The Old Sound

[Gary Allen]

Howdy drummers,Has anyone made a list of snares and cymbals that would have been used ? say (Apache to Wonderful Land), Our drummer has tried quite a few kits and is now going down the route of a gretsch catalina jazz set for a basic sound, so he is looking for a half decent snare and ride cymbal. Can anyone recommend the proper ones? He had an old ludwig kit but the snare was very loud and the cymbals were a little dark sounding, Thanks Gary

[dave robinson]

Hi Gary, I went down this road years ago and managed to choose the right cymbals, especially the ride, which these days the equivalent can be purchased as a 20/21/22 inch Sabian AA, AX or HX ping dry ride of which plenty are available.

The original ones used by Tony & BB were Avedis Zildian but Sabian is same as, because the two brothers split up and formed their own companies. I discussed the ride cymbal with Brian when I worked with him ten years ago with The Vibratos and he gave me this info.

As for the Hi Hats and Crash cymbals, I bought the old school Avedis Zildian 14inch hi hats and a 16 inch crash, later adding an 18 inch crash. With my forty year old Gretsch kit I believe we have a very close sound to those original recordings.

[Gary Allen]

Thanks Dave for your quick reply, We tried some Avedis in a drum shop but werent convinced they had that old sound appeal, I think its time to try the Sabians. Thanks again.. Gary

[JimN]

Didn't Tony use a (relatively cheap) Ajax kit on the early material, swapping to a Gretsch kit in the early summer of 1961?

The Ajax snare drum is pictured on the sleeves of the LP "The Shadows" and the EP "The Shadows", with more of the kit visible on the sleeve shot for "The Shadows To The Fore".

No idea where you'd get an Ajax kit today.

JN

[dave robinson]

Gary, I purposely named the Zildians' I use (as did Brian & Tony) as the 'old school' type - They are the old non bright dirty pale looking ones, not those shiny brass looking things and they don't have black writing on them, only the Avedis Zildian stamp which is sometimes difficult to spot.
I don't know the correct model of them, unless they come under 'classics' or similar.

The SABIAN models AA/AX and HX each have similar dry qualities but can be tonally different - they need to be auditioned to taste.

[roninnes]

As mentioned earlier by Dave, Sabian are made in New Brunswick, Canada led until his recent death by Robert Zildjian. I have used Sabian Pro Sonix for years and have found the sound they emit to be totally satisfactory for The Shadows music. You can get them on eBay as they are no longer manufactured by Sabian. I spoke with them and they told me the AAX was the new version, I don't like it.
As for snare drums 14" x 5.5" is the most popular or 14" x 6" and again I use a Ludwig 400 dated 1971 which with my Ludwig fusion kit gives a good sound. Depending on which era I am playing I will switch snare drums, I have 4, and I also use a Premier Artist Series kit which has bigger toms.
I could bore the pants off everyone with all the possible combos and techy stuff but it really is down to hard work to develop a sound you are happy with
Ron

[abstamaria]

We have no regular drummer, so I had to choose the cymbals for our amateur band. I was not suited for that job and, relying on advice from various sources, acquired a Zildjian K Custom Session 16” crash and Custom Hybrid 13.25” hi-hats. A friend gave me an almost new Zildjian 20” K “Pre-aged Dry Light Ride.”

These are very interesting cymbals in sound to me, but with some knowledge now am wondering if they go at all as a set or suitable for our music. I think K Customs are better suited for jazz, although the hybrid I thin is more modern. Our most experienced drummer from the 60s I think would have preferred a crash that was more “rude.” We have been using these for about five years now.

They look good, anyway, and quite flashy on stage (I was playing with my pocket camera and snapped this shot). I wonder what the drummers here think.

Andy

Ziljians.JPG

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[roninnes]

Gary,
Another very useful site regarding snare drums is www.evansdrumheads.com/
Click on the lesson room and there are numerous videos on how to set up all drums including snare drums, this may help your drummer
Ron

[Gary Allen]

Gary,
Another very useful site regarding snare drums is http://www.evansdrumheads.com/
Click on the lesson room and there are numerous videos on how to set up all drums including snare drums, this may help your drummer
Ron

Hi Ron, Thanks for your help with the links, Im beginning to think that cymbals are a subjective thing and that we all hear them differently, I think the old sound tends to be a bit darker, shops these days seem to cater for kids into rock music, regards Gary

[Gary Allen]

WE had this kit about 2yrs ago, (late 60s ludwig)