Hello all,

Yesterday I checked out some AAX cymbals that were all over the spectrum. Here is what I got:

16" AAX Bright Crash: Now folks it's funny because the word Bright caught my attention when I picked this bad boy out. What I found later was something unexpected. The AAX Bright was surprisingly complex. Its bell was powerful and was definitely the brightest feature of the whole cymbal. The cymbal had some undertones that really made me do a double take. I liked that it had a darker, fluttery swoosh to follow a brighter attack. Maybe it was the pitch of the cymbal, but whatever it was it worked for me!

17" AAX Extreme Chinese: WOW! This cymbal cuts through music like Oddjob's hat through Fort Knox in the movie Goldfinger. It is super trashy and bright. It's got the most punch I've ever heard in any cymbal. This is my favorite China of any line and certainly makes it on my favorite cymbal list! I recommend this to any drummer who plays any style.

21" AAX Memphis Ride: This cymbal is one of the most bizarre looking cymbals I've ever seen. Its top surface has this cool looking partly lathed finish that offers a dry sound. Unlike most partly lathed cymbals, there are alternating bands of lathed and unlathed surface. When you flip it over it's lathed with a normal cast finish. This side offers a brighter, saturated, and less concentrated sound. It seemed to me like brushes or auxiliary sticks such as mallets or "rods" would bring out the best in this cymbal. With that said, this cymbal didn't really appeal to me, but for drummers looking for a cymbal with a lot of soul, the Memphis ride says, "I'll take you there!"


Talk to you next time.........

Hello Drum fans!

You might find it hard to believe but instead of summer it's been rain season out here. Things are looking up here at Sabian due to the weather and the great cymbals. In dedication to the rain I tested the Saturation Crash. I also tried a few others to mix things up.

HHX 14" Stage Hats: To be honest with you folks, HHX is my favorite line that Sabian makes. I don't have a ton of things to say about these hats other than the fact that they are awesome! They're bright and crunchy and super tight and funky. They look great, sound great, and offer the drummer/percussionist a lot of variety depending on what he/she wants to do.

Vault 17" Saturation Crash: This cymbal was so much different than what I expected. When I first held it, it was light so automatically I presumed it wouldn't give me much punch. It's also a 17", which in my book is a relatively small cymbal. When I sat down to play I literally got a smack in the face. This cymbal is clearly for the drummers who love to crash. Its qualities are bright and loud, which allow it to break through any type of music. The cymbal flutters after a couple of hits, which I usually look at as an undesirable quality. I soon realized that letting this cymbal run away and just go is part of its true beauty. For such a small and light cymbal this bad boy really lets you do some damage and make your presence felt!

Signature 21" Salsero Ride: Sometimes I find it funny how at a first glimpse you automatically judge something, then find yourself surprised at being completely wrong. Over the past month and a half I've really found myself looking at cymbals completely different than I did before. The 21" Salsero Ride is a perfect example of this feeling. When I first started here I told my supervisor, Paul Panarelli, my musical orientation, I was directed towards the HHX and Lighter HH stuff and some AAX stuff. I like the lighter stuff with punch and a loud bell that's flexible. I found myself steering away from the Vaults and Signature stuff. After a few thousand recommendations from Paul I finally got around to trying this cymbal. At first glimpse I was like AHHHHH....whatever. At the end I said....OK! You can do anything with this cymbal. While it was designed for Latin guys who groove the clave hard (like Mr. Richie Garcia himself), I discovered that it was much more versatile than I expected. The bell is super loud and sustainable. The un-lathed surface gives you this punchy but dry sound that carries through like a clock. It looks great but sounds even better!

Hello drum fans,

It's Mike and I'm back from the factory. This past Tuesday and Wednesday I got a chance to go to the Sabian factory and see the real deal. New Brunswick is a world of its own and the people up there are great! The 6 hour trip to the Canadian province was worth it just to see the amazing countryside, but on top of that.....

I got a chance to tour the factory and see the actual process! It's one of the most unique arts I've ever seen. From a first glimpse you can tell it's an art that takes years to learn. I left feeling like each Sabian cymbal is an artistic masterpiece. At the end of my tour I got a chance to check out cymbals with Dave Williams and Mark Love. These guys were really cool: very enthusiastic, super knowledgeable, and down to earth. I think they have one of the best jobs in the percussion business. Dave worked with me to find a set of cymbals that suited my sound. I found some killer cymbals that I wish I could take, but I was limited to the things I really needed.

