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Best Cymbals for Beginners 2024

Cymbal kits are a must-have piece of equipment for any drummer. Modern pioneers like Travis Barker of Blink 182 and Snarky Puppy’s Larnell Lewis, as well as legends like John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Tony Williams who played for Miles Davis, all have one thing in common behind the drum kit.

They are quite picky about the cymbals they use. In fact, some drummers solely use custom-made cymbal setups that are fitted to the music they perform. Signature models are available from the “Big Four” well-known western cymbal makers Meinl, Zildjian, Sabian, and Paiste. Custom-made and marketed in conjunction with well-known drummers, these customised signature versions are one-of-a-kind.

There has never been a better selection of cymbal companies, cymbal kinds, and sounds available, from pre-configured hi-hat/crash/ride cymbal kits meant to help new drummers get on the ladder to hand-crafted, complex-sounding individual metals employing the finest alloys.

Sabian B8X Performance Set Cymbal Pack

SABIAN B8X Performance Set Plus
  • The world-leading series for quality bronze cymbals at a very nice price
  • Sonically matched tight, bright sounds that deliver
  • An ideal introduction to Bronze cymbals

The Sabian B8X cymbal set is a great place to start. Sabian, one of the “big four” cymbal producers based in Canada, has been in the industry since the 1980s and knows a thing or two about making cymbals. Sabian’s foray into the student and amateur musician market is the B8 series of cymbals.

The B8X is the latest edition of Sabian’s B8 series, which aims to produce high-quality B8 bronze cymbals at an inexpensive price. The B8X also improves on the previous B8 line with a new and improved lathing process as well as fully hammered bells.

The 18-inch crash cymbal is a fantastic addition to the normal 4-piece kit, giving you more orchestration options for drum fills and chops. Because they’re made of B8 bronze, Sabian’s B8X cymbal sets feature a bright tone. Also, around the low-mid frequencies, the hi-hats have a tiny ringing tone. This is the Best Cymbal for Beginners in 2023.

Zildjian K Custom Dark Cymbal Set – 14/16/18/20 inch

Zildjian K Custom Dark 4-Piece Cymbal Pack
  • 4-piece Zildjian K Custom Dark Cymbal Pack with 14" Hi-hat Pair
  • 16" Crash
  • 18" Crash

The Zildjian 4-piece K Custom Dark cymbal pack produces a mellow, dark tone with a quick decay, giving your accents plenty of character. The cymbals in this 4-piece collection have a classic finish, making them excellent aesthetic and acoustic complements to your kit. The K Custom Dark cymbals are ideal for a wide range of musical styles, including jazz, country, and world music. They produce a rich, full-sounding tone, making them a fantastic cymbal setup. The amazing sound of the Zildjian K Custom Dark 4-piece cymbal bundle will give your kit more character.

Many professional drummers, like as Dennis Chambers, Steve Smith, and Aaron Spears, use Zildjian as their go-to brand. The K custom series is the company’s main cymbal range. This brand has a long history with cymbals, with Avedis Zildjian creating the first cymbal in 1618.

This series is known for its dark and warm tone, as well as its versatility, making it ideal for playing jazz, latin, acoustic, and rock music. A 14′′ K HiHats, 16′′ K Dark Crash Thin, 20′′ K Ride, and an 18′′ K Dark Crash Thin are included in the set. For a more traditional set, this covers the most significant cymbals.

When examined closely, a refined job with extensive hammering techniques and a low profile creating a short decade sound can be seen. This allows for a faster response by allowing the crashes to reach their full potential without having to strike the cymbals too hard. In terms of durability, we’ve found that Zildjian cymbals endure longer than Sabian cymbals, owing to their strong character.

Of course, the cymbals are great, with excellent build quality and incredible sound, but they come at a cost. Regardless, this Cymbal set is quite valuable, with the 18′′ Crash included as a bonus. This is the Best Cymbals for Beginners in 2023.

