by Raymond » Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:48 am
I am late in this post but these are my five cents regarding cymbals for timbales.
Cymbals are expensive and are technically an investment for somebody in a budget and who wants to get into timbale playing.
The rule of thumb is a crash or a "crash-ride". What to get????? Well, some of the major brands have tried to market some lines supposedly for the latin marke, i.e., timbale, percussionists, etc...However, I have found that they are basically some of their "regular lines" adapated to latin.
Cymbals are "ice-cream flavors", everybody has a favorite sound or is willing to try new flavors but if you do not like certain flavor there is no way you are going to eat it. Where am I going? Well, cymbals have "clear/sharp", "darker sounds" and "mid range sounds"...To get more complicated...you have the factor of how long the "crash" sustains...That means, how long you will hear the cymbal sounding once you hit it. The thinner the cymbal the less it will sustain..so it will be fast to decay after it crashes...the thicker...the more time it will take to fade...Mid? Is mid. The thinner the cymbal, the more expensive, etc, etc. So these are terms for you to be familiarize regarding cymbal when you start researching.
There are other terms like "trashy", etc, etc...that are regarding the type of "additional sound" you will get with a cymbal...The untrained ear will not notice too much about all the things I mention here but eventually if you start playing cymbals you will start noticing differrences in the sounds of cymbals....
Some cheap cymbals will do the trick for you...Some people like to go expensive on it. The advantage of expensive is that the cymbal will last you longer and the sound will be of more quality. I've seen top timbaleros with the budget version of the major manufacturers..so we go with what I mentioned before about the flavors.
What brand???? I am a Zildjian man...Sabian is OK...Paiste I do not know and Meinl just a little bit. My recommendation is to go to a store and start testing some of the cymbals in the store so you try what I mean with the sounds, clear, dark and confirm what I say. Also, here you will test the 16 or 18 dilema which is one question you bring. Those sizes are the recommended sizes for timbal player in a latin set up. Anything smaller, 14 or 12 will start sounding like a splash and will probably work only if you play in low volume set up....(Splash sound is a "cheaper sounding" crash and doesn't have the fullness of a crash...it is a more effect sound that the crash effect that is what is needed in latin set up). An 18 will sound fuller and 16 a little less full but then we go with the thickness of the timbale).
Personally, I have a "no longer in production" Zildjian Azuka Salsa Timbale, 18, that is actually a Zildjian A thin that is a clear sounding...have an older version of the Zildjian Azuka Timbale, 18, that is actually a Zildjian K, medium thin, (The new version of the Azuka Timbale is a little clearer in sound and looks different)....also have a new Azuka El Sonido, that was a gift from a famous timbalero, that is actually different...Is medium thin, is 16, and is "thrashy"...It serves the purpose of the crash but appears that cymbal is also for hand playing and is "thrashy" in its sound...
Another thing to look into a latin intended cymbal is the bell for "riding" (the "pin sound") used for the mambo jazz parts of a sound...Some cymbals have a bigger easier to hit bell, that is where you hit for that effect, and some have a "fuller" bell...My Azuka Salsa Timbale is great for crashing and is my favorite but it doesn't have a big bell so is hard to get the spot for mambo jazz patters...The other two, have a bigger bell and are easier to hit in the bell...
So what I recommend??????? If you like the Zildjian Azuka line, I recommend it but also I have noticed that Zidjian has the same sounds in the A and K lines, so you could try that...(K's are great cymbals...are the most used...they are dark in sound but their crashes are great..Have played some although I do not own one). Any equivalents to the Zidjians I mention in the other brands will do the trick...Sabian has an equivalent to the Azuka line which is El Sabor and Meinl's version is El Sabor...and so forth......(Is the same with heads, Remo, Evans, Aquarian, etc...they all practically have the same sounds is just some brand works for you better for tuning sound, etc, etc.).
I hope this helps....Putting $150 for a good cymbal is a great investment and a cheap one is close to $75 so here are some guides to help you with this...So take your time.....(Recomend trying as many as you like to get what you want)..
Saludos!