After breaking a Zildjian 16" crash, I decided to order a few up from their A series lineup and see what I liked best. I'll be doing side by side comparisons on 3 of these Zildjian cymbals: * 16 inch A series Thin Crash Cymbal amzn.to/3tDcgyr * 16 inch A series Medium Thin Crash Cymbal amzn.to/41TdYbG * 16 inch A series Medium Crash Cymbal amzn.to/3H5iBpt *If you purchase through the above link, I'll make a tiny commission. That'll make me super happy, as I could buy more drums!* Let me know your favorite - and don't forget to subscribe!
Thanks for the comparison here. To my ears, the med. thin is an easy choice. It has more air and sibilance. It opens up and has a nice decay. The other 2 are somewhat dull in comparison. I've had a hard time finding a 16" that sounded worth keeping. My older A series thin weighs in at 978 and is dull. The med thin I recently got, actually weighs less, at 956 and sounds very much like yours.
I've been playing a 16" thin A series for almost 40 years, and for my playing style "non-abusive crasher" there are few cymbals that are as musical. I also LOVE the 18" K Dark medium thin. These two are my primary crash cymbals, because they're so musical. Can you smash them?... yeah... but they like to be treated nicely. Don't get me wrong... I play in a hard rock and metal band, and I still love both of these. Never been a huge fan of the A series medium. Just a bit abrasive to me, but nice for live due to the increased volume. Bottom line... if you're not a heavy hitter, and you're recording... I'd suggest thin cymbals all day for their musical signature. If you play out without cymbal micing... go with thicker cymbals. Just my suggestion.
That's an A Custom, 18". In case it helps, I have a comparison of that again the A series China, and the FX Oriental. ruclips.net/video/a2UJhO_HpaY/видео.html
@@drumdrumdrum I tend to prefer the A medium for Zildjian, and I also like Paiste 2002 medium. Never liked K Zildjian or Paiste Rude stuff. My favorite sizes are 16, 17, and 18. And 22" A medium ride.
Seems no one has tried to answer your question as to why finding a Rock Crash or Heavy is fairly rare. Well, in the last 10 to 15 years there has been a major trend in thin cymbals. And darker cymbals. Old rock crashes were heavy, loud and bright. Large bow shape. Not the sound of the day these days. Lights are quicker to open up and generally lower in volume. Lots of church praise bands going for larger, but thinner cymbals. I used an 18" OLD A zildjian med thin or thin crash (it lost it's ink long before I got it in 1978) on a recording I was doing in Butch Vig's studio where he did tracks for....well you know who if you know the name Butch Vig. This was in 1996. Anyway they had me switch out my 18" with one of Butch's 18" Rock Crashes. It was slower to open, but had better cut in that mix. Interestingly what we were recording was not hard rock or heavy. It was new music, airy and clean Tele type sounds. But Butch's 18" Rock crash seemed to record better. Also used his DW brass and turquoise wrapped snare 5x14. THAT sounded really good, but I was like, "but my vintage 66 Ludwig LM 400 is SO iconic and classic!" But what can you do, the producer and engineer (not Butch - Garbage was in Europe touring that the time) made the call and we went with it. Frankly, I was not that picky and went with what they wanted. But I do love my thins and med thins a lot. They open up easy in jazz and lighter rock so well. So, thin is is. Large is in. Heavy is out. Darker and maybe trashy or complex is very in. So the Rock crash, which is a great sound, is not in demand right now hardly at all unless you are doing an Aerosmith cover band. Then that would be perfect.
I had a 18” Rock Crash in the late 80s. I thought it would be such a cool cymbal to add to my kit-it had “Rock” in the name after all-but it turned out to be way too loud. Fortunately another drummer in my high school gladly bought it off me.
I have 4 Zildjian 20” crashes. 2 are medium thin redesigned and the other 2 are a custom. They open up with very little effort, cut through and sit well in dense mixes. They’re also vey durable! 👍👏💪
Thanks for the demo, nice video. I've owned a pair of 16 inch A crashes in thin & medium weight, for a long time. They sound different as expected, but they complement each other well. I figured a pair of cymbals only 1 weight grade apart would be too close in sound. Your test affirmed that. So I got the thin one first, so I figured years later to add more cymbals & chose the medium since it is 2 grades heavier than my thin crash. The 2 are very distinct. Anyway, just my 2 cents.
