Sabian Acoustic Drums

I've been using the Sabian AAX Dark Crash cymbal for about two years and it is one of my favorite crash cymbals to use for recording rock and pop music. It has a brilliance to it that is not only unique but works perfectly for these applications because of this tone quality. The model of the Sabian AAX Dark Crash cymbal that I use I believe is 16" around, which is approximately the size you would expect from a crash cymbal. While I'm not a drummer, I have used the cymbal enough times while recording to know that it is a great sounding cymbal. To record drum overheads and cymbals I usually use a pair of Neumann KM184s or a pair of Rode NT5s and I find that with either pair I get great sounding crash cymbal sounds with this cymbal. While I've never used it for live shows it will work great for this application in addition to recording. The tone of the Sabian AAX Dark Crash cymbal can be described as a full bodied and having of a certain presence that you definitely hope to get with crash cymbals. Whether you are using this in tandem with another lighter sounding crash cymbal or on its own, it will add to your drum sound on the stage and in the studio. Even though this is a great sounding cymbal, the Sabian AAX Dark Crash won't break the bank in terms of price which makes it suitable for players of all levels looking to get a great sounding dark crash cymbal. All cymbals are unique and users need to try out each cymbal before purchasing to see if it will fit in their sounds, but I believe that the Sabian AAX Dark Crash cymbal is a great choice and is definitely worthy of a try.

I've been using the Sabian AA Bright Crash cymbal for about two years for recording and while it is a good sounding crash cymbal, I have used better ones that I would use over this one any day. The cymbal is 16" around and has a nice bright sound to it that is good sounding, but somewhat limited in its use. I would really only recommend using it for rock music, as I don't think it has enough sparkle to it to be used for jazz or pop. Don't get me wrong, the Sabian AA Bright Crash cymbal has a nice sound to it that is great for beginners and intermediate level drummers, but I wouldn't recommend this to professionals because I don't think the sound quality is on the professional level. Sabian certainly makes professional grade cymbals, I just don't think that the AA Bright Crash is one of them. I have only used this cymbal for recording, but I would say that it is probably best suited for live shows and gigging. I say this because it isn't too expensive and can take a bit of wear and tear that it would gather playing shows. I also don't think it sounds good enough to do recording with and would look to some of the other cymbals Sabian makes and that Zildjian makes for recording. Since the price of the Sabian AA Bright Crash cymbal is reasonable, it makes it perfect for the drummer who want a nice sounding crash cymbal without the price. This cymbal is certainly on the lighter end of the spectrum when it comes to the tone of it, and for this reason I would recommend trying it out to see if it suits your style. Like with all cymbals, each is unique and needs to be tried out by the user first to see if it will fit their sound. Overall, a nice option for intermediate drummers looking to get a fairly priced crash cymbal.

The Sabian XS20 cymbals are what I played on when I auditioned for my band, and these cymbals have a horrible tone. I played with the band and cymbals for about 2 weeks, and eventually brought my Zildjian’s out. I was using the XS20s with a Pearl Export drum set with a Tama Iron Cobra, 12”,13” and 16” toms, 14” snare and 20” kick. The set was alright, but these cymbals I could not take. They would hold an extremely high pitched ring after initial hit, and the cymbals I was using, the 16” Crash, 20” Ride, 14” Hats and an added 18” Crash all had an overall horrible tone. The band was amazed at how much better my Zildjians sounded in comparison to these. I use A Customs, K Customs and Z Customs and they are beautiful cymbals. These on the other hand are flat out horrible. These are the cymbals you are on an extreme budget, but then end up taking them back a week later. The 16” Crash rings too much and the tone is horrible, even when aged, the Ride is the only decent part of this pack, and is very pingy, and the hats are tonally horrible, and mess up nearly everything. The additional crash on the set I auditioned on still had the problem with the ringing overtones, but sounded a lot better than it’s 16” counterpart. For the price, these are still horrible and sound way too tinny. You can get a big set up for decently cheap, but what you save in money you lose in tone. I would spend the extra money to get cymbals you can brag about, like A Customs and Z Customs; or if you are a Sabian guy, the AAX or HH cymbals. Don’t make the mistake I did and even think about playing on these. Save yourself the time and money and purchase something halfway decent.

These were my very first Sabian cymbals to ever have gone in my set up, and they will probably be the last. I have used many Zildjian and Paiste’s before trying this model, and they weren’t the worst cymbals ever, but they rang too much. I used them for about 5 months and that’s about the time I decided to sell them. I practice 3 hours a day, and these were pretty well aged, as I got them used with no damage at all, and they gave a very penetrating chick and closed sound, but the result of an open hit could make your ears bleed. I lay them with my Gretsch Catalina Maple set and the hats would dull out all of the grooves and beats. Due to the heaviness of both the top and bottom cymbals, the cymbals had a tinny sound, which wasn’t resolved by closing them a little. The closed sound is phenomenal, and in short bursts the open sound is alright , but once you leave slightly open and hit them for a measure the overtones begin to mix and sound like garbage. Putting the sound aside, these cymbals look really good. They have a nice traditional finish to them, keeping the natural cymbal look. They are also very durable due to their thickness., you could bang on these for hours and they probably wouldn’t wear out. These strengths, however, also are the place of fault in these cymbals. They are clingy and are just too heavy overall, much like the Dynobeats by Zildjian. For the price, I would go with some of the Zildjian New Beats or Mastersounds, or if you’re a Sabian fan, the AAX or HHX cymbals, as they are much better, of course I may have just gotten a bad set. I would still choose a different set of hats for almost any player.