If you are a jazz cat, you understand that the ride cymbal is the keystone of your setup. Here at Drum Center of Portsmouth, we have an overwhelming selection of exquisite ride cymbals perfectly suited for jazz and/or swing music. We’ve compiled a list of 10 groovy pies from 5 manufacturers, covering a broad spectrum of sounds to help you find your perfect sound!
Our top picks:
- Best for its dark and warm sound: Paiste Signature Traditionals Light Ride 20”
- Remarkable for its complex hammering and dark tones: Zildjian K Constantinople Bounce Ride Cymbal 20"
- Perfect for jazz music: Istanbul Agop Special Edition Jazz Ride Cymbal 21"
- Most versatile and rich: Sabian HHX Complex Thin Ride 22”
- Excellent for its low, mysterious pitch: Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis Ride Cymbal 22"
- Best Meinl jazz ride cymbal: Meinl Byzance Jazz Monophonic Ride Cymbal 22"
- Best pitch and wash: Zildjian K Constantinople Thin Overhammered Ride Cymbal 22"
- Best stick definition: Paiste Masters Dark Crash Ride 22”
- Best balanced jazz ride cymbal: Meinl Byzance Big Apple Dark Tradition Ride 22”
- Perfect for soft to medium volume Istanbul Agop Signature Ride 24”
1. Paiste Signature Traditionals Light Ride 20”
Paiste Signature cymbals are the benchmark for pristine recording. The Traditionals line carries this legacy forward for lower volume situations. This beautiful ride is dark, broad, complex, warm, smoky, oriental, and sparkling, emphasizing the volume control, dynamics, and stick feel.
2. Zildjian K Constantinople Bounce Ride Cymbal 20"
The legendary K Constantinople is the pinnacle of the Zildjian cymbal line, renowned for its perfectly blended sound quality. The 20” Bounce ride features complex hammering that contributes to the cymbal's unique sonic identity and dark tones that can cut and smooth at once.
The Zildjian K Constantinople series has been somewhat polarizing among the drumming community, but as far as we can see, many people dig these cymbals. The care going into the manufacturing process is evident, and they sound great.
3. Istanbul Agop Special Edition Jazz Ride Cymbal 21"
When it comes to the genre of jazz, Istanbul Agop dominates. They have that inherent vibe that translates effortlessly to jazz music.
The Istanbul Agop Special Edition Jazz Ride combines woody stick definition, dry overtones, and wash.
4. Sabian HHX Complex Thin Ride 22”
The 22” Complex Thin Ride employs a combination of HH and HHX hammering, a raw hammered bell, and a number of the aforementioned proprietary techniques - resulting in one of the richest, sweetest Ride cymbals SABIAN has ever produced. The 22 Complex Thin Ride is big, thin, and dark - with a medium-size hand-hammered raw bell - a combination that brings out the lows and complexities of this cymbal's tone. The versatility to easily cross musical styles has always been a hallmark of the HHX line, and the 22 HHX Complex Thin Ride is no exception.
5. Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis Ride Cymbal 22"
The Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis 22" Ride Cymbal has a relatively flat profile, giving it a fundamentally low, mysterious-sounding pitch. The stick sound is woody, with a complex, warm wash. The crash is big, open, dark, and shimmery with a long, washy, musical sustain. This classic vintage-sounding ride is perfect for softer to medium-volume situations.
6. Meinl Byzance Jazz Monophonic Ride Cymbal 22"
The touch and tone of these cymbals, with their soft, buttery, sink-your-stick feel and low, dark tonalities, add up to a very personalized sound. A closer look at the hammering on some models reveals large and deep dimpling that boosts dryness and darkness. The Monophonic Ride has an unmistakable voice that is both bright and clear on top over a dark and brooding roar underneath. Furthermore, it has an oriental-Esque crash sound.
7. Zildjian K Constantinople Thin Overhammered Ride Cymbal 22"
The 22" K Constantinople Thin Overhammered Ride is thin in weight to give it a nice dark pitch and plenty of wash. An additional series of over-hammered marks on top of the traditional K Constantinople hammering yields a slightly drier sound with excellent stick definition.
8. Paiste Masters Dark Crash Ride 22”
The Paiste Masters Dark Crash Ride is lush and luxurious, from a whisper to a roar! This is a lower-pitched instrument, rich in complexity and darkness. Tons of articulate stick definitions, along with incredible crushability!
9. Meinl Byzance Big Apple Dark Tradition Ride 22”
The Big Apple Dark Tradition Ride combines elements from multiple cymbals for an expressive, well-balanced voice with loads of character and responsiveness. Starting with the small bell, which all Big Apple rides have for controlled overtones, it is shaped with a steep bow and combined with an unlathed top to create a “woody” stick definition. The bottom is then fully lathed, allowing the thin cymbal to open quickly for lush crashes while providing a warm bed of undertones to support the stick definition on top.
10. Istanbul Agop Signature Ride 24”
The BIG DAWG. This colossal Turkish masterpiece boasts an impossibly dry stick definition with warm and complex overtones. For a 24” cymbal, it still retains impressive crash/ride capabilities.
Need a jazz ride? We’ve got you covered. If these cymbals don’t fit the bill, our trained staff will help you dial in that PERFECT jazz ride cymbal.