How to Buy Cymbals

Drummers who fetishize drumsets—which is, like, every drummer—might look to the cymbals first. There’s nothing like a good cymbal to make a drumset come alive.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Around $50 and up

1. Set a budget. Unfortunately, good cymbals are hugely expensive in relation to drumset. An entire drumset could cost $400, while one cymbal costs $200 or more. With cymbals, more expensive often does mean better. Take the Zildjian “K” line.
2. Buy in-store. Just because a 20” cymbal sounded good in the past doesn’t mean every 20” inch cymbal will sound the same. You need to test the cymbal out. Even the same cymbal brand and size can sound different, as each cymbal can have slight variances.
3. On that front, you should test out a cymbal with a drumset. Most music stores have a drumset set up. Attach a cymbal and see how it sounds with a bass drum hit, not just by itself. You could also think about taking your current cymbals to see how they match up with the new one. Keep in mind, the room might have different acoustics than you’re used to. Finally, have someone else play the cymbals so you can hear what they sound like from in front of the set.
4. Pick a cymbal according to the type of music you’re playing. Rock music should have cymbals with a longer sustain. More intricate music should have less sustain. This is subjective though—to each his own.
5. Don’t always buy new. Like guitars, vintage cymbals are often much better—they’re better made and improve with age.

Tips & Warnings

• Your basic cymbals are the ride, crash, and hi-hat. Some less common cymbals are the splash and “Chinaboy.”