Meinl Cymbal Set Box Pack with 13″ Hihats, 14″ Crash

Meinl Cymbals HCS Cymbal Set Box Pack for Drums...
  • MAJOR UPGRADE FROM "STOCK" STARTER CYMBALS: these are not those...
  • WHY IT MATTERS: playing HCS cymbals will sound more like what you hear in...
  • WHAT'S IN THE BOX: includes 13” hihats (top and bottom), a 14” crash, a...

This Meinl Cymbal Set Box Pack is touted as the most comprehensive beginner’s cymbal set available. This kit is ideal for those who are just getting started. It contains the following items: Top and bottom sides on 13″ hi-hat cymbals, 14″ crash cymbal, and 10″ splash cymbal Free 5A drumsticks with wooden tips are also included in the kit.

The Meinl Classics Custom 4-piece Cymbal Package not only sounds great on its own, but it also solves problems when mixed with the rest of the band. This cymbal kit is designed to cut through a loud and dense mix, allowing you to perform with less effort and yet be heard. These B10 Bronze alloy cymbals feature a great cutting tone that’s great for metal, rock, pop, studio work, and so much more. Give the Meinl Classics Custom 4-piece Cymbal Package a try if you’re having trouble getting noticed.

In addition, this collection includes all of your basic classes. Three videos of well-known cymbalist Mike Johnston have also been included to guarantee that pupils understand the fundamentals of cymbal playing. These cymbals have a professional appearance and can produce a wide range of sounds.

This cymbal set is made of brass and is highly solid and durable, which is ideal for students because it allows for some error. A two-year Meinl guarantee is included with the Meinl Cymbal Set Box Pack, which is an additional benefit for students. The Meinl Cymbal Set Box Pack is an excellent item to consider if you want to get started on your path to becoming a successful cymbalist. This is the Best Beginner Cymbals in 2023.

Wuhan WUTBSU Western Style Cymbal Set with Cymbal Bag

Wuhan WUTBSU Western Style Cymbal Set with Cymbal...
  • Model: WUTBSU
  • Free cymbal bag
  • Hand hammered, lathed, and highly polished.

With the Wuhan Traditional 3-piece Cymbal Set, you get more crash and bang for your money, even if they don’t boom. It includes Wuhan’s 14″ Traditional hi-hats, 16″ Traditional crash, and 20″ Traditional ride, as well as a free cymbal bag!

The cymbals are all constructed of B20 alloy, which is the same alloy as many high-end cymbals — but you can lay down the shattered beat without breaking the bank with these cymbals! The Wuhan Traditional cymbals respond with trashy speed and a smooth, subtle decay that sounds excellent, and they’re buffed to a dazzling shine that looks amazing as well.

Wuhan may be an underdog in the cymbal business, but they create some great drum kits. Although their percussion equipment isn’t as well-known as Sabian’s, you’d be astonished at how nice their cymbals can be. The WUTBSU Western Style cymbal pack from Wuhan is one of the greatest in its pricing range. These cymbals are in the “middle” price range, and they’re considered to be fairly good value for the money. Overall, these cymbals are excellent for beginners; their performance is exceptional, but they are not particularly robust to be best beginners cymbals.

Sabian SBR Performance Pack with 14-Inch Hat, 16-Inch Crash, and 20-Inch Ride Cymbals

SABIAN SBr Performance Set
  • Pure Brass Performance Set is sonically matched by SABIAN Artisans
  • Smartly priced, SBr Brass is in a class of its own
  • SBr makes your first step into cymbals an easy one

The Sabian SBR 4-piece Performance Cymbal Set adds a crisp, bright, and expressive top end to your kit, as well as a very focused sound. a group of 14 “When closed, hi-hats produce tight, crisp sounds; when open, they produce loud fullness. a sixteenth “Crash creates strong, harsh accents. a twenty-first “Strong, clear stick definition and a bright bell result from this ride. A TENNER FOR FREE “splash adds quick, powerful accents to your design. This cymbal set is a terrific way to give your drum kit a new lease on life without breaking the bank. With a Sabian SBR 4-piece Performance Cymbal Set, you can add a bright and focused sound to your drum kit for an amazingly low price!

