SABIAN Releases 7 New Cymbals by Mike Portnoy

SABIAN is proud to announce the release of no less than eight new products in conjunction with Mike Portnoy that coincides with Mike’s touring duties with Dream Theater.

The new products are made up of:

• AA Bell Chimes in 6”, 6.5”, and 7” sizes, along with a set of all three
• AA MAXX Splashes – these are the updated versions of the original MAX Splashes, originally released in 2000, in 7”, 9”, & 11” sizes
• 22” HHX MAX Ride

“With Dream Theater back out on tour and Mike’s drumming sounding better than ever, the timing was too good to be true to miss working with Mike on some new cymbals.” says SABIAN’s VP Sales & Marketing, Stacey Montgomery-Clark. “Please excuse the pun, but he’s a dream to work with and we’re very proud of the new cymbals we’re releasing today.”

Adding further, Chris Stankee, SABIAN’s Global Artist Relations Director, “All of these new models are already part of Mike’s set-up on the Dream Theater tour and there’s no better demonstrator than Mike himself to show you how these new chimes, splashes, and ride sound.”

The new AAX MAXX Splashes have a larger, raw bell and new shape, producing more volume and projection compared to the original versions.

The AA Bell Chimes are thinner than a cup chime or ice bell but thicker than a splash, with a number of ways of mounting them either singularly or upside down on top of other cymbals. Crisp, clear, and well defined while also fitting in with any melody, these bell chimes are yet another sound innovation from SABIAN.

Finally, the 22” HHX MAX Ride was Mike’s vision of combining elements of the 22” HH Rock Ride that he played for many years, along with his more recent favourite, the 40th Anniversary Artisan Raw Bell Dry Ride. It is lathed on the bow to the edge on both the top and bottom and finished with an un-lathed HHX hammered bell, making this medium-heavy ride a true powerhouse cymbal.

Said Mike, himself, “I wanted to talk about how much I love SABIAN: I’ve been with them for over 30 years. They believed in me in the early days when I was just coming up. And their love and support to me has always meant so much. Obviously the cymbals speak for themselves, they’re so beautiful. …. The MAX Chimes, I love them, they just sing, they’re absolutely gorgeous. …The 22” Max ride – which is a work of art, absolutely beautiful, is clean and crisp, it sings, and the bell just cuts like a knife.”

All eight SKUs are shipping now.