Best Sabian 21" HHX Groove Ride Tradition. Alternatives

Based on 6 reviews

This is a jazz ride first, but I am using it as a huge crash. I play all different styles and the sound sample does it justice in a Jazz context, but playing metal with this thing blew me away. It's so dark, quick to respond and gets out of the way fast. The 21 inch Raw Jazz Ride is loud enough for a dense mix of loud electric guitars and bass guitars. You won't be dissatisfied with this, if you are contemplating on using it like I do, a big full dark crash. The bell on this thing isn't bad, either.

Based on 5 reviews

The bell: played with the shoulder of the stick the bell produces a nice and cutting but not overly sharp sound. The bow: played in the middle of the bow you get a mellow ride sound with lots of wash and good stick definition which gets tighter as you move closer to the bell. The edge: fantastic crashability with surprisingly fast attack for a cymbal of this size. I currently use this cymbal for a lot of crash riding in a stoner rock band. It's just perfectly suited for creating a massive wall of chrash during halftime parts. Only 4/5 for quality because the edge of mine is slightly sharp so you have to watch out not to hurt yourself when choking the cymbal.

Based on 3 reviews

This ride is THE RIDE. Everything - the bow, the bell, the crash - they're all amazing. Most of all - the crashability of the ride is one of the if not the best out there. It's also a very musical cymbal with a very large dynamic range. I haven't played it with a band yet so I can't tell if the bell will cut through enough, however playing it dry I found that when hit the right way you can achieve an amazing bell sound that has very unique tones, which I feel can also be quite loud if need be. What surprised me most was how light the cymbal is. It's a little over 2 kg and it's very thin especially towards the edge, which I guess is what allows for that amazing crashability. I've only played it a couple of hours at this point and I'm already in love. The only thing that might be an...

Based on 2 reviews

I own a Sabian HH Rock ride, and I wanted something softer and darker for a different style of play (I played metal and hard rock, but now I experiment with softer styles). It is a very nice cymbal, with very dark and low sound, and a lot of trashy wash (something I didn't realize until I tried it) and visually striking. The only downside (if you even even consider it as such) is that the bell is basically not louder than the body of the ride. It is higher pitched though, due to the brilliant finish. This is not a ride I would bring to a rock gig, but I use it for rehearsals, and even in a recording recently when my ride needed to give an atmosphere as opposed to be "in your face". I also own 2 Caz thin crashes and I love all of my Zultan cymbals. Zultan is great, it's just a...

Based on 1 reviews

I use ride cymbals as crashes and I was looking for one to replace a cracked 20'' Meinl Classics Custom Dark ride that I had been using for six years. I was drawn to this cymbal because of the "light" aspect (it has more flex, therefore less likely to crack when crashed). Also, I realised that this is essentially a Meinl Polyphonic ride, but for less than half of the price! I am very happy with my purchase, I use it mainly as my left side crash, attached to my hi-hat stand with a Tama cymbal attachment. Not only does it sound amazing both as a ride and a crash, but it's also light enough that it doesn't cause the hi-hat stand to fall over, so it's perfect for my needs.

Based on 1 reviews

I needed a big, loud, but still controled crash/ride to supplement my other cymbals, I play noisy rock/punk and needed this to fill the space with noise for big choruses and breakdowns. I've used 21" crash/rides from other prominent manufacturers, but sometimes they're "too noisy" or abrasive, and sound engineers are begging me to stick tape on them. The Paiste 21" 2002 Black Big Beat Cymbal doesn't have this issue thanks to the dark finish which allows it to sit in the mix better.

Based on 1 reviews

I finally upgraded my ride cymbal after 20 years. I play mainly Rock/Metal/Prog oriented music and the Raw bell dry ride fits perfectly. It was initially a bit heavier than I expected. The sound though, is awesome. I have the brilliant version and the sound is not overly pingy (metallic ping) but warm, dark and, yes, dry! The bell is really nice, it cuts through and has a warm and dark sound, which I like. The ride has some wash, but the heaviness enables you to hit it quite hard for a clear stick definition. I'm so happy I bought this cymbal, it has everything I need and it's really versatile. If you like a darker, dry ride with a nice clear bell, this is your ride!

Based on 6 reviews

I play in a heavy and psychedelic band and this cymbal is awesome. It helps me getting the moods I want and it does it well. The cymbal will explode if you hit it hard which I need while rocking out but will deliver a great shimmer when played softly. I wanted to try the 22" as I generally use bigger cymbals (15 hats, 18 and 20 crashes, 21 or 22 rides etc) but the 21" does the job. The bell isn't as big as I wished, I need to aim at it with care if I want to get the bell sound only. But that shimmer, man, it's as good as any Zildjian I played.

Based on 2 reviews

I was happy with this cymbal when I unboxed it, and I loved it when I played it. It responds nicely to different dynamics and has a big satisfying wash when used as a big crash. The bell is large and easy to hit and it makes a nice "ping" when hit with the stick tip, and a rather powerful "dung" when hit with the shoulder of the stick. While capable of being loud, it isnt a super bright cymbal because of the unlathed areas, so I suspect this cymbal may not be greatly suited to recording really heavy music, but I will be testing this sooner or later! But regardless, I love the sound of this cymbal and think it is well suited to quite of variety of styles. And on top of that, it looks fantastic and has really livened up my kit!