John E. Johnson, Jr.

One of Sabian's more economical lines of cymbals (mid-priced) is called APX. They are made from sheet metal rather than cast, but they still use a bronze alloy (not brass). This particular one is the 22" APX ride cymbal, and I have to say that the ping from this cymbal cuts through like a razor. It has a very sharp and lightning fast attack, with very little wash. So, all the energy goes into the ping. You can ride the heck out of it without developing a wash that buries the ping. So, don't overlook this moderately inexpensive series. It might have what you need.

Meinl's Soundcaster series is one of their top lines. They are B20 bronze, with elegant hand hammering and lathing, and the surface has one region near the bell that is hammered but not lathed, while the outer region is hammered and lathed, so you get three playing surfaces including the bell (which is not hammered or lathed). It comes in the Brilliant finish, and is a sure fire attention-getter both in looks and sound.

The bell of a cymbal is much more than just a place to suspend the cymbal from. It contributes a lot to the sound. The larger the bell, in general, the more musical it sounds. A cymbal without a bell sounds very dry. A typical cymbal has a bell that spans about 25-30% of the cymbal diameter. In this 22" Meinl Soundcaster Custom Mega Bell Ride Cymbal, the bell makes up nearly half the diameter across the cymbal. This results in a very unique ride sound, and it also gives "Bell Riders" a huge surface to work with.

The Meinl MB10 series is one step away from the B8 in terms of copper content (it has 10% tin instead of 8%). This heavy 22" ride cymbal has a bright ping with a modest wash and would work very well in any rock setting.