too fast for me

id say an 18 AAXplosion. the 17 is too weak.

I'd say the 18 will be a longer decay and maybe not open up so fast. BUt i dont own that particular cymbal so i dont [I]reeeally [/I]know. Also look at the A custom projection line, they are a tad explosive and not to mention lush.,

18" K Custom Fast Crash

19" AAXplosion is a peice of beauty and needs no battering to open up.

honestly, i hear "battering" and then "good technique"....i wonder...

you dont need to hammer your gear to get a full loud tone out of them.

Exactly :-/

I dont hammer on any of my cymbals.

Yeah man. Theres a big dfference between a powerful stroke and a smash lol

There's also a difference between a powerful stroke and Big Powerful Strokes.

Theres also a difference between cows and people.

What? talk about cymbals? oh hell

im looking for a crash

ive tried crashes at a local music store
but...
paiste full crash was a bit too bright for my taste
sabian paragon sounded really good but they were too heavy

any suggestions?

HHX Stage crash - give it a try

Or the HHX studio crashes

hhx stage and studio crashes sound nothing like paragon crashes.

try out 2002's or for a lighter, not so bright cymbal, try out avedis crashes. maybe even the new armand series. haven't heard any armands myself, but they may be what you're looking for.

they're a bit thinner, depends on his playing style in the end.

the stages are going to be a nice fine line of bright because of the weight, and warm because of the series characteristics

hhx stages are not what i would consider bright in the least bit. i own the 16" and 18", as well as an 18" paragon.

i've heard a few that had some cut to them.

they're a great balanced sound imo.

definatly gonna have to get me some.

definitely a great cymbal. i love mine. they're the best crashes i've heard.

i'm thinking of revamping my crash setup.

as of right now, i'm using 16" AA Medium, and AAX Stage crashes, with an 18" XS20 rock or AA medium being switched in and out.

i actually like my XS 20 more as its not so flat sounding compared to the AA :S

i went today and tried the hhx studio crash, they didnt have stage
i really liked the sound, but i dont think it would cut

Shuda tryed the AAX studios. They do cut. Very very nice crashes

if anyone remembers my thread about the pst5's that deal fell though, the store already sold them. ive been listening to a lot of the recordings on the Paiste website. i really like the sound of the there 13" trad, but the price tag is pretty steep. are there any other cymbals that has the same sound, but are a little bit cheaper. my price range can go up to $200 at most. (company and quality doesn't matter)

Well, I'll listen to the 13" Trad, and have a think.

They seem to be solid sounding, fairly rocky hats. I'd have thought that Zildjian A's and Sabian AA's would probably cut it. Possibly you could think about Dream Contact cymbals, or perhaps even the Energy series. The Energy's may be machine hammered, but it's the sound that matters.

I'll edit in any other thoughts as they occur to me.

EDIT: Dream Contact's certainly seem to be more within your soundscape. May I suggest [url]www.frontrangebronze.com[/url]

Check out their selection, and if in doubt, or interest, contact the man running the site. He'll be able to help you.

Personally, I find Sabian cymbals typically sound too bright. That's not a slight against Sabians. One of my rides is an HH Raw Bell Dry Ride. My first Pro ride actually, and I really like the Evo hats and 18" crash. That said, for the sound you're going for, and the price range you've set, I doubt Sabian will help, certainly not new. Second hand may be of interest to you. eBay as well.

As far as Zildjians go, the A series seems to be your best bet, and for particular hats, I'd suggest the New Beat, Quick Beat and Mastersound Ranges. Perhaps the new Armand series as well.

In any case, with possible Dream exception, for the price range you've set, you should be scouring eBay, as well as your local second hand paper.

Speaking of Ebay, I had a look on eBay.com, and I came up with these result of the first page that may be of interest to you:

Sabian 14" AA Light Hats
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/14-Sabian-AA-Light-Hi-Hats-better-then-regular-hi-hat_W0QQitemZ110176042653QQihZ001QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Zildjian 14" 1950's Hats
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/1950s-Zildjan-14-Hi-Hat-Cymbals_W0QQitemZ190158380488QQihZ009QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Zildjian 13" A Custom Mastersound (not my first choice given your sound, but worth a look)
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/Zildjian-A-Custom-Mastersound-Hi-Hat-Pair-13-LOOK_W0QQitemZ150167024014QQihZ005QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Zildjian 14" K Custom Session Hats
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/14-ZILDJIAN-K-Custom-Session-Hi-Hats-GREAT-Shape_W0QQitemZ260166210518QQihZ016QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Paiste 14" Giant Beat Hats (a little beyond your budget, but definitely worth a look, especially with the BIN)
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/Paiste-Giant-Beat-14-Medium-Hi-Hat-Cymbals-LOOK_W0QQitemZ150167020240QQihZ005QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Zildjian 13" K Hat Top (Only the top, yes, but add a Z Custom, or equivalent, Rude etc, and you've got a fine se tof hats)
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/K-Zildjian-13-inch-Hi-Hat-Top-Mid-90s-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ170154755966QQihZ007QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Bosphorus 14" Master Hats (Cheap, but excellent cymbals. Seriously. I own a crash, and hope to own more by them. Very, very good cymbals)
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/BOSPHORUS-MASTER-SERIES-14-HI-HATS-USED-ONCE-EC-L-K_W0QQitemZ290166361347QQihZ019QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Sabian 14" AAX Stage Hats
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/Sabian-AAX-14-Stage-Hi-Hats-BRILLIANT-Never-Hit_W0QQitemZ180165150060QQihZ008QQcategoryZ41447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Hope this helped.

yea that really helped, unfortunately ebay is not my first option. Ill look though my local drum stores, and newspapers. i think im going to have to wait till Christmas and buy then. Its the cymbal types that really helped.

I'm glad I helped, but if I may ask, why's eBay being ruled out?

my parents don't trust ebay. if it was up to me ill buy from there on most of my purchases, but since its not i cant.

sucks dont it.

What the hell? What's not to trust? If they don't trust eBay, how come they trust the internet?

Don't let them read this post.

Meh, I still don't trust ebay all that much, I trust an online store more, but still it's just cause Ebay you're dealing with regular ppl, not professionals, they could be crooks, scam artists, etc. Going with an online store you have the added comfort lol.

Well, I bought a cymbal from eBay.com (Note, not my local eBay) last week. I'm still waiting it's arrival, but I have no fear. If it's not arrived by the end of this week, then I'll be worried.

oh I use Ebay all the time, but I have had a case with an ebay store where the product was never sent and there was no communication,

Currently I'm waiting on

My New Double Pedal
China
Splash

but it shall come haha