Durable Splash Cymbal

[WintryGrey]

Hey Bart, you've got a nice Board here, I just signed in, and since I'm on kindof an emergency I decided I'd ask an expert.

I've been playing for about 5 years now, about a year or so I decided to buy an Splash, and my father bought it for me on my b-day. He doesn't know much about cymbals so he got me the first he could get. He bought me a AAX Sabian Splash 8".

During my last rehearsal I noticed the cymbal was cracking (I use it very, very often) and it's all broken now. I'm planning on getting a new one, so I want you to recommend me one durable splash. I read in Sabian's homepage that my splash broke because I was htting it very hard, meaning that I was looking for a bigger sound, and they recommend that I should get a wider and thicker Splash. I think the best choice would be AAX 10" Metal Splash from Sabian, but it's pretty expensive, and I don't have much experience about other cymbals that aren't Sabian, so in your proffesional opinion what would you recommend?

[Bart Elliott]

I use SABIAN cymbals exclusively and have been very happy with them for the past 12 years. I currently use the Sabian AAX 8 and 10 inch splashes.

I didn't know that Sabian offered the AAX Metal versions for splashes; I thought they only had 16 and 18 crashes. The splashes used to just be generic AAX, not series specific such as Studio, Stage or Metal. If they offer a Metal version in the splashes, you might want to check into that. The AAX cymbals are unique in that they are made while the metal is in a cold state, which allows the cymbal to be very thin (and sounds great), but has the strength of a thicker cymbal.

You are probably correct in that the cymbal broke because you were over playing it. They are delicate and were never meant to compete with larger/heavier cymbals. One thing to watch out for ... make sure you don't tighten down the felt washer on top of the splash (if you use them). If you do this, you will keep the splash very rigid so that it can not move freely like it needs to. What happens next is you cymbal will begin to crack (usually around the bell) because you are putting so much force on it ... and it has no where to move. Don't play through the cymbal, but rather play off the cymbal using swift flicks of the stick.

Hope this helps! Try out a variety of cymbals if you can. If price is important to you, Steve Weiss Music has some of the best prices in the USA. He sells Sabians at 50% off retail all the time. Email or IM me if you need his info.