Two 18” Crashes

acsunda

Well-known Member
Hey guys, I’ve been in the market for adding another large crash to my setup and I just picked up an 18” Zildjian K dark crash for $99 on guitar center, looks like from the 90’s. My current crash setup is a 16” Bosphorus Antique paper thin crash, and an 18” Bosphorus Antique medium thin crash. So now I’m going to have two 18’s. I was originally looking for maybe a 19” or 20” crash, but for that price I couldn’t pass up a K.

Does anybody else use two, different sounding 18” crashes in their setup? Obviously a K dark and a Bosphorus medium thin are going to sound very different. I was just curious if anybody else used two 18” crashes simultaneously.
 
Hey guys, I’ve been in the market for adding another large crash to my setup and I just picked up an 18” Zildjian K dark crash for $99 on guitar center, looks like from the 90’s. My current crash setup is a 16” Bosphorus Antique paper thin crash, and an 18” Bosphorus Antique medium thin crash. So now I’m going to have two 18’s. I was originally looking for maybe a 19” or 20” crash, but for that price I couldn’t pass up a K.

Does anybody else use two, different sounding 18” crashes in their setup? Obviously a K dark and a Bosphorus medium thin are going to sound very different. I was just curious if anybody else used two 18” crashes simultaneously.
That’s a great deal! I use 2 18” crashes...as I began to play in heavier and louder bands I just seemed to trash 16” cymbals. I use an 18” Sabian HH thin crash, and a 18” Paiste 1000 rude crash/ride (I’d never use it as a ride). They both have their very own distinctive sound but are incredible as a pair for rock music. They’re 30 years old and have taken a proper beating from yours truly...I will never sell them!!
 
That’s a great deal! I use 2 18” crashes...as I began to play in heavier and louder bands I just seemed to trash 16” cymbals. I use an 18” Sabian HH thin crash, and a 18” Paiste 1000 rude crash/ride (I’d never use it as a ride). They both have their very own distinctive sound but are incredible as a pair for rock music. They’re 30 years old and have taken a proper beating from yours truly...I will never sell them!!
Oh man, they had a 16” Paiste Rude crash/ride for the same price that I almost snagged instead. I use14” Rude hats, and I love them.
 
Great score! - however to my assessment of your 18s, by profiling, your sound will be very similar in character.
Dark crashes are medium-thin to thin profiles for a lower pitch and hammered for quick decay.
Your Bosphorus, by title is medium-thin is also going to sound similar.
Do they equal in volume?
I ran into the same problem with my 16” AAXplosion crash and 16” AA thin crash, AAXplosion is louder due to oversized bell.
 
Great score! - however to my assessment of your 18s, by profiling, your sound will be very similar in character.
Dark crashes are medium-thin to thin profiles for a lower pitch and hammered for quick decay.
Your Bosphorus, by title is medium-thin is also going to sound similar.
Do they equal in volume?
I ran into the same problem with my 16” AAXplosion crash and 16” AA thin crash, AAXplosion is louder due to oversized bell.
I guess we’ll see. If they’re too similar, I’ll probably sell one (but that opens up a whole new debate: how to choose?!).
 
Sure, my teacher's double bass setup has three 18" rides crashes that are all Zildjian cymbals but different models (a thin, a medium thin, and one that I've forgotten). They sound great together, so I can't see why yours wouldn't as long as the tones don't clash. If you're happy with how they sound, that's pretty much all that matters, no?
 
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Hey guys, I’ve been in the market for adding another large crash to my setup and I just picked up an 18” Zildjian K dark crash for $99 on guitar center, looks like from the 90’s. My current crash setup is a 16” Bosphorus Antique paper thin crash, and an 18” Bosphorus Antique medium thin crash. So now I’m going to have two 18’s. I was originally looking for maybe a 19” or 20” crash, but for that price I couldn’t pass up a K.

Does anybody else use two, different sounding 18” crashes in their setup? Obviously a K dark and a Bosphorus medium thin are going to sound very different. I was just curious if anybody else used two 18” crashes simultaneously.

I play a 16", 17" and 18", but using two 18"s would be just fine with me. I'd even use two identical 18"s if I liked them enough.
 
I have two 18” Paiste Signature Fast crashes, an 18” Precision Crash and another 18” Signature Full Crash. All work well together because of the different weights and tonal properties.
 
I have several Istanbul Agop 18" crashes (Traditional Dark, Signature and OM) that on specific occasions get used together. It really depends on the situation. But I normally gravitate towards using an 18"/19" crash set up or a 19"/20". Nothing is fixed in my setup, I like to rotate things in and out and experiment.
 
I have used an 18 inch K dark crash With a Paiste sig. full crash.The Paiste was where I would normally have a 16 or 17 and worked well for the higher pitched crash.
 
I actually have 3 18" crashes. 2 Ks and an Istanbul Xist effects. All sound different and compliment each other well. Also have a Sabian AA 10" china that you couldn't get away from me PERIOD. 13" Zildjian K hi hats, and looking for a MUSICAL 16 or 18 china.
Answer to your question. 2 18s are fine.
 
Nothing is fixed in my setup, I like to rotate things in and out and experiment.
I have my go-to pieces, but I filter things in and out as my caprice dictates. My drums are usually one up, one down; but I’ve done two up, two down; all the way to no toms at all.

For cymbals, I usually go hats, ride, two crashes. But I go from just hats or a ride all the way to hats, ride, two crashes, trash/China stack, splashes, and x-hats.

Like I said, I’m capricious.
 
I have used an 18 inch K dark crash With a Paiste sig. full crash.The Paiste was where I would normally have a 16 or 17 and worked well for the higher pitched crash.
Yeah, I'm thinking I might move the 18" Bosphorus over to the left, where I normally have my 16", putting the K to my right where the Boshporus used to be, and putting the 16" paper thin in the middle on the bass drum mounted stand.
 
I own (3) 18 in. crashes but I don't use them all simultaneously. The combos I have used simultaneously:

A -
18 in K Constantinople
18 in. Istanbul Jazz Crash

B-
18 in K Sweet Crash
18 in K Constantinople

However I do also have a 19 in. K Dark Crash that I will use instead of the Istanbul when I use the entire set of K Sweets.

Sonically they all match (dark, warm) but the Istanbul is certainly more subtle and projects less. I try to be more conscious of 'orchestrating' when using it, mostly for softer, lower volume sections or tunes.
 
I've been using two 18" crashes together. You wouldn't think these would sound good together but they do.

18" Zildjian A Custom Fast Crash
18" Sabian SR2 Thin (has a nice dry sound, was most likely an HH or an HHX Legacy crash)

I am in the market for a 19 or 20 to replace the A Custom. Thinking an HHX Complex Crash maybe.
 
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I use whatever cymbals sound good together. I don't think I've really ever used 2 18" crashes together, but I've used 2 or 3 16" crashes together in the studio, and I use 2 19" crashes in one of my bands. As long as they sound different enough to be distinguishable from each other, and also sound good together, go for it!
 
Since a few years ago i have two 18" crashes in my setup: K Custom Dark Crash (main) and A Zildjian Medium Thin (secondary). I also used a 19" K Dark Thin crash. The K Custom was my main crash and didn't use it for crash riding. The A Zildjian Medium Thin and the K Dark Thin were my other accents and used for mostly crash-riding. But all were different sounding. Eventually dropped the A Zildjian from my setup because with those darker sounds it sounded a bit bland and boring. But i think that there's nothing wrong with having 2 or more of the same sizes, but i feel that they need to be from a different line or brand so they don't sound too much alike.
 
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