This is what I found:

13" AAX X-Celerator Hats: "Huh.......Give the Funky Drummer some" (James Brown). 13" hats are great because you can get a powerful sound, but at the same time they are tight and responsive to foot control and stick attack. The hats offer a very tight chick sound and schoop sound when you want to play some serious funk, and when you decide to open them some you can really rock away with it.

23" HH Over ride: A lot of drummers perceive the snare drum as the pinnacle of his or her drum set, but I consider the ride cymbal the most important part! This 23" monster is the new commander of the fleet as far as I'm concerned. While it was designed with hard rock in mind, I think it's great for the all around drummer. You can rock away, funk out, jazz up, or slam this cymbal and always get a good response. It's similar to the power bell but with more flexibility. It's got a monster bell that breaks through all the music, and it looks beautiful. I've got mine, if you want yours, hurry up and get one because it's a limited edition!

Hello Drum Fans,

Last night during my testing I took it down a bit to smaller cymbals sizes. I took a few from the AA line and took a peek at 14" HH cymbal that I used as a crash. I found that for my playing it might be better to stick to the bigger stuff even though it was a lot of fun to play the small stuff!

HH (Hand Hammered):

14" Duo Crash: The only other time I've played a 14" crash is when I had to use a hi-hat cymbal for a crash! I felt it was time for a little change in my testing style so this is what I found. It's super light, and dry because the inner half is not lathed. It responds well to drumming that hits light, average, or even heavy, but I would be surprised if this cymbal appealed to most heavy hitters. If I was to place this cymbal in my set up it would be more of a background cymbal to support another cymbal in a fill or something along those lines. I could see this cymbal being a great hi-hat. This cymbal seems like a great fit for you technical or more avant-garde cats out there!

AA:

10" Mini Hi-Hats: This was all for fun! I probably would never get a chance to play hi-hats this small anywhere else. I just had to do it. They were a lot of fun to smack the heck out of and groove with! They have such a high pitch and gave a new feel to my funk grooves. These cymbals were very cool to play.

17" Medium Thin Crash: Personally, this cymbal did not do a whole lot for me. It's a great cymbal however for a drummer looking for a cymbal that does an all-around job. I would describe this cymbal as "focused" rather than punchy. This cymbal would suit a rock drummer best in my opinion.


Thanks for reading!

Hello drum fans,

Looking at the rain outside has made me realize how lucky I am. I'm fortunate enough to be writing blogs about my favorite cymbals and what I think is the best cymbal company in the world. Be thankful for things you have and don't be afraid to do the things you value most in life. Yesterday I tried out 4 very different cymbals which have made me realize just how much diversity really exists within the drum community. In my opinion, diversity will always keep things interesting. On that note I really mixed it up the other day with a few cymbals from the Hand Hammered line (HH), the Chad Smith 20" Signature, and the Richie Garcia 14" Cascara. I hope you can see what I mean about being thankful for diversity.

Hand Hammered (HH):

13" EQ Hats: I found these cymbals were right up my alley. They were very light which gave me great foot and stick control. There is no bell on the top hat which allowed me some great stick attack. Overall I have to say these cymbals have made my favorite list. Musically I can see these cymbals pulling any style if used correctly - especially in the studio.

22" Power Bell Ride: It must seem like every other day or even every day I say I found a new type of cymbal that is my favorite. Well guess what ladies and gents, I found my new favorite ride cymbal! The 22" Power Bell is AWESOME! I thought the HHX Groove Ride was the commander of the fleet. Well, I was happily surprised to see I was wrong. Personally, the Power Bell did it for me. It's loud, powerful, and yet scintillating. That's right folks, SCINTILLATING! The bell has more power than the aluminum or stage bell. I would be impressed to find a better bell. If you can't tell, I'm very big on a loud and definitive bell that breaks through the ruckus of music. The rest of the cymbal is great. You can see all the work that goes into it. It's got a loud ping that defines every stick hit perfectly. I found myself pulling off hard bop phrases and smacking the heck out of it. If you're a drummer gear freak like me who is obsessed with the perfect cymbal sound, then in my opinion this cymbal is something you should check out!