Can’t go wrong with thin and medium thin A Zildjians. Those sound mega good for the studio and work nicely live. I like to use a 20” A crash ride. It’s not a super popular cymbal. It’s washy as anything. It’s pretty much a 20” medium thin crash but that’s how I like it
From watching You play, I'd say you should try using 18s, you seem to be overpowering your cymbals when you're hitting them. I used to use smaller cymbals like 16, I have gone to 18s and don't damage my cymbals like when I was younger. I highly recommend trying thin or fast crash models, you'll get the sensitivity without overpowering them.
@@drumdrumdrum I was watching this video today where this guy was saying that larger crashes sit "in" the mix while lighter crashes sit "on top" of the mix. I mean, I guess I agree with this... he plays 22" and 24" CRASHES...!
@@drumdrumdrum That's what I'm saying! Haha! I can't even imagine a 22" crash, let alone a 24"!! I listened to some of the guy's stuff. Sure, it works alright, but definitely NOT rock, man...
Dude, you are a FANTASTIC drummer, and I personally would never play Paiste's, and you do make these ZIldjians sound great, but I can't help but feel that if you went to paiste's or Sabian HHX or something, and switched to Emperor heads, that your sound would level up like none other and you would get, like, hella more gigs or something, my dawg... I dunno. Just my 2cent thoughts, here... love your videos and contributions.
I briefly had an old 17 in thin that I really enjoyed playing alongside my 17 medium thin. I found the contrast, but also similarity to be just fantastic. What has been your experience with having cymbals of the same size but different thicknesses on your kit at the same time??
I don't think I've ever quite had that set up. The closet was I once had a 16" A medium and a 16" Z Custom which was much heavier. When Zildjian switch from Z Custom to Z3 I switched that position to a 17" Z3. I think for me I just want to make sure there is enough of a pitch difference between each of my crashes.
This was a pretty nice video -Underrated, I think! I've got a bunch of Medium Thin A's right now (14 new beats,16, 17, 18 and 19 crashes and 21 inch sweet ride). I think they are absolutely gorgeous cymbals. However, I've been looking for maybe a little bit of a "drier"/ trashier quality on my main crash. People have been suggesting I look into the K's, but now I'm kind of thinking A thins, might be the ticket... Let me know your thoughts if you have any, please! Thanks for the vids! Subscribed!
I've always been a fan of the K Dark series. Those are drier, though I wouldn't call them trashy. Some of the K Darks also come in either Thin or Medium-Thin - which is good for me since I hit hard : ) I haven't used standard K's outside of a store much, but generally have liked the Dark's over them. If you want something about as dark as the Dark, but less stick definition & sustain (per Zildjian) you could try the K Session customs. These crashes are only available in 16" and 18" I believe: ruclips.net/video/mhjhgT1Q88o/видео.html
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After breaking a Zildjian 16" crash, I decided to order a few up from their A series lineup and see what I liked best. I'll be doing side by side comparisons on 3 of these Zildjian cymbals:
* 16 inch A series Thin Crash Cymbal amzn.to/3tDcgyr
* 16 inch A series Medium Thin Crash Cymbal amzn.to/41TdYbG
* 16 inch A series Medium Crash Cymbal amzn.to/3H5iBpt
*If you purchase through the above link, I'll make a tiny commission. That'll make me super happy, as I could buy more drums!*
Let me know your favorite - and don't forget to subscribe!
You could just keep using it. My cymbal is way more cracked than that, like there's a whole chunk taken out of it, but it still sounds good.
I start to get nervous when pieces come flying off. :)
@@drumdrumdrum that's fair
Thanks for the comparison here. To my ears, the med. thin is an easy choice. It has more air and sibilance. It opens up and has a nice decay. The other 2 are somewhat dull in comparison. I've had a hard time finding a 16" that sounded worth keeping. My older A series thin weighs in at 978 and is dull. The med thin I recently got, actually weighs less, at 956 and sounds very much like yours.
