Sabian AAX 18" Rocktagon

Group: Crashes
Type: Rocktagon
Size: 18 Inch
Series: AAX
Weight: 1402g, 1439g, 1441g, 1452g, 1468g
Median Weight: 1441g (n=5)
Years of production: 2023¹ - Present
Sound file: AAX 18" Rocktagon
AAX 18" Rocktagon
AAX 18" Rocktagon
AAX 18" Rocktagon
AAX 18" Rocktagon
AAX 18" Rocktagon
AAX 18" Rocktagon
Sabian's Description: <<< - >>>
Review: "I don’t think I’m being unfair by saying that Sabian has never been shy in creating weird and wonderful cymbals. Ok, they’re not the only ones now, and may not even have been the first to go a little more out there with cymbal concepts, but they were certainly the first company I saw thinking outside of the realms of ‘normal’.

When I was younger, I had a Sabian advert on my wall. It had loads of endorser’s photos on it and included in that list was Canadian drummer Gil Moore from Triumph.

Now, it was only decades later that I ever heard any of Triumph’s music, but what I remembered from day one of seeing that picture was the Rocktagons he was playing. He was using a good few of them. I was fascinated. It was a good long while later that I actually got to play a Rocktagon myself after I managed to get one from eBay.

Back in the 1980s – that’s waaay before YouTube for you younger people – it wasn’t as easy to watch bands on video and so I never got to see and hear what Mr Moore’s cymbals actually sounded like. I had it in my head that these weird looking eight-sided cymbals sounded like regular crashes and the shape was just an aesthetic thing. I was wrong.

I would describe the sound of the 18” Rocktagon crash as somewhere between a crash and an O-zone. It has the attack of a crash with a tinge of trashy spread like an O-zone. It’s not so much of an everyday sound for me, but it is something I really like and have used on a recording.

As a bit of fun for the video, I put my own older AA Rocktagon up with the new one to see if there were any obvious differences in sound. Full credit to Fabian here, they wasn’t. Aside from a small pitch difference, in the room they sounded pretty much the same.

They’re not for everyone, but I think they’re cool looking and provide a unique sound addition to a kit.

The Rocktagon is only available in an 18” size."

Review written by David Bateman ("Sabian Cymbal Selection", mikedolbear.com, December 2, 2023)

Artist/song where it can be heard:

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Source:
¹ Drum Club, November 2023, pg. 18