The world of drumming is extremely important for a variety of reasons. For starters, drummers have been noted as being the backbone of a musical group. If a drummer can’t keep in time, then the entire band falls apart.
One of the most essential elements of a drum kit are the cymbals behind the kit. Having a weak or below standard set of cymbals will greatly affect the rest of the sound the drummer makes. Thus, the reason why it’s important for drummers to have a good set of cymbals with their kit.
What are the Best Professional Cymbals?
2) Zildjian Planet Z 16" Crash Cymbal
- Made in the United States
- Bright, responsive sounds
- Great value for money
- High-quality design
- Good cymbal for beginners
1) Meinl 14” Crash Cymbal – HCS Traditional Finish Brass
- Traditional brass finish
- Affordability and overall solidness
- Fast and loud sound
- Official 2 year Meinl warranty
3) Meinl Cymbals Ultimate Cymbal Set Box Pack
- Come in a brass finish
- The ultimate set up
- High quality
- Full range of sound
- Designed for beginners and students
For the people who don’t know, this professional cymbals buying guide will quickly go over the different kinds of cymbals.
Crash
A crash cymbal is a cymbal that creates a loud sharp sound when it hit. It’s usually placed to the right of the hi-hat and to the left of the ride for right-handed drummers.
Ride
The ride cymbal is a cymbal that when hit hard it can produce a loud sharp sound, but when tapped lightly it has a steady sound to it. It’s usually placed on the right side of the kit for right-handed drummers.
Hi-Hat
The hi-hat cymbal is a cymbal that opens and closes. It has either a quiet sound to it when closed or a louder sound when opened.
Other
Other than the other cymbals listed, there a variety of other cymbals such as a china cymbal, splash cymbal, and many more.
7 Best Professional Cymbals Reviews
1) Meinl 14” Crash Cymbal – HCS Traditional Finish Brass for Drum Set
For people who are looking for a beginner series crash to start out in, this is certainly the company they should look into. Meinl Percussion has been around for a long time and knows what they’re doing to help drummers of all levels out.
This specific cymbal is a 14” crash and has a traditional brass finish on it. It’s a best-seller for a reason. The affordability and overall solidness to the product is a big reason why so many musicians are interested in it.
The sound of the cymbal is meant for fast and loud accents since it’s a crash. No matter the level someone is at, this is certainly a cymbal anyone can utilize.
For beginners, this is a cymbal that is meant to be used to learn with. Whereas for experts, they can manipulate in a way that it can eventually make its way to be a part of a kit.
2) Zildjian Planet Z 16" Crash Cymbal
The Zildjian Planet Z series is a more affordable line of cymbals from the famous company. This specific cymbal is a 16” crash and represents exactly the sort of products that Zildjian has been known to offer.
Despite being affordable, it’s built with proper care and has a high-quality design to it. Just like a lot of Zildjian products, it’s made in the United States.
As for the sound itself, it’s very responsive and has a variety of sounds with it depending on how the person attacks it.
Beginners will certainly love this cymbal because of what it offers and being an overall good cymbal for beginners.
Experts can certainly utilize it since it’s noted as being a very solid cymbal with great underlying tones.
3) Meinl Cymbals Ultimate Cymbal Set Box Pack with FREE 16” Trash Crash
The Meinl ultimate cymbal set box is a set of cymbals by Meinl Percussion. Forming in Germany in 1951, Meinl Percussion has had a long history of selling drumming equipment and it shows with the products they sell.
This specific group of cymbals features a 14” hi-hat, a 20” ride, a 14” crash, a 16” crash, an 18” crash, a 14” china, an 8” bell, a 10” splash, and a 16” test crash. With this group of cymbals, a drummer can have their entire range of cymbals in one package.
All of the cymbals come in a brass finish and have a full range of sound amongst them all.
However, for experts, this specific set of cymbals is more geared towards beginners which is something to keep in mind.
Nonetheless, experts can still utilize the cymbals for their practice space or even with their professional setting if they enjoy their sound enough.
All in all, it’s a solid group of cymbals that are offered for drummers and musicians alike.
4) Zildjian Cymbal Set, inch (A20579-11)
A famous company like Zildjian comes with respect and a vast amount of diehard fans for the company’s products. As for this group of cymbals by Zildjian, it’s a cymbal set dedicated to drummers who want to transition into brighter sounding cymbals.
