Sabian XSR Fast Crashes

92
GEAR REVIEW
Y
ou can draw comparisons
between cymbals and wine. The
trends, the objectivity of
'what’s best', the fl owery
adjectives used to describe the ‘tonal
palette’. But just like wine, where
options at the lower end of the
price spectrum used to be limited
to red, white, or rosé, affordable
cymbals are no longer just ‘crash’,
‘bigger crash’ or ‘ride cymbal you’ll
shift as soon as you can’.
That’s down to companies such as
Sabian haulin’ brass and delivering us
cash-strapped drummers cast cymbals
made from the same B20 alloy as their
expensive top-end ranges. That’s exactly
what Sabian’s XSR (launched last year and
taking over from XS20) series does, and
these latest additions refi ne the offering
with a pair of 17" and 19" Fast crashes.
Build
Our fi rst observation on getting these out of
the box is that Sabian’s claims of
advancements trickling-down to lower levels
are true. They look very similar to our own AAX
models in feel, colour and fi nish, with only a
slight difference in the wider lathing pattern of
the XSRs.
Hands On
These Fast models are described by Sabian as
‘thin’ and sit as the thinnest in the XSR range,
which also includes the thicker, brighter and
louder XSR Rock and the darker, more complex
XSR Monarch cymbals. ‘Fast’ when applied to
crashes generally means that you hit them,
they open up and then decay quickly, getting
out of the way without fuss. That’s what these
do, but that shouldn’t be confused with the
sharp attack of accent cymbals. These are still
cutting – they aren’t quiet cymbals – while
retaining a smoothness and sounding how you
want a crash to sound.
Thanks to the thinner profi le and the XSR’s
bell size (smaller than the XS20), these
cymbals open up with a medium strike, so you
don’t need to leather them (although we
certainly weren’t shy of playing them heavily in
a band situation either). In fact, with these Fast
From £298 Sabian’s latest mid-priced
metals are fast and affordable
SABIAN
XSR FAST CRASHES
models, beyond a certain point it feels like
hitting harder isn’t going to achieve more
volume – they are quite explosive, with a quick
decay, so they won’t be the best choice for big,
washy crash/ride patterns.
Whenever price tags are cut, it’s natural to
look at which corners have been too. Here, it’s
extremely diffi cult to see. Of course, XSR is not
Sabian’s entry-level range, but make no
mistake: what you’re getting here are pro-level
sounds at mid-level prices.
PRICE
£298 (17"); £343 (19")
ALLOY
B20 bronze
BUILD
Cast
CONTACT
Westside Distribution
0844 326 200
www.sabian.com
Essential spec
VERDICT: The Fast models
are versatile-sounding, they’ll work
well both on stage or for recording,
and they’ll sit seamlessly within a
set-up amongst their more expensive
brothers.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
SIZES
These fast models join the
already-available 16" and
18" Fast crashes in ‘odd’
17" and 19" sizes
FAST AND THIN
These cymbals are designed
to crash and decay quickly,
so they’re thinner than
other XSR models
B20 ALLOY
Sabian’s XSR line is cast
out of the same B20 alloy
bronze as its fl agship
cymbal lines
| FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
WORDS: STUART WILLIAMS
RHY277.gear_sabian.indd 92 19/12/2017 11:35