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Mini review of Jman's A to E conversion kit on 18" cymbal used as a Ride

Started by SHwoKing, March 16, 2012, 07:01:11 PM

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SHwoKing

Rider asked to know more about the Ride i have from Jman so here is a little review about it and how it compares to the 2Box 14" cymbal.

Bow performance

2Box design allow 360° action on the bow, both on the 18" and 14". This is particuly handy when you want to swap fastly from bow to bell as i tend to hit the side of the cymbal a give a little wrist hit with stick shoulder when i want to do that.

Sensitivity wise, the bow respond just like the 14" is. You start at -35.0 DB for the softer hit and you have a smooth transition from soft to loud. When you hit hard, you tend to trigger the bell sound more easily with the 14" than the 18". I guess it is due to a larger surface so you hit farther from the Piezo. The more you play near the Piezo, the easiest it is to trigger the bell sound on the bow.

Bell performance
The bell is bigger on the 18" so it is very easy to hit the target. It is also easier to trigger a bell sound instead of fierce bow sound when hitting the bell more softly. No doubt the 18" is better in this area.

Edge performance and Choke
The biggest difference is that the 14" allow 360° edge hit and choke whereas Jman's design has a limited area just where the choke strip is. Not very important though to me the way I play it. Choke is easy on both, no need for monkey grab, the 14" is easier to choke but only slightly.
Edge is more sensitive on the 14" allowing smoother swell. Though it's not like I need to do swell on a Ride. The good thing about the 18" is that you really have to hit the edge with stick shoulder to trigger the edge sensor whereas it is possible to trigger it while playing on the bow very close to the edge on the 14".

Closing comment
If noise is not an issue, especially if you play on the bell, the better choice is obviously Jman's conversion kit. You'll have feel, swing, large playable area and better bow/bell separation. Not to mention good looking. I must say I really love it. A good ride for the money for sure  ;D

SHwoKing

Quote from: Rider on March 16, 2012, 07:48:13 PM
wasnt aware that 2box had problems with the bow triggering the bell

So overall its better to have AE ride and 2box crashes maybe???

will wait anxious for the hh conversion review!!!

thx shwoking  :rock:

I reserve my final verdict when everything will be set.Should be soon.

About the crashes, the 15" cymbal i have is a thin crash so the edge sensor is a bit more sensitive than the 18". Still not as sensitive as the 2Box meaning you have to start at a higher velocity for swell. This is something that can be easily adress depending of the Dsnd you use. If you use a Dsnd where the bow and edge sound are quiet the same (there's stock 2Box Dsnd built this way), you'll not even notice it.

My personnal preference is for the A to E. This is why I have bought another kit for a second crash (a 16").

The reason is related to the feel. I mount my cymbals on gibraltar arm with turning point and use rubber "felt" (wedgie) at the bottom to avoid rotation.
2box cymbals is thick to a point i had to cut in half the rubber felt to have enough space. You cannot use a classic size felt for the top, you'll need the same diameter as Hi Hat felt too.
The result when mounted is not very good, the swing is very stiff to me. I also tend to hit the crash with a rotation of the wrist. Rubber material used for 2Box does not allow the stick to slide very well on the cymbal. So the feeling overall is not good to me. They perform very well trigger wise but feel and durability is questionable.

Also a side note, A to E cymbals are louder than rubber counterpart for sure but not when you crash them. When you hit the 2box cymbal, the pitch is pretty high and seems louder than a good swing on my crash.