Sabian Vault 21" Crossover Ride

Group: Rides
Type: Crossover Ride
Size: 21 Inch
Series: Vault
Weight: 2152g, 2191g, 2264g, 2290g, 2319g, 2323g, 2365g
Median Weight: 2290g (n=7)
Years of production: 2008 - ?
Sound file: Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Vault 21" Crossover Ride
Sabian's Description: <<< - >>>
Review: "The sound wizards at Sabian have introduced the Vault Crossover Ride, an all-new 21-inch versatile cymbal featuring a modern jazz design that is intended to be responsive yet controllable.

Combining vintage darkness and modern response concepts, the Crossover Ride is a medium-thin model with a medium-size bell, plus lathing and hammering combinations on its top and bottom surfaces.

The tone is said to be warm, semi-dark and very musical, while the ability to ride and crash with total stick articulation means even the most complex sticking patterns can be played - and heard - at all times. The single-line lathing on its top surface even gives this model a look that hints at its sound: darkness and brightness combined to create a rich tonal color in a cymbal one can ride, accent, and crash in virtually any style of music."

Review written by MusicRadar ("Sabian crosses over with new Vault ride cymbal", MusicRadar.com, May 8, 2008)

Review: "Sabian’s Crossover ride is a unique piece of B20 bronze that has some light lathing and a distressed look on top, with a clean machine-lathed underside. Sabian claims that this cymbal can function as a crash and as a ride, and that it can “crossover” musical styles very successfully. Playing swing time with an acorn-beaded stick sounded convincing in a small-group jazz setting, but in some rooms this cymbal produced a gong-like overtone. There isn’t much time wasted looking for a sweet spot, as striking with the tip anywhere around the bow of the cymbal produced a consistent sound.

Switching to a bigger stick with a round tip produced a bolder, more articulate sound, making the Crossover ride more useful in amplified music. The bell is on the small side, which makes its sound a little shrill in an acoustic setting but allows it to cut just right in moderately loud situations.

As a crash, this cymbal delivers a sizeable but not overwhelmingly dark sound that works great for accents in soft and loud jazz contexts, as well as when bashing it home in medium- to high-volume rock songs. Playing the Crossover with mallets produces dark swells with a warm but glassy decay.

I enjoyed the crash-ride capabilities of the 21" Crossover ride when I was touring in a blues band, as it had the right amount of ping and wash. I brought it on small jazz gigs, and it felt comfortable enough. But I would love to hear what it would sound like with a few rivets. I also used the Crossover for a few shows with a singer/songwriter, and it fit right in, both as a crash and as a ride. And with my high-volume post-rock band, I used it as a crash— with mallets — and as a ride. While at times it was too dark to compete with this band’s multiple high-wattage guitar rigs, it was a nice contrast to the brighter-sounding Bonham-esque cymbal setup I usually use with that group."

Review written by Stephen Bidwell (Sabian - Vault Crossover Ride And Jojo Mayer Signature Fierce Hats", Modern Drummer, December 2008, p. 32)