Best Cymbals | Buying Guide : Things to consider while buying Cymbals

There are so many cymbals out there and the prospect of buying a cymbal is both exciting and overwhelming. You will have seen some drummers hidden beneath swathes of different sized cymbals whilst some sit behind a modest kit with only a couple of cymbal options.

It is a personal choice and many professional drummers will have a range of cymbals so they can create the right set up for each gig or recording session that they encounter.

Before we decide which cymbals you should buy there are a few things that we first need to understand. Then we can move on to buying our first set of cymbals.

Anatomy of a Cymbal

All cymbals intended for use with a drum set are of the suspended type—that is, they’re designed to be mounted on stands that are either free standing or attached to drum kit components such as the bass drum. A hole is drilled in the center of the cymbal to allow mounting the cymbal to a stand. Most cymbals have a raised center portion referred to as the bell, cup, or dome. Playing the bell produces a higher “pinging” tone than the rest of the cymbal. The remainder of the cymbal is called the bow. Cymbals with a pronounced taper in thickness from the bell to its thinner edge may be described as having ride and crash areas. The thicker portion closest to the bell is called the ride area; the thinner, outer portion is the crash area.

Cymbal sizes are designated by their diameter in inches or millimeters. Generally speaking, larger cymbals are louder and have longer sustain. Thinner cymbals tend to have a lower pitch and respond faster. Thicker, heavier cymbals produce greater volume, and thanks to their greater articulation when struck with a drumstick, cut through dense sound mixes better.

How Cymbals Are Made

Most cymbals are either cast or made from sheets of metal.

Cast cymbals are made by pouring raw, molten metal alloys into circular molds. The castings are then heated, rolled, shaped, hammered, and lathed. This lengthy process results in cymbals with a full, complex sound that many feel improves with age. Each cast cymbal has a distinct sonic character that is unique.

The term “hand-hammered” can be deceptive. The finest cymbals are hammered by a craftsman who actually wields a hammer, applying the hammering one blow at a time. Less costly cymbals may be hammered by a worker using a machine. Truly hand-hammered cymbals tend to produce richer, darker, lower-pitched tones and vary more from one cymbal to the next. Machine-hammered cymbals are typically brighter, producing higher tones that cut more sharply through the mix. They also tend to vary less in sound from one cymbal to the next.

Some cymbals are turned on a lathe to impart certain sonic characteristics. Lathing can be done on either the top or bottom surface or both. Many cymbals have bands that are lathed and unlathed offering more tonal options depending on what part of the cymbal is played.

Sheet metal cymbals are cut from large sheets of metal of uniform thickness and composition. They have a very uniform sound from cymbal to cymbal within the same model, and are generally less expensive than cast cymbals. Some lower-cost student cymbals have lathe and hammering marks pressed into their surface.

You’ll find cymbals with various polish or finish treatments. Cymbals that are fully lathed often have a clear lacquer finish to prevent tarnishing. Some models have “brilliant” or “bright” finishes that are achieved with high-speed buffing. The buffing process can actually dull the sound slightly while contributing an attractive gleam to the cymbals.

Cymbal sounds are a very individual preference. Many jazz players favor darker, more complex cymbal sounds, while rock drummers generally lean toward a brighter, louder sound that cuts through the mix. While a few traditional cymbal-manufacturing giants continue to dominate the market, there’s an expanding universe of options to choose from.

Types of cymbals

Cymbals can usually be sorted into four broad categories: crash, ride, hi-hat, and effect.

Crash cymbals

When struck on their edge fairly hard with a stick, crash cymbals should have a good explosive sound that’s not too long in duration. Sizes typically range from 14” to 18”, and a nice 16” is a good size for starters. A general rule is the thicker the cymbal, the higher the pitch. If you’re playing a lot of rock music, a thicker cymbal may withstand the loud crashes better than a thinner cymbal (although the latter has more flexibility). Thinner cymbals have a lower pitch and would be favored by those playing jazz or other more subtle forms of music. This is not to say that you can’t hit a thin cymbal hard and produce an acceptable sound. You can, but the risk of cracking the cymbal is greater.

Ride cymbals

The ride cymbal needs to be able to give a distinct, quick ping-like sound to your ride sticking patterns (eighth notes, standard jazz pattern, etc.) when played on the bow (the flat area that makes up most of the cymbal). A large bell can be struck more easily when you play music that calls for that sound, but the larger the bell, the more overtones the cymbal can have. Too many overtones and the “ping” of the ride – its signature sound – will be lost. Sizes here range from 18” up to 26”, with a 20” or 22” being a good starting point.

