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!
I got my first set of Zildjian cymbals at 14 years old back in the 70's. I got a 16" and 18" Medium Thin Crashes. I got rid of the 18" for some stupid reeason, but kept the 16". I STILL use that 16" today. It always goes with me. LOVE that cymbal. Love its shimmery sound and riding capabilities.
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.
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.
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! 👍👏💪
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.
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
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. th-cam.com/video/a2UJhO_HpaY/w-d-xo.html
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 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.
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
I got my first set of Zildjian cymbals at 14 years old back in the 70's. I got a 16" and 18" Medium Thin Crashes. I got rid of the 18" for some stupid reeason, but kept the 16". I STILL use that 16" today. It always goes with me. LOVE that cymbal. Love its shimmery sound and riding capabilities.
I went back to a medium thin for my last album. :)
Medium thin's the one for me. Sounds better in my opinion. Just the video I needed to see 👍
Word!
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.
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.
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! 👍👏💪
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.
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 : )
Very good comparison video. I love the quick response and sensitivity of the thin crash for lighter jazzier players like me.
Word :)
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 :)
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.
Perfect! Thanks man, I have struggled to find a clear difference.
No problem. :)
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. th-cam.com/video/a2UJhO_HpaY/w-d-xo.html
Excellent comparison!
Thanks! 😊
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.
Damn I think I like the Medium the best
You could always go with a 17" or 18". A thin 18" will have more durability than a thin 16", and so on.
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.
The heavier crash cymbals are currently out of fad, so less popular, so less available.
That snare sounds terrible uhh