Sabian is the undisputed king of drum manufacturers, and their SBR Performance pack is one of their most affordable options for novice drummers on a budget. This cymbal set includes a 14-inch hi-hat, a 16-inch crash, and a 20-inch ride cymbal. Each of the cymbals in this set was handcrafted from pure brass by Sabian artisans. Needless to say, Sabian makes some of the most durable cymbals on the market, but this set isn’t the best representation of their quality. What is the reason for this? After all, this is a beginner’s pack, and it’s geared toward beginners and junior drummers.

The SBR Performance pack from Sabian is in the “cheap” pricing range, which means it is accessible to everyone. Needless to say, the combination of Sabian quality and price results in a great value.

Dream Cymbals IGNCP3 Ignition Cymbal Pack

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Dream makes high-quality cymbals and keeps their word when it comes to their beginning cymbal pack.
As a result, the Dream Ignition bundle is the most costly cymbal in this evaluation, but they are also highly regarded among drummers.

They are hand-hammered from B20 bronze, which is perhaps the greatest material for cymbals, and are superior to the Zildjian ZBTs. That is the same material and production method as the Wuhans. In fact, the Dream Ignitions are created in the same plant as the Dream Ignitions!

This isn’t a ruse or anything. Wuhan and Dream are two independent companies, and the Chinese plant with the know-how and a decent price must have been the one.

What’s the difference between Wuhan and Dream cymbals, exactly? The Dream Ignitions, on the other hand, are more expensive, and that money goes toward quality control. As a result, you won’t have to worry about one set of cymbals sounding like thunder and the next pair sounding like rain.

Stagg SH-SM10R 10-Inch SH Medium Splash Cymbal

Stagg SH-SM10R 10-Inch SH Medium Splash...
  • Package dimensions:38.354 cms(L) x28.447 cms(W) x1.016 cms(H)
  • Package quantity: 1
  • Product Type: PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS

Stagg cymbals from China have been with us since 2001, supplying hand-hammered B20 bronze cymbals at unbelievable costs. The Single Hammered SH series is the most affordable in the collection. Cymbals have uniform shallow hand-lathing on top and bottom, as well as very little hammering. Because they haven’t been highly hammered, they don’t have as much projection as cymbals that have been heavily hammered, but they have universally clean tones. Only a tiny foreshortening of sustain and shallowness of timbre, which comes with the extra working of pricey cymbals, prevents them from being top-tier cymbals. By the time you get to the larger 16″ and 18″ crashes, it’s obvious, but at these rates, it’s unjust to be picky. Although the SH is Stagg’s most affordable series, its tone is exceptionally smooth for such a low-cost cymbal. Hand-hammered B20 bronze cymbals at bargain prices.

Paiste PST8 Reflector Rock Set

Paiste PST 8 Rock Cymbal Set - FREE 16 Inches...
  • CuSn8 Bronze Cymbal Pack with 14" Hi-hats
  • FREE 16" Crash
  • 1" Crash

PST8s have splashes, crashes, chinas, hi-hats, and rides, as well as a number of features found in higher-end Paiste models, the most notable of which is the CuSn8 bronze used in the cymbals. CuSn8 is Paiste’s own B8 blend, often known as 2002 bronze after the iconic Paiste line for which it was developed. The majority of cymbal sizes are offered in two weights: Medium and Rock. The Rock variants have larger bells, a little flatter profile, and have taken a few more hammer blows, in addition to being heavier. The track kicks off with a smooth, silky burst of B8 that glides through the mix. Three 14-piece sets “Medium, Rock, and Sound Edge hi-hats are available, and ride cymbals are available in 20″ (Medium & Rock) and 22” (Rock only) sizes. The twenty-first century “Medium produces a bright stick sound that is accompanied by a sympathetic wash. The heavier 20″ Rock ride has a toppier, more energetic feel, but the 22” Rock ride has a deeper voice and greater presence.