Categories: Cymbals

Sabian 22″ Vault Artisan Medium Ride Cymbal

Sabian’s Vault Artisan line focuses on the methods used to make cymbals that are hundreds of years old, and refrains from the use of machines, except perhaps the electric motor that turns the lathe, instead of using foot power. The finished cymbal looks a bit like the 22″ Legacy Heavy Ride that we have also reviewed. The differences are that the Artisan has more extensive hammering, wider lathing, and a slightly smaller bell. The results are a dark but distinct ping, and a deep wash.

Specifications

Manufacturer Line: Vault Artisan
Type: Ride
Style: Medium
Alloy: B20 – CuSn20 – 80% Copper, 20% Tin
Diameter: 22″
Metal Work: Hand Hammered, Hand Lathed, Buffed Finish
Weight: 6 Pounds
MSRP: $ 932 USA; Street Price $559
Sabian

The entire cymbal is hammered and lathed, with the lathe lines widely spaced compared to some other cymbals. The bell is not very large, and it is shallow, giving it a piercing sound when struck.

The spectrum of a single ping indicates a peak at 380 Hz, then a relatively smooth response out to 12 kHz, after which it drops to 15 kHz and rolls off slowly to 30 kHz. If you look at the spectrum from the 22″ HHX Legacy Heavy Ride Cymbal, you will see that it also has a peak, but at 275 Hz, and extends out to 13 kHz. The response is also somewhat flatter than the HHX Legacy. In any case, the two cymbals sound similar, yet distinct from one another in that the Artisan has a slightly higher pitch.

The Level vs. Time spectrum shows that the attack is sharp, followed by rapid decay.

Click HERE to listen to an audio sample, which will include crash (when appropriate), ride, and bell sounds (these are 24 bit, 176.4 kHz wav files, so be sure your sound card is capable of handling these high resolution sound files).

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John E. Johnson, Jr.

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. John E. Johnson, Jr. founded Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in 1994, shortly after publishing a hardcopy book of the same title. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity until 2022. John has been involved in audio and video for more than 50 years, having built radio transmitters, amplifiers, turntables, and speakers from scratch. He was also one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Video Association, now The Bay Area Audio Society. John holds four university degrees, including a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has published numerous scientific books, along with dozens of scientific articles on biomedical research topics as well as imaging technology. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of two medical/scientific journals for 20 years. John holds several patents, including one on high resolution image analysis and one on a surgical instrument. He has been affiliated with NASA, The National Institutes of Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Research Institute, and The University of California at Berkeley. He is President of the consulting firm Scientific Design and Information, Inc., which is based in Redwood City, California. John resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and multiple kitties! His daughter, Cynthia, who was an integral part of SECRETS for many years, resides in San Francisco.