Which of my cymbals/hats would you upgrade first?

[Whitten]

I'm going to disagree with the others...what if anything aren't you hearing with those.

I think the point people are making is it won't be an 'upgrade'.
Sure, there are many different cymbal choices one can make. I'm not a fan of A's myself. I used to play K Zildjians and now endorse Istanbul Agop.
The question is what sounds is the OP after?

 

[rdumas]

Nothing to be ashamed of there but if I were forced to directly answer the question, I would say to change out the Ping Ride. Maybe get more of a crash/ride to expand your options from the single "crash" cymbal.

 

[felis]

Depends what you mean by 'upgrade'.
If you mean to get rid of something and replace it with something else - I'd say don't do it.

If you mean keep what you have, and get something else that sounds different, I'd say do it.
You might be tired of the sound of what you have,
but want to re-explore them again after you've spent time with different sounding cymbals.

I'd get another ride first, then another set of hi hats after that.
If you spend more time on hats than ride, reverse that order.

 

[aarono2690]

They do. That's what I'm running on my Phonic kit now, and absolutely love them. Two-ply with one of the plies thinner (7.5 mil and 3 mil)

I see GC and Sweetwater both carry them. On backorder for SW and GC is a bit more expensive, but they have them in stock. Much of a difference between regular Ambassadors?

 

[bpaluzzi]

I see GC and Sweetwater both carry them. On backorder for SW and GC is a bit more expensive, but they have them in stock. Much of a difference between regular Ambassadors?

Pretty significant. Regular ambassadors are a single ply 10mil head, while the vintage are two-ply 10.5mil. The half-mil overall thickness difference doesn't make a ton of difference, but the two-ply vs. single ply does, to my ears.

I'm still waiting for a 12 and an 18. SW told me late Feb for the 12", April for the 18"

 

[aarono2690]

Pretty significant. Regular ambassadors are a single ply 10mil head, while the vintage are two-ply 10.5mil. The half-mil overall thickness difference doesn't make a ton of difference, but the two-ply vs. single ply does, to my ears.

I'm still waiting for a 12 and an 18. SW told me late Feb for the 12", April for the 18"

Holy moly. I'll call them later and see what time line is for my sizes (10, 12, and 16). I wouldn't mind waiting a couple weeks, but April is a haul.

 

[bpaluzzi]

Holy moly. I'll call them later and see what time line is for my sizes (10, 12, and 16). I wouldn't mind waiting a couple weeks, but April is a haul.

Yeah. These are my backups for the Phonics, so I'm a little less in a rush. If I needed to replace them now, I would definitely go through GC.

 

[aarono2690]

Yeah. These are my backups for the Phonics, so I'm a little less in a rush. If I needed to replace them now, I would definitely go through GC.

Called SW and they confirmed what you said. 12" is the only one that has a reasonable ship time. Sucks because GC is like $10 more for the 16"

Maybe I'll find an employee at the local GC tonight who doesn't care and will price match for me despite SW being out of stock.

 

[michiganice91]

The better question to ask is "what cymbal sound(s) are you looking to achieve"? Then you can figure out how and what to change about your cymbals.

 

[Skyrm]

I currently have the Gibraltar that has the back support, is this not a good throne?

No, that's a good model. People mention that because a lot of beginners don't have a very good throne.

 

[aarono2690]

A few of you said to consider adding another ride to add more variety to my Ping. Any suggestions for what rides I should look at that can fill some voids my Ping is leaving? I realize I have to go listen and try them out - not just sure where to begin.

 

[bpaluzzi]

Called SW and they confirmed what you said. 12" is the only one that has a reasonable ship time. Sucks because GC is like $10 more for the 16"

Maybe I'll find an employee at the local GC tonight who doesn't care and will price match for me despite SW being out of stock.

ONe update -- just got a message from my SW rep -- 12" has been shipped, 18" should be on the way by end of Feb now.

 

[aarono2690]

ONe update -- just got a message from my SW rep -- 12" has been shipped, 18" should be on the way by end of Feb now.

Pleasant news! I completely forgot Musician's Friend was a thing. Noticed they had it in stock at same price as SW so I ended up ordering there. I try to shop at SW first - amazing customer service.

 

[Pat A Flafla]

I currently have the Gibraltar that has the back support, is this not a good throne?

I'm not sure if I've specifically tried that one, but I can tell you that the difference my Roc-N-Soc makes in the third one-hour set far exceeds it price tag.

 

[Sonar Dave]

They all look great. Do you mean add?

 

[Pat A Flafla]

Pleasant news! I completely forgot Musician's Friend was a thing. Noticed they had it in stock at same price as SW so I ended up ordering there. I try to shop at SW first - amazing customer service.

I think going with the VA is a good move if you aren't sure, and then if you want a little more beef you can move to Emp, and if you want more open brightness you can move to Amb. Or maybe like bpaluzzi, you'll be happy as a clam with them.

 

[felis]

A few of you said to consider adding another ride to add more variety to my Ping. Any suggestions for what rides I should look at that can fill some voids my Ping is leaving? I realize I have to go listen and try them out - not just sure where to begin.

If you want to stick with Zildjian, try a Sweet Ride - either A or K, and either 21" or 23".
You'll get a bit more wash. The K is a bit more refined. I've got both A and K in 21".

 

[Pat A Flafla]

FWIW, I think the best reason to buy a cymbal is because you played it at a store with your own 5A and fell in love. I don't find internet opinions too helpful in the cymbal department.

 

[Action_Potential]

Before you do buy any new cymbals, please for the love of god, pick up The Art of Bop Drumming off of the floor and put it on its shrine where it belongs.
Then get a new ride or sell the crash cymbal and get a 20'' or 19'' crash-ride to complement the ping-ride. In the meantime, I would put a chain or rivets or a tambourine or something on that ping-ride.

 

[Cliff DeArment]

I currently have the Gibraltar that has the back support, is thserndis not a good throne?

Gibralters are quite good and I think you seem to have a saddle style and back, which I like. Been using one for years. I have a Rock n Soc and hate it. Maybe good for a bigger person, but I love the smaller saddle on a Gib.

If you are really looking for that Marvin Gaye sound, it's not a Ping Ride at all. I can't say the crash is either. I have the same crash like yours and I keep asking my friends to buy it! LOL It's not bad, just not what I really need. The hats are nice. I'd go K Custom Dark both crash and ride if you want that smoother groovy sound.