The kit itself features a 14” hi-hat, a 16” crash, an 18” crash, and a 20” ride. All of which adds a different dynamic for each other in the world of music.
As for how the cymbals are all built, they’re surprisingly light and are very easy to move around because of it.
The cymbals are manufactured in the United States and have been noted by different drummers as having a high-end quality to them.
For experts, this set of cymbals is meant for those who want to try out a different sound and introduce them to a certain sound. Whereas for beginners, it’s certainly something they should consider when they’re looking at which cymbal is right for them.
5) Zildjian A Series 14" New Beat Hi Hat Cymbals Pair
Over the years Zildjian has become a staple for the world of drumming. Top drummers all around the world have been using Zildjian for their great sound, high-quality, and for a variety of other factors.
This specific cymbal is a part of the Zildjian A-series and is a 14” hi-hat. Since the cymbal was originally designed, it has become one of the best-selling cymbals sold by Zildjian.
As far as hi-hats go, this hi-hat offers everything a drummer could want in a hi-hat because of it’s great sound for rhythmic purposes.
The product has a traditional finish to it and has been noted as a beauty to see for drummers to see and use.
As for how it sounds, it has a very bright sound to it and can function well for a variety of music.
If someone is a drummer, then at some point they’ll check this hi-hat out because of the famous notoriety behind it.
6) Zildjian K Custom 18" Dark Crash Cymbal
One of the most sought after cymbals from Zildjian is there crashes. This specific crash from Zildjian is a part of their K custom series that has become very popular among the music world.
The 18” crash features a dark and trashy sounding overtone which is a sought after sound for those who enjoy this tone.
Surprisingly enough, it isn’t too heavy but is still built with the high-quality reputation that Zildjian offers.
For beginners, this may seem like a pricey cymbal for them to start out with, but if purchased, it’ll certainly be a great cymbal they can utilize for a long time.
As for experts, this is one of the highest-end crashes that Zildjian offers, and experts of all musical genres will certainly enjoy it.
All in all, it’s a solid crash from a very solid company.
7) Zildjian K Cymbal Variety Package, inch (K0800)
The K-series by Zildjian has become increasingly popular over the years because of the high-quality, sound, and value that is brought with the cymbals. This specific set is a Zildjian cymbal variety pack.
The set features a set of K-series Zildjian cymbals that are geared toward this specific sound. For the people who are a fan of this sound, this is certainly the package meant for them.
The package includes a 14” hi-hat, a 16” crash, an 18” crash, and a 20” ride. All of which add another dimension to a drummer’s kit.
As for the color of the cymbals, they’re a multicolor group that will match well with just about any kit.
The sound of the cymbals has been noted by musicians as sounding low and warm. For those who enjoy this sort of sound, this will definitely fit well into their arsenal.
All in all, any level of drummer will find great use out of these cymbals because of the variety of sounds that they offer.
Choosing the Best Professional Cymbals
This is the end of the reviews for the seven different cymbals and cymbals packages listed above. For the people who read this article, hopefully, they now understand the basics surrounding cymbals and which of these options is best for each person.
Be sure to keep factors such as build quality, the company that is selling the cymbal, the design, and much more.
2) Zildjian Planet Z 16" Crash Cymbal
- Made in the United States
- Bright, responsive sounds
- Great value for money
- High-quality design
- Good cymbal for beginners
1) Meinl 14” Crash Cymbal – HCS Traditional Finish Brass
- Traditional brass finish
- Affordability and overall solidness
- Fast and loud sound
- Official 2 year Meinl warranty
3) Meinl Cymbals Ultimate Cymbal Set Box Pack
- Come in a brass finish
- The ultimate set up
- High quality
- Full range of sound
- Designed for beginners and students
To refresh everything listed in this article, here’s a recap of the buyer’s guide for cymbals. As noted, there are several styles of cymbals for drummers to utilize with their kit. The most popular being a hi-hat, ride, and crash. While others include a china cymbal, splash cymbal, and several others.
Other than those factors, the article went over a few of the different sizes offered for cymbals. All of which play a different factor in how the cymbal sounds and holds up over time.
No matter if someone is a beginner or an expert, the cymbals listed in this article are certainly worth buying to add to someone’s drum kit.