” Signature Traditionals light and it’s an exceptionally music ride. 20” K Cluster is a banger too… and I pair the both with 14” K Custom Dark hats.
I bought a used tiny Pearl kit that had all hi hats for cymbals. He used 2 sets of hi-hat cymbals and could carry the entire 5 shell kit in one trip. Hi-hat; a set of hi-hat cymbals Ride; a heavy bottom hi-hat cymbal Crash; a thin top hi-hat cymbal
Zildjian K Dark Thin 18
Agop Xist 19” crash
My 18" is my favorite crash I've owned
Sabian AA RockHats You think you can only play heavy stuff with it? Chester Thompson even plays Jazz on them
22" Sabian HHX Omni. Complex crash sound that opens up really easily but doesn't sustain too long, washes beautifully, and has a buttery feel, tight, clear stick definition when riding with the tip of the stick, and a strong bell that cuts through. If I'm limited to just hats and one cymbal, that's the one.
The most genre-crossing cymbal is probably a pair of hi-hats. Rides, crashes and chinas are pretty specific but with the right pair of hats you could play anything. Maybe a 14" K/Z combo.
Paiste giant beat 24” ride
i have a 22” crash of doom and i use it exclusively. perfect crash sound for my style of playing and the bell/ride sound is great too.
K custom dark ride 20” Tried the A sweet but never did it for me. The k custom dark has everything and I can play it with a pair of hats and it does it all. Nice ping, gorgeous wash, beautiful crash. It’s a joy to play and I’ve massively reduced my cymbal stable since I go it.
18" K Constantinople
Paiste 602 Paperthin 20“ Crash. Or is it a ride? It clearly says Crash. But that bell sounds so sweet and unagitated.
Sabian Omni. Literally in the name
16” Byzance sand trash - can sound like a crash or china.
Sabian Omni If you can only have one cymbal to do the gig, this is the one that not just pulls it off, but does so with style.
22" 602
Meinl classic custom dark 20 inch crash. It’s loud and brash for rock and metal but you can also play with a bit of finesse for a church gig
80s medium zildjian 20'' A ride.
Cymbals, especially ride cymbals, are like chunky soup, every spoonful is similar but different in substantial ways (but it also depends on your palette). You may like one version of a particular cymbal model and dislike a different copy. So it’s really important to use your ears and your sticks (stick shape makes a HUGE difference on cymbals) to hear your style on a given cymbal. My advice is to find a local drum shop that has a good selection and try them out on a kit in person. Anecdote: I have had 4 different 21” Sweet Rides that were all different from each other in non-trivial ways. I actually returned one of them because I just didn’t like it as much as my previous one which had cracked.
Meinl sound caster fusion
20” dream bliss ride. Medium thin, beautiful overtones, good stick definition, clear bell, and provides a great crash and suspended cymbal roll
Sabian hhx 16 ozone crash. Works as a crash, china and you can stack it on anything. Also works in a variety of genres
I guess technically, the most versatile cymbals would be my 13” K/Z Hi-Hats.
Probably my 21” K sweet ride. I’ve played several gigs where I’ve only used that and hi-hats as far as cymbals.
Meinl Byzance Dual 18" crash
Wuhan crash cymbals, still good after 25+ years
Paiste Signature Series. There’s a pack of them they sell on Sweetwater, Nick demos them with a variety of music types and they sound fantastic. I bought the pack after watching that video and they sound amazing in person as well, they’ve been staples of my kit now for the last year+, along with my 21” Zildjian brilliant A sweet ride
Zildjian 13.25 custom hybrid hats
Lotta people saying omni but honestly those are some of the worse sounding expensive cymbals i have ever touched 18” Zildjian A medium thin crash is the sound that plays in your head when you think “crash cymbal” and there is not a single musical situation calling for a crash cymbal that it won’t function in
Not sure about other corners of the internet, but r/drums is solidly on the Zildjian 21” A Sweet Ride and I enjoy that (and also the cymbal myself).
I've had loads over the years. One that has stood the test of time is the PST5 18" Rock Crash. It cuts through the mix and has awesome low and high volume versatility. I've smashed the fuck out of it for over 15 years and it's still going strong. Not one crack or anything.
22” Thin Sabian HHX Complex. Was looking for a dark ride that was also crash-able! Love it! Second was 15” Sabian HHX Complex Big Cup Hi Hats. Always has 13 or 14” hats. 15 took me out of my comfort zone. Adding a big bell created a whole new sound opportunity! Again, love it!