Signature:

14" Richie Garcia Cascara: To be honest with you I didn't intend to play this piece of metal the other day. I was doing inventory check and happened to start with the signature cymbals. I came across this cymbal and drew a big????? So, for those of you who aren't into afro-cuban percussion, cascara refers to the rhythm a timbalero plays on the side of the timbale. This instrument was designed to be mounted on the side of a wood drum so you can play cascara without carrying around a set of timbales. It was easy enough to mount and gave a pretty authentic sound. Having a piece like this in your set up can really inspire you to try things you wouldn't have considered otherwise. It really contributed to my theme of diversity. This cymbal truly brought a unique voice to my playing. Whether you try this particular piece or something like a chopper, I highly recommend putting something totally different in your set up just to see where it takes your playing. I'll bet you'll be really surprised.

20" Chad Smith Crash: I feel that this cymbal is like Chad, and that it speaks for itself. The one word I think of is presence. It sends off a tone that makes a drummer's presence felt. It's powerful, heavy duty, and rockin! This cymbal is great for an aggressive drummer. It's made from 8% tin alloy which gives it the bright tone with so much cut. It also keeps the price in line. Sabian has "de-listed" this cymbal, but there are still some around.

The "Littles" of Big Brothers Big Sisters Carleton-York recently visited SABIAN's Meductic, NB factory for a morning tour.

...any future drummers in the crowd? We hope so!



About Big Brothers Big Sisters Carleton-York:
In 1982 Carleton County started it's Big Brothers Big Sisters Programs. In 1991 the programs were extended to include the the community of Nackawic and York County.

Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Carleton-York is one of about 180 agencies across Canada. Their professional staff works with the guidance of a local volunteer Board of Directors to serve children in the community.

The majority of the money needed to implement programs is raised through a variety of local fund development initiatives, including the annual Bowl for Kids Sake and Festival of Trees Campaigns. They only receive a small, annual grant from the federal government through Family and Community Services.

Over the years the agency has helped a great number of children in the community. With the support of Carleton County, York County and Nackawic they will continue "building futures through friendships".

For more information, Call 506-328-2094
E-mail to find out more at bbbscy@nb.aibn.com

-------------------------
Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

Hello all,

Yesterday during my testing I was super curious to try out the 22" Artisan Ride. My supervisor, Paul Panarelli, had been telling me all about the work that goes into this cymbal. I also tested out some more AA series cymbals. Yesterday I found mixed results.

22" Artisan Ride (medium-light): Look no farther cymbal lovers; this hand-crafted beauty is a work of art. I felt like I could be playing in a smoky Manhattan jazz club. This cymbal is truly a hand hammered masterpiece! It's super light and has amazing stick definition. It outlines any phrase or stick pattern amazingly well. The bell is small but very responsive. Like all the lighter rides, I could see some using this as a crash ride. For me, though, this cymbal is meant for a lighter touch in order to bring out its finest qualities. It's best suited for jazz in my opinion. You could also pull it off in some jazz-fusion settings.

AA Series:

20" Rocktagon: The look of this cymbal made me want to try it. I wasn't sure what I was going to get as far as sound was concerned. I placed it above the Artisan Ride so I could crash and ride on it. Its large surface area made for a hard hit but I was surprised to find that I could ride on it and get what I thought was a surprisingly good tone character. It was pingy and heavy in a way that would work well for a rock setting. This cymbal would be suited for a heavier hitter in my opinion.

19" Rock Crash: Honestly, this cymbal didn't inspire me. Don't get me wrong it's a great cymbal, but it's just not my style. It had a quick decay and you had to hit it HARD to get it to open up. It also had a really loud bell.

-Mike

Hello drum fans,

I ended my last session by testing a few more cymbals from the HHX line. I reused a few cymbals from my previous discussion. One of these was the X-plosion crash. I sized it down to a 16". This is what I found:

16" HHX X-Plosion Crash(Brilliant): Its smaller size allowed me quicker action. My hands are much quicker than my feet. Go figure that with the last name of Foote! So if I can find anything to help progress my hand speed I am all about it. In this sense, smaller is better for me. It's got great projection, but with a light tone. I had more fun playing this crash than any other I've had a chance to play from the HHX line. You can really use it in many musical contexts. You can slam away on it in the midst of a hard rockin' Red Hot Chilli Peppers-style song, or compliment a fellow musician in a John Scofield-style band. Its brilliant finish gave a snappier touch than I expected which gave it a nice edge.

