Ride Cymbals - What do YOU use?

[funkydrummer]

I'm using 2 at the moment.

20" Zildjian K Custom Dry Ride
20" Sabian HHX Groove Ride

Dig both of them very much, always trying out others and taking suggestions for new rides. I really want to give the Evolution ride a try, I've heard great things about it and have had some great experience with other models in that line (crashes, splashes, and the Ozone crash all are great IMHO).

[troutbrooke]

Originally posted by funkydrummer:
I really want to give the Evolution ride a try, I've heard great things about it and have had some great experience with other models in that line (crashes, splashes, and the Ozone crash all are great IMHO).

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I found the evolution ride to be WAAAAAY too washy, but a lot of guys love it. Maybe it's because I use a 5B or something, but that Evo ride seems more like a heavy crash to me.

I was curious to try out that Groove ride. What would you compare it to? I had the Groove hats for a while, and they were nice, but a bit on the quiet side.

[funkydrummer]

DSOP, the Groove Ride is actually a 21" (typo, my bad on that one). Not quite sure what to compare it to, it has sort of a shimmery quality to it, but still has nice stick definition. Goes along quite well with the Groove Hats, I would imagine. Bell is pretty nice also. Out of the 2 cymbals, the Groove Ride and the K Custom Dry, I tend to gravitate towards the K Custom more. But I recommend giving both cymbals a try, I dig both of them.

[The Milkman]

21" K Custom Special Dry
20" Constantinople Medium Thin (according to Tom Kennedy, one of the nicest sounding rides he's ever heard [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img] )

[kinkymook]

I used to work at AJ's Pro Percussion in Tampa. Spent about 2 years there selling on the phone, building EBay auctions, etc....
Wanted a new ride cymbal with THE NOTE, the right amount of wash with a great bell. Now usually in most music shops, in the cymbal room, the biggest (rides) are on the bottom with the crashes in the middle and splashes on top. Well, I was walking along on my lunch break tapping on the ride cymbals and found one that had all the qualities I was looking for.
Seems like A.J. ordered a Sabian AAX 20" Metal Crash.
The rest is history.......

[troutbrooke]

Originally posted by kinkymook:
Seems like A.J. ordered a Sabian AAX 20" Metal Crash.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Are you telling me that your favourite ride is a Metal Crash?

[drumsintampa]

The 3 I use in rotation.
20" Sabian El Sabor, lathed (general gigs, nice body, def, and bell)
20" Sabian 1st Gen. Jack DeJonnette (jazz gigs-been offered up to $400 for that one. Sounds like an Istanbul)
21" Sabian AAX Large Bell Stage Brilliant (Rock, Heavier music, very penetrating)

[kinkymook]

Yeah DSoP, it's labeled as a Metal Crash, and trust me, I'm as shocked as you probably are! But, like I said, I was looking for a nice sounding ride and there it was. It's got a KILLER bell, the right amount of wash and it just..WORKED.
I'm not crazy about labels on cymbals. Brand names are cool, but just because it's labeled a crash doesn't mean that it can't be a ride.
I have a buddy in Atlanta who uses a 19" Explosion Crash as a ride on lighter gigs. He says it fits right in when played with Hot Rods.

Call me crazy.....

[troutbrooke]

Originally posted by kinkymook:
Call me crazy.....

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Not at all! Whatever works is great. I read somewhere about a guy that was the using the bottom hi-hat cymbal for a ride with good results. With so many options out there, there isn't enough time to try out everything. Plus, the fact that most retailers only carry a few (as in 7 or 8) rides from various manufacturers makes it impossible.

[Dazzler]

Reading all this reminds me of when I had just finished a three year degree course in jazz, still playing my 20" K Custom, as designed by Weckl. One particularly outspoken and 'heavy' jazz drummer asked me "Darren, when are you going to get rid of that fucking radiator?!!!"

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