Hi-hats

Hi-hat cymbals are usually sold in pairs with the bottom cymbal being slightly thicker than the top cymbal. The same rule about thin vs. thick applies here: the thinner the cymbal, the lower the pitch; the thicker the cymbal, the higher the pitch. Typical sizes range from 12” to 14”, but starting with a 13” or 14” will provide an acceptable sound for any type of music. If you’re playing rock, try substituting a heavy, thick cymbal for the bottom cymbal. This trick works well for that style.

Effects cymbals

These are nice to have, but if you’re starting out on a tight budget, you can delay adding these until later. There are many options. China cymbals have a “trashcan lid” sort of tone that works for certain accents. Splash cymbals are very small crash cymbals that add a quick, high frequency shimmer to your sound palette. These work nicely behind a soft vocal passage or other low volume musical segment. Other effects cymbals might be anything from an 18” crash with large holes drilled into it to a cymbal that has been cut into a spiral shape for a totally unique sound experience.

Splash Cymbals

Splashes are the smallest accent cymbals, typically ranging in size between 6”-13”. The splash cymbal was popular with jazz drummers in the 1920s and 1930s, but fell out of favor. They were revived largely by Police drummer Stewart Copeland, and heavier splashes suited to rock soon appeared. China-type cymbals with a diameters under 14” are sometimes referred to as china splashes, though this designation varies with manufacturers.

Today you’ll find a wide range of splashes including the so-called salsa splash that’s intended for use with timbales. Bell splashes are very thick and produce a bell-like sound; they come in a variety of shapes. Some splashes are designed to be used in stacks with other cymbals and sometimes come in sets. Mounts for splashes are as varied as the cymbals themselves.

China And Effects Cymbals

The china cymbal’s name originates with its visual and sonic similarities to Chinese gongs. The typical china bell is cone-shaped and is turned up at its edge where the bell meets the cymbal’s bow. Most chinas have little or no taper to their thickness, but there are exceptions to all these physical generalities. Chinas usually range between 12”-26” in diameter. The thing that most defines a china is its sound that’s usually described as dark, trashy, and explosive.

As with chinas and splashes, which are often considered types of effects cymbals, the exact definition for effects cymbals is elusive. Generally speaking, they’re used in non-rhythmic ways to provide bursts of tonal color and accents. When pang and swish cymbals—two types of effect cymbals—are used in place of a traditional ride, they are usually not thought of as effects cymbals any longer.

Cymbal Packs—An Affordable Option

Many manufacturers offer complete cymbal assortments at very affordable prices. They’re sometimes bundled according to the type of music they’re intended for, with rock cymbal packs being a very common offering. The component cymbals in these packs are carefully matched to be sonically complementary to each other. Cymbal packs are a budget-friendly way for the beginning drummer to gear up.

Metal Selection

The 3 most popular metal alloys for cymbals are:

1. Brass – (copper/zinc)
2. B8 Bronze – (92% copper/8% zinc)
3. B20 Bronze – (80% copper/20% zinc)

Brass is typically used for beginner cymbals, since the metal itself is the least expensive. But also produces the worst sound.

B8 Bronze is generally used with mid-priced cymbals as they are more expensive than brass, but less expensive than B20 bronze.

B20 Bronze is both the most expensive, and most popular alloy, as it is generally considered to have the best sound.

On occasion, you can also find cymbals made with custom blends of B8 and B20, which results in both high-end sounds, and high-end prices as well.

Shaping Options

Depending on the type of cymbal you’re building, whether it be rides, crashes, hi-hats, or something else, there are 5 specific shape metrics you can adjust in order to predictably influence the sound:

1. Diameter – larger diameter equals longer sustain, and greater volume.
2. Thickness – more thickness equals higher pitch, greater potential volume, more “ping”, added durability, but a slower build-up of overtones.
3. Bell Size – a larger bell equals more overtones and longer sustain, but less attack.
4. Profile – a greater curvature along radius of the cymbal equals higher pitch and fewer overtones.
5. Taper – the more the thickness tapers off from the bell to the edge, the more the middle will sound “ride-like”, and the edge will sound “crash-like”.

So by mixing and matching each of these dimensions in various combinations, you can create virtually any cymbal, and any sound imaginable.