-Mike

SABIAN endorser Dan Stadnicki is currently touring with Liam Titcomb (see links below) and visited the factory this afternoon, which included a performance for the staff!

After the performance, SABIAN's Terry Ryan presented a donation to War Child Canada on behalf of the factory.

Liam and Dan start their coast to coast busking tour in support of War Child Canada this Saturday, July 18th in St. John's, NL . That's right - free concerts across Canada this summer!

From Liam's website:

Liam Titcomb grew up backstage so, not a surprise, when he signed to Sony Music when he was 15. His self titled debut on Columbia garnered a Canadian Music Radio Awards nomination for the Best New Solo Artist 2005 with Top 10 & 20 singles. His sophomore album Can't Let Go recorded in Nashville earned rave reviews across the country.

"...like a strong pull on an engine cord - it fires up right away and never stops sparking. ...what lingers is Titcomb's utterly captivating voice, lyrics and distinctive musical energy..."

Liam's relationship with War Child started in 2003, when his song "War" became part of the Peace Songs album which included Bruce Cockburn, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen etc. He has always been honored to take part in any of War Child's projects like the Busking For Change events that took place last year. He is thrilled to be able to step up to the plate and Busk Coast to Coast this summer.

For as long as he can remember he has been conscious of the power of music to bring joy, spark awareness and create change. For Titcomb, fundraisers are a staple diet - he was raised on them. Remembering one Christmas day, age 11 and playing music outside in 10 degree weather for the homeless people of Toronto's Tent City, he jokes about "what it might have been like to have been raised in a less socially conscious environment".

Titcomb believes that "Every one of us can make a difference - if we try. This tour is NOT about celebrity - it is about you and me helping out a little where we can. Want to join the TEAM and see what we can do together?"

http://www.liamtitcomb.com/warchild/

http://www.liamtitcomb.com/

-------------------------
Katie Robinson
eMarketing Coordinator
SABIAN Ltd.

Edited: 07/27/2009 at 09:16 AM by SABIAN's Blog Page Moderator

Hello all,

Yesterday I found that curiosity got the best of me. As a player I really dig the doors that Jojo Mayer has opened. He has pushed more boundaries more than I have ever seen as far as technique is concerned. So yesterday I decided to give a few cymbals from his line a try. I found GREAT results. I also decided to try out a couple cymbals from the Will Calhoun line because of the weird but interesting style the cymbal has. I found unique cymbal characteristics I have never heard before.

Jojo Mayer:

13" Vault Fierce Hats: Now I know in the past few blogs I have mentioned personal favorites but this time I really mean it. These hats are truly my favorite of any hi-hat I have tried so far. They must be light because I got quicker foot response than the Bozzio Radia hats. Both the foot and stick response are phenomenal. They also serve for great brush playing! You can brush the tops of the hats and get great bristle response. The cymbals give a relaxed tone but project to the player and listener. These cymbals are great for jazz, drum n' bass grooves and anything else if used correctly!

17" Fierce Crash: I can't say this was my favorite cymbal but I enjoyed playing it. It's a very light cymbal that can project. It's also very trashy. It sounds like a very thin China. It's responsive but flexible. It's fun to ride on and colors a groove nicely. For me, this would suit a funk-fusion setting best.

Will Calhoun:

10" Alien Splash: To play this cymbal and call yourself a drummer is not enough. You need to be a bad guy or an "alien" with light saber like drum sticks and Darth Vader on the opposing drum set to pull this off. On the other hand you can just be Will Calhoun and call it your signature splash cymbal. This cymbal is very cool and unique. It has a series of three rivet groups (nine total) to give it some more spark. It almost sounded like a pipe or a piece of hollow metal. It compliments other cymbals in a groove or fill nicely. For those looking for a different or unique tone this is for you.

