You’ve seen the set. Now, let’s talk about cymbals.
You’d think the most expensive part of being a drummer would be the kit proper. You’d be wrong. Yeah, replacing heads can get expensive, but the most expensive part of a kit are the cymbals.
My kit was a steal. I picked it up at Guitar Center for $249.99. I even picked up the $39.99 two-year warranty.
But to get the cymbals I want, it’s gonna cost me.
(By the way, each link below goes to the actual cymbal. If you scroll down a little, you can find mp3 files for how each cymbal sounds. Have fun!)
Now, before we begin, there’s an understanding I must pass on to you. This understanding is that nothing goes for the retail price when drums are concerned. Kinda like cars, drums and cymbals are always priced too high… to give the sucker a feeling he’s getting away with a bargain.
HI HATS
Let’s use the hihats as an example. The hihats I want are the Zildjian A Series Quick Beat Hi-Hats. Chad Gracey from LIVE uses these. Neil Peart also uses 13″ hihats. I do what these boys tell me to do.
Standard price: $424.99.
Actual price: $239.99.
All I have are hihats, and already my cymbal budget exceeds my set budget.
THE RIDE
Next, we move on to the ride cymbal. This is the cymbal I’ll be using most often. This is the Zildjian 20″ K Heavy Ride. Again, Mr. Gracey from LIVE has provided me with guidance on this one. (If I wanted to get what The Professor uses, I’d need to buy from Sabian’s catalogue; specifically, the “Neil Peart Sabian Paragon Line” of cymbals. He uses a 22″ ride that costs $289.99.)
Standard price: $490.00
Actual price: $279.99.
CHINA CYMBALS
I’d also like to have to crash cymbals: 16″ and 18″ dark crash. I like the thick sound dark crashes get. For our kind of music, I’ll need them.
Standard price: $289.99 + $319.99
Actual price: $164.99 + $194.99
And now for the China cymbals. I love China cymbals. I want two. The first is a 17″ Zildjian K Dark China cymbal. (Dark China Symbol.)
Standard price: $430.00
Actual price: $244.99
Next, the 20″ Zildjian Oriental China ‘Trash’ Cymbal. I cannot explain how this sounds. You have to try it out for yourself. (I think the best description is “a dirty gong.” But that’s just me.)
Standard price: $480.00
Actual price: $243.99
And that’s the cymbals I want. Total cost?
$1,114.95.
I’ll probably end up getting the Zildjian Planet Z Z4 Cymbal Pack and the Zildjian ZHT Effects Pack. That’s $119.99 and $179.99, respectively, for a total of $299.98. Still more than the kit itself.
Oh! I’ll need cymbal stands! Those are pretty cheap: about $30 each. I’ll need five of them, so that’s another $150.00.
Yeah, I know. I shoulda learned how to play the guitar. Besides, we all know, the guitarist gets all the chicks anway.