SABIAN HHX OMNI Ride Cymbal 19 in.

This omni hhx 22" ride does it all. Two bell sounds (tip and stick), dark ping, bright washy ping, and crashable edge. Incredible that you can get all of these sounds out of one cymbal. I play it in a large jazz ensemble, trio to septet club gigs, and go super minimal on a mini kit for modern drum and bass.

The 22" HHX Omni is goes beyond being a complete 3-tool ride, and arguably features 4 distinct tools, all of which are best-in-class quality: 1. Riding surface: dry, articulate unfinished band offers tremendous focus and control 2. Bell: a sharp, clear, biting bell without venturing into being abrasive --toes the line perfectly 3. Crashable edge: this is the most crashable ride I've ever played. It is the equal or superior to any large crash on the market. Ubelievably thin and responsive, this aspect of the voice is the standout raison-d'etre of this instrument. Due to this astounding sensitivity, this cymbal --despite its size-- can truly be said to be an uncompromising crash-ride that can do it all, and stand alone as the only cymbal in a limited setup 4. Secondary riding surface: a complete contrast to the dry, focused primary riding surface, the inner half of the outer lathed band provides a wet, smoky character as a secondary riding voice, and therefore a fourth tool Tremendous instrument. Due to the incredible pinpoint thin edge, not a good choice for heavy hitters, but an absolute dream for a player seeking a versatile Swiss Army Knife of a ride that sounds fantastic in each regard.

This cymbal is great - I bought it to try out for a purpose I did not expect it to deliver on, but it did! Playing the bow gives a nice dark sound, very good for any latin or jazz playing but also with very good stick definition. The bell penetrates just enough to accent the note, but is not piercing or overly loud. Playing the outer lathed edge as you would a ride cymbal produces a myriad of possible tones - the further out to the edge you get, the more undertones you get(as with most rides) but there is a sweet spot about 2/3 out(just before the final "curve" in the profile) that produces an extremely sizzly, shimmering tone reminiscent of that "classic jazz" sounding ride. This particular tone can be used in a number of different situations, and in mine it's used for some quiet, chill funk. I was not expecting to get this sound out of this cymbal but was pleasantly surprised! On top of that, you can crash on the edge to get a very clear crash tone that gets right out of the way again if you want to continue with ride thereafter. Since the cymbal is hand hammered, it is a bit quieter even in the crash than any of the AA or AAX series, but anyone using this cymbal will appreciate it's ability to stay quiet while still giving a full range of tone. Because of it's ability to crash so well, I actually ended up retiring my 18" crash as I no longer needed it and it just cluttered up the set. I highly recommend this cymbal to anyone looking for a very versatile cymbal, or just some great ride tones. The only thing I would say this cymbal can't do is plain old rock, as the tone just doesn't quite fit with that style(get yourself an AA or AAX for that).