21" Calhoun Ride: This cymbal isn't as wild as the 10" Splash. It's very heavy and dry. It had a nice bell. It blended well and didn't project as much as I thought it would. It could go two ways, Heavy Metal or Hard Bop! Now I think there is something to be said for that!

Thanks for Reading.

Most of us were/are professional drummers to certain depths and it's pretty amazing to now be working with some of the biggest names in the biz. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be going on motorcycle trips with Neil Peart I'd have said they're nuts! There I go with the pretentious name dropping, which is one of the reasons I've avoided writing blogs, tweets and other oddly named "look at me's!" Most are self serving at best and defaming at worse. Bands using them for promotion and getting their name out there are exceptions of course. Plus the nature of our job requires sensitivity to the privacy of celebrity's personal lives. So, what do we do besides give away free cymbals and take cymbal orders from drummers? How about I give you a snapshot of some of my recent activities from the last month or so? Just the fun stuff...

I went to The Tonight Show a couple times to see Cora Coleman-Dunham perform with Prince and Andy Hurley with Fall Out Boy who were a bunch of kids riding around in a van playing every gig they could when I met them about 7 years ago now. Cora only won the Drum Off a few years ago and now look at her. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person.

I attended the Revolver Golden Gods metal awards for a hang with Vinnie Paul, Ray Luzier, Travis Smith, my buds in Valiant Thor (love those guys!) and got to see Shawn Drover play with Megadeth and a couple of rising stars: Alex Lopez with Suicide Silence and Jason Costa with All That Remains.

Roy Mayorga, his wife Kaz, Seven Antonopoulos, his wife Anna K, Ray Luzier and I went to see Xavier Muriel and Jimmy Sullivan play on the Avenged Sevenfold/Buckcherry tour.

I saw Chad Smith play twice, once at The Baked Potato (we just call it 'the spud' in LA) with his band The Bombastic Meatbats (go to www.drumchannel.com for a taste) and with his new little project with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Mike Anthony called Chickenfoot. They played The Roxy on Sunset Blvd as part of a promo tour they just finished only playing tiny places before heading to Europe to play the huge festivals. Amazing to see those huge personalities in such a small place. There's something so special about Chad's groove. Another famous drummer I took to see him play said, "he's like a Bonham for our generation." I can get down with that.

Visiting Godsmack in the studio is always great. Sully and I watched some Youtube clips of this 4 year old kid playing entire Who songs almost note for note. He looked like he should still be in diapers and instead we're watching him rock out on the web. Shannon Larkin is absolutely one of my favorite players because he plays like a man possessed. Watching him rock out is a pleasure and turned me on to some other great players like Roy Mayorga, Seven Antonopoulos and Jamie Miller who also have a great recipe of chops and entertainment.

I haven't watched American Idol since the first season, but Kevin Ricard invited me down to the finale a couple weeks ago to see him play. He plays percussion in the house band. Where else but Hollywood are you going to see Santana, Keith Urban, KISS, Queen, Rod Stewart, Cindy Lauper, Queen Latifah, Black Eyed Peas and more in 2 hours?

I also caught Todd Sucherman with Styx, Martin Axenrot with Opeth, Gene Hoglan with Meldrum, Jordan Richardson with Ben Harper and Relentless 7 in concert. I visited Jimmy DeGrasso at Mate's studio with Alice Cooper and got to watch them rehearse for a 6 month world tour coming up. Alice is the original baby! He's been doing his thing since the '60's! Jimmy and I went down to Sexton's drum shop to get some gear and then on to Pro Drum in Hollywood where Drum Channel was doing a webcast for their 50th anniversary hosted by the man who is everywhere...Chad Smith. Terry Bozzio, Tiny Biuso and many other great drummers were hanging out for that. Check out the crazy gong & ring we made for the Alice Cooper tour. A local artist up near the factory did the artwork for us.

Cool gig right? It's been a crazy summer so far and is only going to get better because the big tours haven't even come through town yet! Looking forward to sharing it with you. Those in the know tell me this is pretty long for a blog so I'll speak in tweets from now on

-Chris Stankee

Howdy Fellow Drummers,

I'm Chris Stankee, Artist Relations Manager for Sabian in Los Angeles, CA. Part of a team that includes Bobby Boos, who handles our East Coast AR in the US, Paul Cellucci who works at the main US office near Boston, Christian Koch who handles Europe, Terry Ryan who runs Canada and a network of other important folks around the globe.

