10" hi hats

Kennyindundee

Junior Member
Hi everyone,

I'm interested in buying a set of hats to have some fun with. I've already got 2 pairs of hats for everyday work but I'm interested in getting a 10" pair to experiment with. Problem is, I've never seen any in any store to try out.

Has anyone ever played 10" hats, has experience of them and what they can be used for or can recommend a brand?

I don't want to spend a fortune on these as like I said they will be just for experimenting with.

The only music I don't play is heavy metal/ thrash etc.

Many thanks for any advice you can give me!
 
I've never played on any. Sabian makes 10" AA hats which aren't cheap. Zildjian makes ZHT 10" which should be inexpensive. There are some youtube videos with them if that helps you get a feel for the sound.

These sound awesome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTAKNM8tZOM
 
I have a set of Zildjian Special Recording 10's. Cost me $123 off eBay. Yeah, you'll probably never see a pair in a store. I love 'em, myself. I just used 'em in a recording project, and them mic up real well. Obviously, they don't have any wash, because of their size. And no real slosh, either. I use bigger hats for that sorta thing. Really clean sound, with great stick definition and crispness, that's what they do well.​
 
I used to play a pair of 12" hats. They are quick and snappy but as said before smaller hats may not slosh well. If you're doing accents or looking for a different sound for a chorus, bridge, or acoustic bass solo, maybe. They would also be an interesting sound for something quick and funky or for a double-handed pattern, with one hand on the normal hats or another hand on the 10"s. I would see if you could try out a pair before investing, though.
 
Cheaper maybe to put two splashes that are on the heavy side together. I've done it, it works, but you know, not very versatile hats at that size.
 
Cheaper maybe to put two splashes that are on the heavy side together. I've done it, it works, but you know, not very versatile hats at that size.

Yup. The ZHT 10" hats mentioned earlier are decent as well, Andrea Vadrucci has used them in some recordings and they sound like 10" hi-hats. I have a nice little pair of a Meinl 8" HCS Bell (brass) and an 8" Byzance Splash on top that is definitely similar in tone- if you can find a cheap 10" bell and get a relatively thin splash on top, that should work fine too.

I think a set of 12"s might be more versatile while still retaining some of the novelty of 10"s, but they might be more difficult to find, especially cheaply.
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. If I was to buy 2 10" splashes for this purpose, are there any advantages to using b20 over b8 or b10?
 
Also, can anyone recommend any 10" or 12" splashes to create mini hats then?

B8 at this size is going to certainly have more high harmonics/harshness than B20 but I think you can combine a B20 top with a B8 or whatever bottom and have a nice character.

You could start cheap for the lighter/top cymbal and get a Wuhan splash. Very affordable, B20, generally pretty thin. As for the bottom, you could probably just try a stock ZXT/ZHT, or Sabian B8, or Paiste PST, or Meinl MCS/Classics, or y'know, whatever. If that's not heavy enough to bring the definition, then you could look at some bells.
 
Many thanks porter for all your assistance with this. Once Christmas has passed I will hunt around for a b20 splash for the top and heavier b8 splash for the bottom.

You've given me a few different options there so I will look into weights for the bottom cymbal. Should I try and get as heavy a bottom cymbal as possible?
 
I used to use a set of 10" hats as my main hats-they were a special set that I bought during Sabian's Vault Tour. They are a medium-heavy top and a very Heavy bottom (I think the bottom was actually one of the Will Calhoun Alien Discs with a bunch of rivets). If you want to hear them, check out this YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEpXNPipQgg

I no longer use hats that small, but I have to say that smaller hats, to me, are so much easier to control. They are snappier, respond faster and record amazingly. I now use a specially-made set of 12" HH Duo hats. I no longer feel totally comfortable on a set of 14" hats, but I do love a set of 15"s or 16"s as an x-hat.

If you are thinking of picking up a set of 10"s, I have seen a couple of sets on eBay-one set is $149 and the other $225. A great way to try this out, as has been noted, is to get a couple of splashes. On my kit now I use a 10" AA splash on bottom and an AAX Air Splash on top. Has a great white noise effect. I hope this adds something to the convo.
 
Many thanks porter for all your assistance with this. Once Christmas has passed I will hunt around for a b20 splash for the top and heavier b8 splash for the bottom.

You've given me a few different options there so I will look into weights for the bottom cymbal. Should I try and get as heavy a bottom cymbal as possible?

Sorry I missed this post! I suppose the heaviest you can find would be good though I do think a typical beginner's cymbal might be a good place to start, as most cast bell cymbals are heavier proportionally than even hi-hat bottoms so they can get a little harsh.
 
Definitely find a bell to use as the bottom. I use a 10" closed pair to the top right of my regular hats made out of a b8 and a AA with a factory works throwing-star-looking-thing on the inside. but i tried out a classics custom bell with a splash at Guitar center and it sounded a lot better. Also here's a cool video with Benny Greb you might find helpful. He uses a pair of 10" hats toward the end but watch the whole thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0pKWox-j5Q
 
if i were going to try to make a 10" hat set

i think my 8 in pasite2002 ( i love its sound ) if it were a 10 in would be perfect
hmmmmm
mabiie ill try that
THANKS ;)
 
A couple years ago I spent about an hour in a music store trying out different combinations of bells and splashes on a hihat stand. If you've got a certain sound in mind that you're looking to replicate, I suggest doing the same.

If memory serves, I really liked a 12" Ice Bell under an 11" AXXplosion splash and a 6" Zilbell under a 6" AAX splash.
 
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