Medium thin's the one for me. Sounds better in my opinion. Just the video I needed to see 👍
Word!
I've been playing a 16" thin A series for almost 40 years, and for my playing style "non-abusive crasher" there are few cymbals that are as musical. I also LOVE the 18" K Dark medium thin. These two are my primary crash cymbals, because they're so musical. Can you smash them?... yeah... but they like to be treated nicely. Don't get me wrong... I play in a hard rock and metal band, and I still love both of these. Never been a huge fan of the A series medium. Just a bit abrasive to me, but nice for live due to the increased volume. Bottom line... if you're not a heavy hitter, and you're recording... I'd suggest thin cymbals all day for their musical signature. If you play out without cymbal micing... go with thicker cymbals. Just my suggestion.
Congratulations on the video. I would like to know what model and size the Chine is, I really liked its tone. Thanks.
That's an A Custom, 18". In case it helps, I have a comparison of that again the A series China, and the FX Oriental. ruclips.net/video/a2UJhO_HpaY/видео.html
I had a 16" rock crash that I bought brand new sight unseen and regretted it. Too heavy and one dimensional. That one didn't stick around long.
Yeah, something that heavy can be tough as a primary crash for sure. What weight do you lean towards?
@@drumdrumdrum I tend to prefer the A medium for Zildjian, and I also like Paiste 2002 medium. Never liked K Zildjian or Paiste Rude stuff. My favorite sizes are 16, 17, and 18. And 22" A medium ride.
Seems no one has tried to answer your question as to why finding a Rock Crash or Heavy is fairly rare. Well, in the last 10 to 15 years there has been a major trend in thin cymbals. And darker cymbals. Old rock crashes were heavy, loud and bright. Large bow shape. Not the sound of the day these days. Lights are quicker to open up and generally lower in volume. Lots of church praise bands going for larger, but thinner cymbals. I used an 18" OLD A zildjian med thin or thin crash (it lost it's ink long before I got it in 1978) on a recording I was doing in Butch Vig's studio where he did tracks for....well you know who if you know the name Butch Vig. This was in 1996. Anyway they had me switch out my 18" with one of Butch's 18" Rock Crashes. It was slower to open, but had better cut in that mix. Interestingly what we were recording was not hard rock or heavy. It was new music, airy and clean Tele type sounds. But Butch's 18" Rock crash seemed to record better. Also used his DW brass and turquoise wrapped snare 5x14. THAT sounded really good, but I was like, "but my vintage 66 Ludwig LM 400 is SO iconic and classic!" But what can you do, the producer and engineer (not Butch - Garbage was in Europe touring that the time) made the call and we went with it. Frankly, I was not that picky and went with what they wanted. But I do love my thins and med thins a lot. They open up easy in jazz and lighter rock so well.
So, thin is is. Large is in. Heavy is out. Darker and maybe trashy or complex is very in. So the Rock crash, which is a great sound, is not in demand right now hardly at all unless you are doing an Aerosmith cover band. Then that would be perfect.
Damn I think I like the Medium the best
I had a 18” Rock Crash in the late 80s. I thought it would be such a cool cymbal to add to my kit-it had “Rock” in the name after all-but it turned out to be way too loud. Fortunately another drummer in my high school gladly bought it off me.
Exactly what I wanted to know about these 3 weights! Thanks man, great video, keep it up!!
(by the way, Zelda rulz!)
Thanks! And +1 to Zelda :)
I have 4 Zildjian 20” crashes. 2 are medium thin redesigned and the other 2 are a custom.
They open up with very little effort, cut through and sit well in dense mixes. They’re also vey durable! 👍👏💪
Excellent comparison!
Thanks! 😊
The heavier crash cymbals are currently out of fad, so less popular, so less available.
You could always go with a 17" or 18". A thin 18" will have more durability than a thin 16", and so on.
