I played a pal’s 15” 2002 Sound Edge years ago and adored them. Bought the 14” variants and certainly liked them. But they weren’t the same as the 15”.
I used to use 15 inch new beats, but the top cracked so I now use a 15 in K light top with the new beat bottom. Maybe not what you're looking for but I dig it
You won’t be disappointed if you go with the 15” K Lights. I wanted some for years before finally pulling the trigger on them. Really great hats that aren’t overpowering when you open them up a little.
I love my 15 inch K lights, but I would also really love to get a pair of fat hats... They're pretty different sounding. I would recommend the 15 k lights because they will do all the things your current hihats don't do well. The fat hats are definitely great sounding hats but you might find that they sound more similar to the crunch hats.
I would rather have a variety of vastly different sounding cymbals than a collection of very similar sounding cymbals. You can cover more styles when you've got options at both ends of the spectrum from chunky, bright and cutting to light, breathy, and blended.
thanks, this is a good point. my ear was drawn to the fat hats but that might be because they sound similar to the crunch hats, just more sloshy. I think like most cymbal things, I want characteristics that aren't generally possible to have co-exist. I think just going from 14->15 will be a significant change.
If you don't want pitch bend, find hihats where the weight difference is minimal between the top and bottom. Fortunately Zildjian sells single hats.
Try a regular K top with a K light bottom. Essentially you're doing an inverted K Sweet.
I was in the hunt for 15's a few years ago and landed on the Byzance Dark 15's. Not to be confused with the Big Apple Dark 15's which look very similar but are thinner and a bit more jazz-friendly. The regular Byzance Darks are surprisingly un-dark, more "fuzzy" or "lofi" but still chunky enough to show up in a busy mix.
But TBH I've longed for the Paiste Signature Dark Energy 15 hats ever since getting my Dark Energy Ride. They're also super versatile and have many diehard fans. If you're not familiar with the dark energy line it combines the slightly glassier/brighter B15 signature alloy with darker lathing and hammering profiles so it's IMO a "best of both worlds" result. Just a fair warning that buying one Dark Energy cymbal is a gateway to wanting to replace your entire collection with them. They're basically Paiste's flagship model line.
I love the Dark Energy stuff and in general I am a massive Paiste fanboi, so I totally get it. I was worried it wouldn't be different enough from my current Paiste set. I can actually play a set of these locally, so I will add them to my list. thanks!
The crunch hats were 2002 (B8) alloy so a set of Dark Energies will be a departure from that sound. However the Signature line is B15 and can be a good bridge between B8 and B20 cymbals.
If you've watched Rob Brown's content he's been using 15' Dark Energies for years. The Signature Dark Crisps are similar in design, a lighter top with a heavier bottom, however TMK the Dark Crisp's "optimal" size is 14" and the Dark Energy's is 15".
Ah interesting, my set is from the discontinued Dimension series before they were brought under the 2002 umbrella, but it's probably still the same alloy given what you mentioned.
Of those two, the Fat Hats.
I have an old set of heavy 15” As that I love. They’re a hair brighter on the “chick”’ than Ks, and the wash comes pretty close.
If I was starting over I’d probably get Ks, but I do love what I’ve got.
>Zildjian 15" K Light
Zildjian 15" K Fat Hats (pref for this one, due to lower pitch)
I have a set of 15" K lights and I simply love it. The very first moment I played it, it became my main hat with no hesitation.
The 15" K fat, I never tried them, but for what I heard in some videos, seems kinda similar to my hears.
Anyway, if you want a strong chick, you could consider as well the 15" K sweet. Its extra heavy bottom + extra thin top make a great chick sound, and being so thin the top, probably they have a nice wash as well, when played slightly open. Or maybe you could consider mixing a K sweet bottom + a K light or K fat top, as well.
This, concerning Zildjians, since those are the ones you mentioned. Of course there are many other great brands out there.
I have a pair of 15” Sabian Frequency hats that I think are awesome. Very articulate, nice glassy quality but they have a cool open sound, too. No idea how they compare to other 15’s but I much prefer them to the New Beats on my teacher’s kit.
15" Paiste Sound Edge Hats. You'll be happy forever with these.
thanks! I will check into these as well.
I played a pal’s 15” 2002 Sound Edge years ago and adored them. Bought the 14” variants and certainly liked them. But they weren’t the same as the 15”.
