On drums...

Let's talk hi hat cymbals...what are you guys using at the moment?
I've always liked my hihats to be bright and crisp but generally darker crashes and rides...currently thinking about getting something darker and dryer as I'm playing a lot of jazz and fusion these days, using 14" New Beats for most of that.
Have been eyeing the Bosphorus Turk 13" they sound fairly different...

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http://percusski.co.uk/

I have been using Bos 14 Master Vintage, which used to be called Master Turks, for everything. They are Masters without the final lathing. To my ear, they are a little less dry, a little more musical, than the Turks. I would not use it for loud rock without miking.

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Gregory

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Cliff

River City Trio

What if we did all have the same opinions?

Some nice selections there, that's the great thing about Youtube is you can actually hear (approximately) what a range sounds like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCh3NJa6d8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_ceCFc1BqA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBAF4fdb8K4

Despite the heavy backing the Turks have a really nice 1/2 open sound on this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhgRc7bNSqc

The ADs do sound interesting as do the Master Vintage...The DeJohnette's can't be found anywhere

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http://percusski.co.uk/

I've been using the same few sets for a long time, I don't really see the need to change them because they work for me. Also gives me more to spend on my ride cymbal problem

14" K custom Dark, awesome rock/country hats, great for the studio
14" Quick Beat-when I need something a little more bright and powerful than the above
13" K/Z-nice for quieter gigs, I don't use them as much anymore but I like to have them around, super bright and chippy
12" session hats-these are weird, really light and bright which work sometimes but not too often

Play as many as you can with the rest of your set up and see what works!

I have stuck with my New Beats that I got in 1981. They have a nice coating of "30 years of character" on them that darkens them up perfectly. I do have some others that I have purchased that I don't use much.

They are:
- a set of 14" Zildjian K Custom Hi-Definition (designed by/for Terry Lynn Carrington). They are louder than my New Beats and darker. I don't own this exact pair but here's an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm7KCPfi3Io

- a set of 15" Istanbul OM Cindy Blackman model. These are not as heavy or loud as the Hi-Defs and another shade darker. I don't own this exact pair but here's an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkz2Sel-3d8

- a set of 13" Zildjian K/Z hats from back when everyone in the fusion world seemed to be playing them. Nice medium sounding set of 13" hats.

Let me know if you might be interested in hearing any of these 3 pairs in person and I'll ship them to you to check out. Good deals offered if you like them! If not just send 'em back.

- D.

Yeah the K/Zs were popular in the day...i checked out the OMs recently, they sounded interesting but maybe too big for me, 14s still seem massive, I used 12 A Customs as main hats for a while...really bright and musical and they record really well.
Definitely after something dry and different sounding, hence the Turks...

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http://percusski.co.uk/

Wonderful options - all in one place...

I use the 14" K hihats that Cliff found for me - they cover almost everything!!!
Used to have a 13" New Beat Brilliant - they were great for blues and funk, but lacked the jazz sound.
The 14" Ks are darker and mellow, with a broader tonal range. But they (or me) are sometimes too loud. That's why I think a 13" K Custom would be a good substitute.

That is - until I read that Tim uses the 14" for rock/studio work...

I guess a 13" won't be "that" quiet?!?

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Goki - short from Goran

Let the good drums roll!!!

all cymbals are quiet till we get involved
Just got home from recording an EP with a new band and those K Customs ruled the roost again, didn't even pull the other set I brought out of the bag.

In this crowd, at least on this subject, I am distinctly inexpert. I can't recall whether I owned three or four sets of hats in fifty years of drumming. I do know that the first set (and the possible second) were surely Zildjians. That name alone reminds me of all the anticipation, excitement, and adventure I experienced as a youth. I played them believing they were the best until I began to listen to better recordings and came to the realization that the brand was finicky, and that I had picked poorly. Hadn't even picked, really; just bought the brand. Twenty years in, I bought a set of 2002 Sound Edge, reliably great for rock, and used them exclusively until I began the dark and dry exploration a few years ago, at which time the 2002s were just too loud and brash. The Bos are very sweet; there is no need to be careful with them because there are no wrong hits. All possible sounds are agreeable. They can even be ridden wide open, which is not something I would have done on any of my earlier choices.

Hats are the most sophisticated component in the kit, and often the most awkward. Something about that hollow note that most hats have is not appealing.

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Gregory