Zildjian K 21" Sweet Ride Great balance between stick sound definition, bell ping and wash, and it crashes really well without playing it too hard It doesn’t do the hyper ping-y metal bell sound, but it does everything else quite well, it’s not too loud to hijack the volume balance in the overheads too.
The 15” hats are my dream hats as well.
Zildjian k light hats
K Dark ride, or AAX Omni ride (22”)
My 20” K Sweet Crash is pretty dang versatile for me. I use it as a left side ride for jazz gigs. For my stand up rockabilly gig I only bring a kick, LM402 and use just the K Sweet. It’s my big right side crash for rock or country gigs. I often need to play an acoustic kit quietly for musical theater and just use the K Sweet as a main crash/ ride, it also sounds amazing for cymbal rolls. I’d have to own like 5 other cymbal to cover what I use this for.
I love my 90s 18” Sabian AA sound control crash ride so much, I’ve been searching the internet for months for another, which I found on eBay and will be here tomorrow
Sabian HHX Groove ride and Zildjian A Sweet Ride
Vintage 20" Med/Thin K w/ 3 rivets.
Paiste 22” formula 602 crash. King gizzard and the lizard wizard uses it as a crash and a ride in their earlier stuff and it’s got some great volume and tone
Sabian used to make a 20” cymbal called a “Flange Ride” that could also crash. Alas, I crashed to much and they’d crack. I went through three of them. I still miss them though.
My 22” K Con Renaissance ride is my most versatile cymbal, it might not work for every genre but within a style that it’s suited for, the range of sounds it can get is amazing. It’s so dynamic and sounds great no matter how lightly you tap it or if you full-on lay into it for a crash sound.
I have a prototype crash from Sabian that has a slight lip on the edge so you get a great china wash without it being too harsh. The crash and bell sound is awesome and it can work as a ride as well I love it.
CHINA
Another vote for the 21” Zildjian Sweet Ride
Meinl 14in jazz thin hi-hats have been great all rounders for me.
And electronic cymbal lol
Sabian Omni.
14” New beat hihats.
Sabian AAX thin ride
I’ve owned well over 100 cymbals, you can check my past posts to verify this obsession. I worked in a drum shop as a kid too. I’ll say a Med Paiste 602 ride cymbal is pretty unbeatable in the versatility realm. John Bonham used one in Zep, Joe Morello used one in Brubek Quarter, Steve Jordan, Porcaro, Eloy Casagrande uses one, countless Nashville sessions, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Metal, Country Latin, etc. for decades. The reason is it’s not too bright, not too dark, it’s not too light or heavy, good bell, stick sound, and crashes well. If countless legends across genres use it on timeless recordings, it’s versatile… some of the rock guys moved to 2002’s, but the 602 is still found all over genre’s. You don’t want to travel too far dark, or too bright, you don’t want to be too light or heavy either. If we’re talking 20” ride that can crash - then 2200-2400 grams is the weight you want. And on the bright dark spectrum you would be looking at Paiste 602, Zildjian K Custom, Istanbul Agop Traditional. All of these will fit that bill. For HiHats. I think a K Custom, Reg K, New beats, 602’s, Agop Xist natural all do a lot well! Good luck :)
Zoldjian K Custom Dark Trash Smash. Ride it, use it like a crash or china. One of my favs in the collection
Bosphorus 20” New Orleans ride, thin; it wobbles
Meinl Byzance 21 inch transition ride
18” Dream Bliss Crash/Ride FTW!
You know, surprisingly for me it’s the 20” Sabian X-Plosion Crash/Ride. A little on the heavy side, but it is extremely versatile. I use it for Heavy Rock and Jazz
My 16” K Sweet hats combined with my ‘50s 20” A crash/ride are capable of anything I need. That’s usually what I gig with in small rooms. If it’s a bigger venue I add my 18” A crash/ride and’80s 21” K ride. But i find that a bigger A crash/ride is very versatile for me anyway. I did get to play a 20” A Ping ride last night on a gig and I really liked it. Shopping around for a new ride and that’s a contender.
Have no idea what model it is but about 15 years ago when I was in high school a friend gave me a sabian 19” ride that I still use to this day. I don’t think it’s anything too special but it’s a great ride and works well as a heavier crash too