It's come time for our line to get new crash cymbals to march with in parades and I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations for us as far as brands/sizes go. I would also like to know if you guys use pads and like them, because some people in our line think they're unnecessary. Thanks!

I would recommend Zildjians 18 inches. You can also do some 20's as well but 18 inches depending on how muscular your cymbal line is.

We use Zildjian avedias and they are 18 inches. They sound really good.

how about being a little more specific?
Only saying Zildjian 18" is far from helpful.
There are many different types of crash pairs each brand makes. Please specify which series/model#

"A Zildjian Z-MAC, Pairs
Z-MAC, Zildjian Multi-Application Cymbals, provide the right sound and projection for a wide variety of educational uses, from the concert hall, on the marching field, to the jazz band. The A Zildjian Z-MAC is full, high-pitched, bright and rich in harmonic structure."
To me this sounds like a great choice for a high school. These cymbal have multiple uses and sound great.

I am not a cymbal guy. I figured most schools are usualy short on cash. So a director might be more apt to get a multiple use cymbal as opposed to a marching only cymbal.

I may not be a cymbal guy, but it seems that Paiste and Sabian are more drumset-oriented as compared to Zildjian.

I don't know if you guys missed it in the original post, but do you use pads? Do you like them?

zildjian has more drumset cymbals than any other company. they have more cymbals in general.

the multiple use cymbals seem like a good idea, like a convertible tuba can be. in reality, they end up being a "jack of all trades, master of none".

i'd go for some nice, application specific cymbals for everything. at a high school, you shouldn't need more than 3-4 drumset cymbals (hats, ride, 1 or 2 crashes). buy some used pro-line cymbals.

for the field, buy some used 18" or 20" marching cymbals.

buy a pair of 18" viennese orchestral crashes. the marching cymbals can be used for parts where heavier crashes are needed.

buy an 18" suspended cymbal. if you get a thin-ish, hammered drumset crash (like a K or a HH), you can sometimes double that as a suspended cymbal.

at my 2 programs, we're using:
program 1:
drumset:
20" zildjian K ride
18" zildjian A medium thin crash
14" zildjian new beat hats

suspended:
18" zildjian K orchestral (can use either drumset cymbal as additional suspended cymbals)

orch crashes:
18" sabian viennese

field:
18" sabian drum corps (2 pair)
20" sabian drum corps



program 2:
drumset:
20" zildjian K ride
18" zildjian K ride (as crash)
17" zildjian A custom crash
14" sabian AA medium hats

suspended:
18" sabian HH suspended
15" istanbul dark crash

orch crashes:
16" sabian french
18" sabian viennese

field:
16" sabian marching band
18" sabian marching band (x2)
19" sabian marching band


as for pads -- for marching, use them. for orchestral, don't.

IMO.


b

I'm a pretty big fan of the A Zildjian Stadium Medium's. They are pretty light weight and easy to handle. They also have a pretty good overall sound. Not too bright, not to dark. In a close second, I really like Sabians Hand Hammered Viennese. It has a slightly darker sound compared to the other. The decay is pretty quick also. You can go on Zildjian's and Sabians website to hear samples of each cymbals sound. So listen to that and get an idea of the direction you want to go in.

As for pads, I think they are a necessity. Even more so for high school. If you dont have pads I'm assuming you would be using your bare hands(or gloves) directly on the cymbal. Thats probably not the best thing to do. Using pads will help you get a better sound out of the cymbal. Your hands would cover more surface on the cymbal than the pads would, therefore restricting the vibrations of the cymbals. The pads are going to give you a barrier between your hands and the cymbal, allowing them to vibrate more freely. Some people use the lambs wool cymbal pads along with the leather ones in order to give an even softer layer between the cymbal and you. Pads will also help you in keeping your fingers off of the cymbal. With your hands directly on the cymbals, dirt and oil from your hands are going to transfer on the cymbals, causing them to get dirtier a lot faster than they normally would. Hope this helps.