Wuhan S-Series Hi-Hats and Crash Reviews 5

I got the crash (which came witha free traditional 18" china) from musiciansfriend.com for $80. The hi-hats were $135 from idahopercussion.com. I actually wanted the china first, so I got the china/crash pack from musiciansfriend. I liked the crash so much, and I needed hi-hats. So I got the S-series hats from idahopercussion.com. The china was very good as well.

The hi-hats are very cutting, very nice sounding. It has a tsssss sound when open. It is _loud_ enough so that it almost hurts my ears when I play it open for more than a few measures. The Crash is my favorite. It has differnet sound than a traditional crash cymbal (it is not extreme, however) that I really like. It's more evident when crashed softly. The best I can describe it is a soft, metallic roaring sound. The cymbal has nice build, and has a wash of distinct color. It is an extremely bright sound, and very uplifting. It sounded like a much more expensive cymbal in my recordings.

The hi hats have a relatively small range in frequency, and can ring a little too much, or be hard to control if a piece requires less of a cutting sound. The crash has perhaps too much wash for some, and even on the closest hits to the bell, it it hard to get a ping without some wash. The sound is great, but some may prefer less (as I call it) "personality"- and more of that thrashy sound.

Construction of the hats seem pretty solid and thick. This gives a higher sound, I believe. The hats are shiny, though you may need to shine them, as they are cheaper in price and therefore probably not treated as well by the retailer (there are some handprints etc). The crash is also very shiny, and looked good. However, upon close inspection of the cymbals, it is apparent that it is hand-hammered, as the marks are not even, and on the crash there is one dent that is too deep (again not noticeable unless under scrutiny). If you want perfect looks, these will work-but you may have to get some marks of first.

There you go. All in all, the hats are pretty good (though too high for my style of music) , and the crash is great as long as you like character in a bright sounding crash. I love the crash, and especially if you have the money and want to add a very bright cymbal to your setup, I would recomend any S-Series.

Peter Sai-Ngarm rated this unit 5 on 2003-08-19.

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