October 27th, 2007
Unfortunately I had to pay for my own cymbals at the weekend, but I think I got a good deal. Stagg, a make you may not be massively familiar with, are known for making products at the cheaper end of the market. However, as I mentioned in a previous post about cymbals, I brought some last year and was really happy with them. I needed a new ride and crash this year and so headed straight for the Staggs! I quickly picked out a “Furia” 16” rock crash and a 20” rock ride.
Straight away I heard what I wanted to hear. Nice solid, bright tones. I got the two for £160, (plus a free t-shirt!!) which I thought was pretty good value.
When I got them back to my studio and tried them out properly I was not disappointed! They sounded great! As I said, when buying cymbals, buy with your ears, not with and expectation of what a brand should deliver. I’d rate these cymbals better than some more expensive Sabian HH cymbals I have. They sound just right in my teaching studios.
So if you’re looking out for cymbals and don’t want to pay really high prices, check out Stagg cymbals and see what you think. I personally love ‘em! Stagg, if you’re listening, chuck a few more my way please!
October 15th, 2007
People often ask me about cymbals & what I recommend etc…. So here’s the simple advice I give.
Let’s say you have a starter kit, and your quite happy with the sound of the drums, but the cymbals seem to made of tin foil and are all bent out of shape and the hi hats turn inside out when you press hard with your left foot!
You’ll probably want to be looking at getting some new cymbals, but which ones??
Well, I’d always start with the hi hats as they’re played more than any other cymbal. Set yourself a budget, I’d say at least £70 for hi hats, and get yourself off to your local drum shop. Try out a load of hi hat cymbals to see which sound you like the best, don’t worry about price. If the shop has a room in which you can try them out, don’t be shy, go for it. Try them out as you’d use them (so taking a pair of sticks with you is a good idea.) You can’t get a true sound of a cymbal until you use it properly. It’s like taking a car for a test drive. Once you’ve identified the sound you like, try to find a set with a sound as close to that which you like but that fits your budget. Personally I always buy from the shop as opposed to over the internet because you can hear what the cymbals sound like before you buy, and if EVERYONE buys over the net, shops will lose business and may not be there for use try out stuff in the future. Plus, once you add in postage cost and waiting time I’d say you get just a good a deal.
Once your hi hats have been bought, a crash should be next on your list. To get the best crash I recommend taking your hi hats back to try the crash out along side them. A crash can sound great on it’s own but it has to gel well with the other cymbals you have. Everything must be complimentary. The same applies to any other cymbal you wish to add to your set up, take other cymbals you own along to see if they work well together as a set.
When buying cymbals buy with your ears, don’t just buy them for the brand. All cymbal manufacturers sell some great sounding cymbals, but they are all guilty of selling some nasty ones too! For example, “Stagg” are known for there “cheap” gear, but last year I bought a crash made by Stagg ‘cos it sounded awesome! I now have a crash and splash from Stagg and couldn’t be more pleased with the sound I get. I’ve heard cymbals double their price that don’t even sound half as good.
Cymbal buying is all about personal choice. What works for you may not work for someone else. Another thing to bare in mind is that, the bigger the cymbal, the bigger the sound. So if you play your kit in a small room, big cymbals, as nice as they may have sounded in the shop, may not be the best bet. On the flip side, a cymbal may sound great in a shop, but if you gig relatively big venues and the cymbals aren’t amplified, they may not carry their sound to the back of the room. Always think about the situation for which they’re intended. More expensive doesn’t always mean better, and my golden rule is TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
