Unorthodox Cymbal Combinations

[RG1820X]

A thread for different cymbal combinations.

My two contributions:

I replaced a top hat with a 14" SABIAN El Rayo. It gives it the foot chick a jingle with a similar sound and feel to my Manhattan Jazz hats.

Using a Tama MXA73N Closed Hi-Hat Attachment, I placed a SABIAN Zen China over top of an 8" splash. This was an idea that Billy Ward mentioned to me years ago. I adjusted the height to give it a little bit of sizzle, similar to having rivets installed.

[Drumming-4-Life]

A thread for different cymbal combinations.

My two contributions:

I replaced a top hat with a 14" SABIAN El Rayo. It gives it the foot chick a jingle with a similar sound and feel to my Manhattan Jazz hats.

Using a Tama MXA73N Closed Hi-Hat Attachment, I placed a SABIAN Zen China over top of an 8" splash. This was an idea that Billy Ward mentioned to me years ago. I adjusted the height to give it a little bit of sizzle, similar to having rivets installed.

I like the concept of this thread. Thanks for starting it. I have played the Sabian Signature Max Stax low, med, and high for many years now. Recently, I inverted the top and bottom cymbals, putting the mini chinas on the bottom instead of the top. The result is a stealthy-looking stack, that sounds the same as the original, but now gives you the opportunity to play them with the tip of the stick, as well as the neck. Originally, you basically has one way to strike it, with the neck.

[MilesAway]

Using a Tama MXA73N Closed Hi-Hat Attachment, I placed a SABIAN Zen China over top of an 8" splash. This was an idea that Billy Ward mentioned to me years ago. I adjusted the height to give it a little bit of sizzle, similar to having rivets installed.

I saw Pat Mastelotto do something similar with King Crimson, but it was a china (maybe an 18" or 19") under his ride cymbal, on a cabled x-hat. He had three sounds: traditional ride (fully open), deep and trashy open hat (half open) or gnarly stack (fully closed). It was super creative, and I'd totally try it if I had a cabled x-hat.

At the moment, I don't really use any unconvential cymbal sounds. Every once in a while, I'll put a splash (right side up) over the bell of my ride cymbal, which gives you a rivety style sound when you play the bow of the ride, and a reverberant stack sound when you play on the splash. Obviously you lose the functionality of the bell, but it's a fun setup.

[RushDrums24]

Terry Bozzio, Say no more

In my case it wasn't drastic, but an old Zyn 14" hi hat top stacked (upside down) on an inverted 18" ZIldjian china boy high, add a sizzle chain and it was white noise with a great sizzle, but also an extremely quick decay

[iCe]

I saw Pat Mastelotto do something similar with King Crimson, but it was a china (maybe an 18" or 19") under his ride cymbal, on a cabled x-hat. He had three sounds: traditional ride (fully open), deep and trashy open hat (half open) or gnarly stack (fully closed). It was super creative, and I'd totally try it if I had a cabled x-hat.

I was so sure i saved a pic of that setup! I can't find it anymore sadly, but i remember that he had a Novo china (bell down) on the bottom with a ride on the top. Was a weird setup as well if i remember correctly. A gong drum where the floor tom was, a tom above the bass and some rata toms.

But back to topic... years ago... i think it's a decade agon now hehe... anyway, i had a cracked Paiste 302 16" crash with a crack that run from edge to roughly 4 inches from the edge of the bell. Because of the hammering tension one side of the crack was raised an inch, so i put a cracked 14" 302 Hi-hat top on it. Made the ideal stack sound! Not so aggressive as a china and splash/crash stack. Sadly, i somehow lost these cymbals.

Oh and i put an 8" Zildjian Trashformer over the 10" model, which makes a really nasty, loud and trashy stack! Due to the weird shape kinda hard to play though

[dexplosion]

I made some videos a long time ago of different combinations of random cymbals - splashes, crashes, chinas, rides.
Included are some Billy Ward style ride stacks.
Check em out.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...CmkiWiGurpTKW5

[makinao]

Whenever I need a break from my New Beats, I use a hihat with an A Zildjian thin crash 16" top and Stagg SH China 16 bottom. Nice sloshy and trashy.

[Josh Conover]

Not sure why I haven't posted in this thread. Anyone getting a little creative with their stacks lately?

I'm currently using a custom hi hat combo, an 8" Zildjian FX, and two different stacks that I put together myself.

The hi hats are a 16" Constantinople over a K Sweet bottom.

The little stack is an 8" Trashformer over a 10" K Special Dry splash.

The big "Crash Stack" is a 21" K Special Dry Trash crash with a 10" Spiral trash on top.

[ws6freak]

I like the concept of this thread. Thanks for starting it. I have played the Sabian Signature Max Stax low, med, and high for many years now. Recently, I inverted the top and bottom cymbals, putting the mini chinas on the bottom instead of the top. The result is a stealthy-looking stack, that sounds the same as the original, but now gives you the opportunity to play them with the tip of the stick, as well as the neck. Originally, you basically has one way to strike it, with the neck.

I always DROOL over your kit's pictures man... just beautiful. I am considering acquiring a SONOR SQ2 some day. Immensly expensive on the configuration I want, but I'm saving up for it. Now with all this virus stuff it will take longer to have orders fullfilled but some day.... some day....

And about the cymbals... I've played a Wuhan Stack made of an upside down 12" Wuhan Splash over a 12" Wuhan China and it sounded amazing through the microphones.