Sabian HH Remastered

106
| APRIL 2016 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
W
hen Sabian was founded in
1981 by Robert Zildjian, the
Hand Hammered or ‘HH’
series was its pioneering line.
Thirty-fi ve years on, these famous cymbals
have been treated to a well deserved
make-over. Sabian promise that with even
more hammering, the HH series will now
deliver more complexity and more tone.
Build
For review purposes, we have been sent the
14" X-Celerator hi-hats, 14" Fusion hats, 16"
Thin crash, 18" Medium-thin crash, 16" and
18" O-Zone crashes, 18" Thin Chinese, 20"
Garage ride, 21" Raw Bell Dry ride and 10"
splash. Among others, the range also
features Medium and Dark crashes and
hi-hats and a host of ride cymbals, including
the Power Bell ride and Vintage ride.
In comparison to the original HH cymbals,
the new ones are supposedly treated to a
much higher level of hand hammering.
“Because each cymbal is now hammered
more intensively, the profi le of each cymbal
has been carefully thought-out and worked
for the cymbal to be more sonically effective
and musically responsive.” Interestingly, we
could expect a single pair of hi-hats to be
hammered up to 2,000 times. Or a 24" ride
cymbal, a whopping 4,000 times!
For the seasoned Sabian users out there,
it may be worth taking note that the weight
ratings have changed slightly for the
Remastered collection. The cymbals are now
hammered thinner which means that the
new ‘thin’ crashes for instance are in fact the
equivalent of the old ‘extra-thin’ profi le.
Hands On
Visually, the HH Remastered range are
described by Sabian as that of a ‘vintage’
style. This is evident from the beautifully
lathed, un-polished, natural bronze fi nish on
From £148 Sabian’s famous Hand Hammered range is
back with a vengeance. Introducing HH Remastered
SABIAN HH
REMASTERED
WORDS: TOM BRADLEY
the majority of
these cymbals. Not
to mention of course,
the innately high-quality
hand-hammering which can
be seen covering the cymbal
from bell to edge. As a whole, this
treatment gives the cymbals a dark, classic
sound. In addition, despite being greeted by
the expected rich and traditional tonality,
the new HH remastered have a cheeky
surprise up their sleeve. They also possess
a slightly modern brightness to their sound
which not only equips them with more
attack, but also the potential to be incredibly
versatile; in a best-of-both-worlds kind of
way. There is a shortness to the length of
decay which when combined with a fairly
non-intrusive dynamic range gives them the
ability to announce themselves quickly but
not linger in a track. It also means you can
THEY POSSESS A SLIGHTLY MODERN
BRIGHTNESS TO THEIR SOUND WHICH NOT ONLY
EQUIPS THEM WITH MORE ATTACK, BUT ALSO
THE POTENTIAL TO BE INCREDIBLY VERSATILE
give them a fair thrashing without running
the risk of being too dominating.
I won’t beat around the bush here, it was
hard to tell the difference between the thin
and medium-thin crashes considering that
one of them is a 16" and the other is 18"
(respectively). That said, the thinner profi le
of the 16" explains why it was noticeably
lower-pitched than the 18".
There is plenty of defi nition in the attack
of these crashes, whether riding or crashing.
They are not excessively loud but have plenty
of presence and a warmth to their sound.
They seem to possess just the right frequency
range to sit well and not be overbearing in
almost any musical situation. Perhaps the
same can’t be said for the O-Zone crashes,
which (as anyone who has played one before
will know) are notoriously cutting. These quite
frankly impertinent cymbals have a uniquely
sharp and glassy sound which gives them the
series was its pioneering line.
Also try…
1
ZILDJIAN KEROPE
We say: “ The Kerope set
achieves Zildjian’s own
vintage brief beautifully,
recalling a classic era
increasingly desired by
the modern player. ”
2
ISTANBUL AGOP
MANTRA
We say: “ Jazz-based
cymbal retaining that
hallmark traditional
Istanbul character, but
with a sharper, brighter
cutting, rocking edge. ”
RHY253.gear_sabian.indd 106 23/02/2016 16:44