Sabian HH Vintage Ride 21''

This Hand Hammered Vintage Ride is another great cymbal from the Sabian lines.  In general, I often only use the HHX line because I find them slightly more versatile for my kind of music.  However, this Vintage Ride is certainly an exception.  We used to have some at the music store I worked at, so I played them a bit.  It wasn't  until  got to gig on someone else's kit before I got to play this live, and I really felt its full power and quality.
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If I had to compare this to another cymbal, it would probably be between the sabian HHX Groove Ride and the Sabian Hand Hammered Manhattan Jazz Ride (both 20'').  The Vintage is a bit lighter than the Groove, and has a softer smoother bell sound.  The Manhattan is thinner than the Vintage, much darker and dryer.  For this reason, the Vintage would probably be well suited to louder, big band style jazz or some kind of fusion, light rock, or funk. 

This cymbal has a good blend of dark definition, but with a sweeter wash than most comparable cymbals.  The ping is loud and articulate, while the bell provides a new deeper sound that is not overpowering.  I could easily compare this to many older, actually vintage rides from the early days of Zildian.  I guess thats where the Vintage name comes from....

Unfortunately, like many good cymbals, the HH Vintage Ride is a bit expensive.  You definitely get what you pay for, and this cymbal is less expensive than other Sabian HH Manhattans or Zildjian K Constantinoples.  If a versatile ride for jazz with a vintage sound is what is desired, this is the way to go.<span> </span>Having played this cymbal, I gained a lot more respect for the versatility of HH rides and I will keep my eyes open for one of these once I can afford some more gear.</span>