Stagg Classic Series Cymbals

New Name, Old Sounds

by Mike Haid

Once a drummer becomes aware of the seemingly limitless palette of cymbal  choices on today's market, it becomes clear that making the right selection for  one's distinctive style and sound may involve different brands, models, and  price points. To any given drummer, certain inexpensive cymbals may sound  similar to, or better than, expensive ones, and vice versa. In these cases,  beauty is indeed in the ear of the beholder.

This brings us to our review of the new Classic series from Stagg. These  cymbals were created to fill a void in the company's crash and ride lines by  offering models reminiscent of early Turkish-made cymbals used by many historic  jazz players.

Some cymbal snobs may turn up their noses at the thought of playing anything  less than high-end, brand-name cymbals. If you fit this category, then you're  missing out on the possibility of finding some impressive sounds at some equally  impressive (read: affordable) prices.

All Stagg cymbals are made from B20 cast bronze (80\% copper/20\% tin). They're  initially stamped, then machine- and hand-hammered into shape. Then they're  hand-lathed for weight dispersion and basic sonic characteristics. Senior craftsman do the hammering and lathing in the latter part of the manufacturing  process to confirm the sound, timbre characteristic, and thickness of each  particular plate.

Quite impressive, in my opinion. But let's do a serious soundcheck and see  what this new line of cymbals might have to offer your sonic palette. Our review  set consisted of 15" medium-thin, 16" thin, 17" medium-thin, 18" medium-thin,  18" thin, and 19" medium-thin crashes, along with 18" and 20" flat rides.

Sonic Performance

I began my evaluation by considering all of the cymbals as a sonically  matched set that would complement one another in overall tonality and timbre.  But as I began to compare the combined tonalities and sonic similarities, this  proved not to be the case.

The 16" thin crash, 18" medium-thin crash, and 18" thin crash did, indeed,  match up well with both flat rides to create a somewhat early-Turkish "jazzy"  sound. The 18" flat ride had a nice dry resonance, with minimal sympathetic overtone build-up and exceptional stick definition. The 20" flat ride had  similar dry characteristics, but also had a subtle trashy wash that allowed for  dark, dirty accents when the cymbal was pushed a little harder with the shoulder  of the stick. The unique underlying trashy quality of the 20" flat ride worked  very well with both 18" crashes, which possessed a similar trashy wash.

Both flat rides, along with both 18" crashes, would work well in low- to  medium-volume jazz settings. The 18" flat ride would be best suited for  lower-volume settings, such as light jazz. The 16" thin crash had a dominant  Oriental trashy tone, with a quick response that opened up nicely when gently  grazed, even with brushes. This cymbal actually had more of the overall bright,  explosive characteristics of a splash than of a crash.

The 18" thin and 18" medium-thin crashes were my favorite crashes due to  their ability to respond with a sensitive, mid-to-bright tonality and a slight  wash when struck gently. They opened up beautifully when struck with medium  force, and they reached a crescendo of bright, full-bodied brilliance when  struck forcefully. These would be great all-around crash cymbals for any musical  style or volume situation.

The 15", 17", and 19" medium-thin crashes were much heavier and  thicker-sounding than the other models in our test group. At low volumes, they  were a bit dull and unresponsive. They sounded best when struck with enough  force to let them open up and deliver a shimmering, brilliant, full-bodied  crash. So although the 17" and 19" crashes weren't sonically compatible with the  rest of the Classic models, they might still be very useful and full-sounding  for loud applications.

The 15" medium-thin crash was the odd man out. It had a bright tone and an  underlying trashiness that came across almost like a splash, but it was too  thick and lifeless at low volume to be effective in that role. Yet neither was  it large enough, volume-wise, to be an effective crash.

Conclusions

The majority of Stagg Classics are good-looking, great-sounding cymbals that  would be useful for various applications. In comparing the flat rides to other  manufacturers' high-end cymbals of similar size and design, I felt that the  Staggs measured up in terms of character and versatility.

Something I found interesting is that the list prices of the smaller Stagg  cymbals are much lower than the prices of similar high-end name-brand models,  while the prices for larger crashes and flat rides are very similar. Still, the  pricing for those larger Stagg cymbals is certainly not out of line, and they're  well worth the cost.

I held off mentioning that Stagg cymbals are made in China until now so that  cymbal snobs might pay more attention to their excellent acoustic qualities than  to their place of origin. The geographic location where a cymbal is made should  have little relevance to the selection process. As long as it sounds good to  your ear, it's a winner.

If you feel that you understand the sound characteristics that identify  quality cymbals—no matter where they come from or what their brand name is—then  you should give the Stagg Classics a chance. You may be pleasantly  surprised.