-Chris Stankee-

Hello drum fans,

Before this round of testing I was listening to some nineties alternative and grunge. This put me in the mood for some hard and heavy playing. I decided to go right for the AAX style punch! Here is what I got:

AAX Series:

14" AAX X-Celerater Hats: These Hats are BRIGHT! You can take these cymbals in many directions. They offer punch when the hi-hat is open for all you John Bonham style rockers out there. When closed it's got a loud and defined stick attack that could be used in a funky setting or something similar. These are great cymbals for the rock oriented drummer.

19" AAX Dark Crash: This cymbal threw me off. At first glance I thought I was going to get a loud, in-your-face punchy sound. Instead, this was a cool new side of AAX. It was less bright and had more warmth, but still blended well with other AAX sounds. If all of your cymbals are about cut and power, it can be kind of one dimensional. Adding this crash would fix that. Don't get me wrong, you can still hammer away on it and get a good rock sound but it almost serves a better purpose in the musical mix of your playing. An example might include hitting it with another cymbal to support that crash. It's a flexible cymbal that gives you a long, dark ring. The part I liked best about the cymbal was the bell. It was much louder and pingy than the rest of the cymbal. It reminded me of a fill in a Matisyahu song, "Short Nigun" when the drummer hits a fill using two bells.

20" AAX Extreme Chinese: An extremely trashy cymbal! It sounded great to ride with if you are looking for a cool but different tone. Also has a lot of punch for the more aggressive drummer. I could use this as my main chinese cymbal for diverse musical settings.

22" AAX Metal Ride: The metal ride is definitely for the metal drummer. It features perfect qualities for this musical style. It has great stick attack for complex ride patterns in metal breakdowns. It also has a quick decay which is a nice bonus. It reminded me of "The Power of I and I."

-Mike Foote

Hello Drummers and Percussionists,

Today I've decided to take a different route with my cymbal testing. I took a little bit from everywhere and mixed it together. I did all cymbals from the artists lines such as the Terry Bozzio 13" Vault Radia, the Mike Portnoy 8" Max Stax Splash, the Jack DeJohnette Signature Encore Ride, and The Dave Weckl 18" Evolution Crash. Throughout my playing I got a great variety in sound and a new outlook on other lines of Sabian products.


8" Max Stax Splash (Mike Portnoy): As you can see this cymbal is very small and light. It produces a high pitched dry sound, and has a very quick decay. With a cymbal this size, you have to give some thought as to where you place it on the kit - especially in a more up tempo setting. It would be cool to have right next to the hi hat. When I first started playing the cymbal the first thought that bounced into my head was The Police, especially "Don't Stand So Close to Me". This cymbal isn't a good fit for my playing style, but if you are into splashes and quick accents, this is one to check out.




13" Vault Radia (Terry Bozzio): I liked what these Hats had to offer because the tone, feel, and characteristics were much different than anything I've ever played. They were light and dry like a jazz cymbal, but gave me more sense of a symphonic or orchestral cymbal due to its warmth. I really liked how light they were because of the quick foot action it allowed me. After hearing and playing them, I understand why these cymbals are great for experimental or progressive music. They have a unique sound, but they blend and could be flexible throughout many different styles.




18" Evolution O-Zone Crash (Dave Weckl): This cymbal was a lot of fun to play! It played the role of a crash cymbal, but also sounds a lot like a trashy china. It's not a cymbal I would hit a lot. I used it for more background, ambient sounds to compliment other cymbal tones. It's super light, and has a cool after ring that lasts a while and sounds cool. This cymbal can be used in a lot of different musical settings other than Fusion.




22" Signature Encore Ride (Jack DeJohnette): This is a very unique cymbal that comes from a very unique drummer. The cymbal is light, dry and responsive to every hit. It gives off a relaxed tone that sets the perfect jazz setting. It's 22 inches, but might be the lightest cymbal I've ever held. If you're looking for a cymbal with these unique characteristics then this is for you!




Next time I am going to follow the same procedure and mix up the cymbals to get a variety in style and cymbal makes.

-Mike