18" AAX El Sabor Crash : Hard not to love

It's hard to find a great crash cymbal you can play by hand. If they are designed for a stick, they are usually too thick to offer an immediate response to the lighter touch. Equally, thin cymbals tend to come as splashes with a fast attack but equally fast decay.

However, the El Sabor has been designed for hand use - and it works! When you hit it with fingers or thumb it crashes immediately and lasts a long time with a generous tone. Tapping with fingernails gives a worthwhile sound, again because the cymbal is so responsive. Again, due to the size, you can roll up on it very gradually for a very slow crash.

In the centre, (see photo) the metal is thicker to provide a good bell. This is really intended to be used with a stick or brush handle.

My other crash is a 16" Bosphorus Gold, which though it is smaller, gives a deeper sound. I think this shows the surprising versatility of the Sabian - it is big but bright, yet with a very usable ride & bell section.

I'm not sure I'd want to use it too much with sticks - perhaps that all depends on the expected lifespan! Brushes work great though.

It's an expensive piece of kit, but it's in a class of its own.