Thanks for the demo, nice video. I've owned a pair of 16 inch A crashes in thin & medium weight, for a long time. They sound different as expected, but they complement each other well. I figured a pair of cymbals only 1 weight grade apart would be too close in sound. Your test affirmed that. So I got the thin one first, so I figured years later to add more cymbals & chose the medium since it is 2 grades heavier than my thin crash. The 2 are very distinct.
Anyway, just my 2 cents.
Word : )
Can’t go wrong with thin and medium thin A Zildjians. Those sound mega good for the studio and work nicely live. I like to use a 20” A crash ride. It’s not a super popular cymbal. It’s washy as anything. It’s pretty much a 20” medium thin crash but that’s how I like it
Word. I have a Kerope, paper thin. Love the sound of it, but in most situations I end up over powering it.
Very good comparison video. I love the quick response and sensitivity of the thin crash for lighter jazzier players like me.
Word :)
From watching You play, I'd say you should try using 18s, you seem to be overpowering your cymbals when you're hitting them. I used to use smaller cymbals like 16, I have gone to 18s and don't damage my cymbals like when I was younger. I highly recommend trying thin or fast crash models, you'll get the sensitivity without overpowering them.
I typically also have a 17 and an 18 on my setup as well.
@@drumdrumdrum my friend has a 17" Sabian AA fast crash that I really love, I really want to get one.
Perfect! Thanks man, I have struggled to find a clear difference.
No problem. :)
That snare sounds terrible uhh
Is it weird that I use a 16" as my main crash??? I have 16-19 and I just keep coming back to the 16". I know people who won't even touch a 16"!!
My 16 gets heavy use as well!
@@drumdrumdrum I was watching this video today where this guy was saying that larger crashes sit "in" the mix while lighter crashes sit "on top" of the mix. I mean, I guess I agree with this... he plays 22" and 24" CRASHES...!
My ride is only a 20"... 😀
@@drumdrumdrum That's what I'm saying! Haha! I can't even imagine a 22" crash, let alone a 24"!! I listened to some of the guy's stuff. Sure, it works alright, but definitely NOT rock, man...
@@drumdrumdrum What's your biggest crash?
I NEEEED to get some of those thins, man!! Expensive, though!! Cymbals need to be CHEAPER!!!!!!!
Indeed. Or find a way to get Zildjian to buy back my broken cymbals for raw material.
Dude, you are a FANTASTIC drummer, and I personally would never play Paiste's, and you do make these ZIldjians sound great, but I can't help but feel that if you went to paiste's or Sabian HHX or something, and switched to Emperor heads, that your sound would level up like none other and you would get, like, hella more gigs or something, my dawg... I dunno. Just my 2cent thoughts, here... love your videos and contributions.
Thanks :)
I briefly had an old 17 in thin that I really enjoyed playing alongside my 17 medium thin. I found the contrast, but also similarity to be just fantastic. What has been your experience with having cymbals of the same size but different thicknesses on your kit at the same time??
I don't think I've ever quite had that set up. The closet was I once had a 16" A medium and a 16" Z Custom which was much heavier. When Zildjian switch from Z Custom to Z3 I switched that position to a 17" Z3. I think for me I just want to make sure there is enough of a pitch difference between each of my crashes.
This was a pretty nice video -Underrated, I think! I've got a bunch of Medium Thin A's right now (14 new beats,16, 17, 18 and 19 crashes and 21 inch sweet ride). I think they are absolutely gorgeous cymbals. However, I've been looking for maybe a little bit of a "drier"/ trashier quality on my main crash. People have been suggesting I look into the K's, but now I'm kind of thinking A thins, might be the ticket... Let me know your thoughts if you have any, please!
Thanks for the vids!
Subscribed!
I've always been a fan of the K Dark series. Those are drier, though I wouldn't call them trashy. Some of the K Darks also come in either Thin or Medium-Thin - which is good for me since I hit hard : )
I haven't used standard K's outside of a store much, but generally have liked the Dark's over them.
If you want something about as dark as the Dark, but less stick definition & sustain (per Zildjian) you could try the K Session customs. These crashes are only available in 16" and 18" I believe: ruclips.net/video/mhjhgT1Q88o/видео.html
@@drumdrumdrum Appreciate the input, my man! Thank you!!