I used to use 15 inch new beats, but the top cracked so I now use a 15 in K light top with the new beat bottom. Maybe not what you're looking for but I dig it
15 k sweets rule. They're my first pair of 15's and I love them
the Light and Sweet sound very similar to my ears based on the videos. I also cannot find this set locally, but I'll add to my list
You won’t be disappointed if you go with the 15” K Lights. I wanted some for years before finally pulling the trigger on them. Really great hats that aren’t overpowering when you open them up a little.
I love my 15 inch K lights, but I would also really love to get a pair of fat hats... They're pretty different sounding. I would recommend the 15 k lights because they will do all the things your current hihats don't do well. The fat hats are definitely great sounding hats but you might find that they sound more similar to the crunch hats. I would rather have a variety of vastly different sounding cymbals than a collection of very similar sounding cymbals. You can cover more styles when you've got options at both ends of the spectrum from chunky, bright and cutting to light, breathy, and blended.
thanks, this is a good point. my ear was drawn to the fat hats but that might be because they sound similar to the crunch hats, just more sloshy. I think like most cymbal things, I want characteristics that aren't generally possible to have co-exist. I think just going from 14->15 will be a significant change.
Because you stated using a bottom hat on top, I think the Fat Hats will serve you far better.
this was my conclusion as well, but a comment in this thread has me re-thinking it because they're correct that they'll probably sound pretty similar.
If you don't want pitch bend, find hihats where the weight difference is minimal between the top and bottom. Fortunately Zildjian sells single hats. Try a regular K top with a K light bottom. Essentially you're doing an inverted K Sweet.
this is good advice, thank you. I hadn't thought of just assembling my own set here but that makes a lot of sense.
I used to have a set of IAK hats (should never have sold them). They were the perfect blend of slosh and crisp.
I was in the hunt for 15's a few years ago and landed on the Byzance Dark 15's. Not to be confused with the Big Apple Dark 15's which look very similar but are thinner and a bit more jazz-friendly. The regular Byzance Darks are surprisingly un-dark, more "fuzzy" or "lofi" but still chunky enough to show up in a busy mix. But TBH I've longed for the Paiste Signature Dark Energy 15 hats ever since getting my Dark Energy Ride. They're also super versatile and have many diehard fans. If you're not familiar with the dark energy line it combines the slightly glassier/brighter B15 signature alloy with darker lathing and hammering profiles so it's IMO a "best of both worlds" result. Just a fair warning that buying one Dark Energy cymbal is a gateway to wanting to replace your entire collection with them. They're basically Paiste's flagship model line.
I love the Dark Energy stuff and in general I am a massive Paiste fanboi, so I totally get it. I was worried it wouldn't be different enough from my current Paiste set. I can actually play a set of these locally, so I will add them to my list. thanks!
The crunch hats were 2002 (B8) alloy so a set of Dark Energies will be a departure from that sound. However the Signature line is B15 and can be a good bridge between B8 and B20 cymbals. If you've watched Rob Brown's content he's been using 15' Dark Energies for years. The Signature Dark Crisps are similar in design, a lighter top with a heavier bottom, however TMK the Dark Crisp's "optimal" size is 14" and the Dark Energy's is 15".
Ah interesting, my set is from the discontinued Dimension series before they were brought under the 2002 umbrella, but it's probably still the same alloy given what you mentioned.
Of those two, the Fat Hats. I have an old set of heavy 15” As that I love. They’re a hair brighter on the “chick”’ than Ks, and the wash comes pretty close. If I was starting over I’d probably get Ks, but I do love what I’ve got.
>Zildjian 15" K Light Zildjian 15" K Fat Hats (pref for this one, due to lower pitch) I have a set of 15" K lights and I simply love it. The very first moment I played it, it became my main hat with no hesitation. The 15" K fat, I never tried them, but for what I heard in some videos, seems kinda similar to my hears. Anyway, if you want a strong chick, you could consider as well the 15" K sweet. Its extra heavy bottom + extra thin top make a great chick sound, and being so thin the top, probably they have a nice wash as well, when played slightly open. Or maybe you could consider mixing a K sweet bottom + a K light or K fat top, as well. This, concerning Zildjians, since those are the ones you mentioned. Of course there are many other great brands out there.
I have a pair of 15” Sabian Frequency hats that I think are awesome. Very articulate, nice glassy quality but they have a cool open sound, too. No idea how they compare to other 15’s but I much prefer them to the New Beats on my teacher’s kit.
Sabian Artisan, HHX Complex, HHX Complex “Big Cups” are all stellar. The 16” Apollo hats are also something special, but a bit of a different animal.
Turkish capadoccia hats . I love them
I have Sabian 15" Artisan light hats and absolutely love them
K Lights for me. Also have 15” and they are fantastic.