Members Newman Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 I have been a zildjian man for almost five years now, and have invested in zildjian A and K's. So, its safe to say that I like cymbals that are not too bright sounding, and a little on the dark side. Anyways, I have been looking into new cymbals and I have heard good things about Sabian's. I see that they offer cast cymbals called AAX darks and studios that may be just what I'm looking for at a nice price. Does anybody play the AAX line? If so, what can I expect from them? Of course I am going to go to a drumshop and test them before I buy, but I'm just wondering if I should even concern myself with them. They are the cheapest cast cymbals (besides Wuhan) that I have seen. Any input would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheBoatCanDream Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 Sabians are a Canadian company. I like them better for rock, punk, and metal than zildjians, but I'll take zildjians over sabian for jazz. AAX to AA is what HHX is to Hand Hammered. They're great cymbals, definately worth the look and the $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRuM Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 I've got a pair of 13" AAX hihats which I've had for years, and they're fairly dark, really nice. They remind me of akira jimbo's 13" A custom hats. If you want really dark, try the Ufip naturals or possibly their other lines. Not cheap, but gorgeous. The natural series thin crashes aren't good for rock though, as they don't sustain long enough. But I've got an 18" natural, and it's dark as hell. To give you an idea, the ufip natural hihats sound like k/z's, but without the brashness and more refined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BonusCup Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 I have 14" AAX Stage Hats, an 18" AAX Stage Crash, and a 19" AAXplosion Crash. They have a great sound. I find that the AAXplosion is much darker than the Stage. I definitely recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mofishes Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 I use 16" and 18" AAX Dark. I'm pleased with them. Quite a bit darker than traditional AA's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rumblebelly Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 I have some AAX cymbals, all Stage. 14" hats, 16" crash, 21" ride. They all had the sound I was looking for at the time, very versatile, warm and balanced with nothing offensive. Now that I've been playing for a little while I tend to gravitate more towards the darker HHX and HH lines. However, I think the AAX cymbals are great. I chose them over almost every Zildjian cymbal for sound and price (however some K's and custom A's make my mouth water). For instance I like my AAX crash much more than my 18" Zildjian A med-thin crash cause it has a warmer and fuller sound. I was seriously looking at the Heavy K rides but when I found a 21" AAX in the store I completely forgot about the K. Still there are drummers out there that don't like Sabian. I have a friend like that so if I were you I'd try them out before buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ulank Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 I like both Zidjain and Sabian cymbals, but specifically tend to prefer the Sabian Hi-Hats (I own 14" AAX Fast Hats) and the Zil K line of crashes and rides. I'm sort of digging the Sabian Evolution cymbals, mainly for the exaggerated but dry bells and used to own a 9" Sabian Max Splash before it became a weapon not unlike a chines star. Personally, when I try cymbals, I just hit everything, and narrow it down to the ones that makes me go "ahhhh, sweeeeeeeet tone" regardless of brand. (I was really digging some Paiste splashes yesterday.) Then I keep in mind the tones of my other cymbals before making a final purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dj_spoon Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 AAX & AA cymbals lean more on the bright and sharp side, whereas HH & HHX are much darker and warmer. I have AAX stage and studio cymbals. Both series are anything but dark Sabian Paiste Zildjian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members otacon28 Posted November 22, 2003 Members Share Posted November 22, 2003 i have a bit of the aax cymbals too i have the following : 1- aax china splash (nice ring out to it) 1 pair of sabain aax stage hihats ( nice sizzle when loose,and good chick when pedaled) 1- 12" aax stage metal splash (great cut,and tone) 1- 16" aax studio crash ( great cymbal for quick crashes) 1 - 18" aax stage crash ( great voice to it. not too bright but not real dark either) 1- 18" aax metal crash ( what a loud crash, kicks ass , definately my favorite crash on my kit) 1-21" aax stage ride ride (good stick definition,and cutting bell tone, good wash as well ) i'm not a one brand name drummer either i use what i like ,and what works for me regardless of what logo it has on it . i have just found sabian to have cymbals with the tones,and voices i prefer ... my motto is if you swing a stick at it and puts a smile on your face go with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rca Posted November 22, 2003 Members Share Posted November 22, 2003 Sabians are Canadian Zildjians. The company originally was part of Zildjian and then was spun off when the family divided up the business. That is why the lines are similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ulank Posted November 22, 2003 Members Share Posted November 22, 2003 Originally posted by rca Sabians are Canadian Zildjians. The company originally was part of Zildjian and then was spun off when the family divided up the business. That is why the lines are similar. Yah, I wanna say it was one of the brothers who got fed up with the Zildjain processes and went off to start his own company. I believe the Sabian name comes from a blend of his children's names. Like Sara, Binky and Andy or something like that. Binky? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members otacon28 Posted November 22, 2003 Members Share Posted November 22, 2003 Originally posted by ulank Yah, I wanna say it was one of the brothers who got fed up with the Zildjain processes and went off to start his own company. I believe the Sabian name comes from a blend of his children's names. Like Sara, Binky and Andy or something like that. yeah i heard something like the kids names were sarah or sally , billy ,and ann ,but yeah you can see alot of the similarities in their cymbals . the aax are a great line of cymbals ... i'm thinking about grabbing up a aaxtreme china for my kit has anyone ever used one ?? are they descent ???? Binky? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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