A standard component of most drum kits, ride cymbals are often considered by percussionists to be a more “personal” choice of cymbal than others. The subtle coloring and nuance of a ride pattern and sustain certainly can be more immediately identifiable with a given player compared to, say, the brash accent of a crash cymbal.
MMR recently got on the horn with representatives from four prominent cymbal suppliers to learn about what trends are hot in the ride cymbal market, how successful dealers market and display these items, and what to expect in the coming months.
For your brand, what specific ride models are doing particularly well at the moment?
Mark Love: As we move into 2020, we have had great success with the AAX Thin and Medium Rides in 20”, 21” and 22.” The biggest buzz on rides recently is around our new HHX Complex Rides, especially the Thin and Medium versions 20”, 21”, and 22” models. Over the past year we also had great success with the Todd Sucherman Limited Edition Sessions ride, the demand far surpassed the production run of 250 cymbals.
Andy Tamulynas: Our most popular ride cymbal at the moment is the 21” K Sweet ride, which was released two years ago as part of the K Sweet series. It’s our #1 ride in sales, and we’re seeing a tremendous amount of drummers talking about it on social media. We are definitely noticing trends start to follow in K Sweet’s footsteps. Also among our top ride cymbals are the tried-and-true 21” A Zildjian Sweet ride and the meticulously crafted 22” K Constantinople Medium Thin Low.
Brian Blood: Big and warm does very well and Dream’s Bliss and Vintage Bliss series rides are on fire right now. Specifically the Bliss Series 22” Ride and the 24” Small Bell Flat Ride are selling extremely well right now here in the U.S.
Gabriel Harris: For Meinl, our new Byzance Foundry Reserve Rides and Light Rides have been selling well since their introduction at the beginning of 2019 with the 22” sizes just edging out the 20” sizes. Additionally, the Byzance Dual 20” Crash-Ride, the Byzance 21” Polyphonic Ride, and the 20” Classics Custom Dark Ride have all been very popular. Finally, the 21” Mike Johnston Transition Ride continues to be a perennial top seller for us.
Do you have any new or “on the horizon” ride cymbals that you expect will be impactful?
AT: Zildjian’s first-class Innovation Team is always bringing amazing prototypes to life. If you’ve ever seen or heard something labeled “Soundlab” in one of our YouTube videos or social media clips, you know what I’m talking about. There are certainly some ride cymbals in the mix here that are pretty special, and I expect will see the light of day in the market.
GH: The only new ride cymbal for 2020 is our 22” Pure Alloy Custom Medium-Thin Ride. The Pure Alloy Custom line was developed from requests for thinner models in the Pure Alloy line along with a unique finish we developed called custom smoked-bronze. The medium-thin weight makes a great all-around ride, easily opens for crashes and crash riding, and has a clear, punchy bell.
BB: Yes! We are extremely excited about the new 21” and 23” Eclipse Series Rides that Dream debuted at Winter NAMM. This series was a result of the success of their Dark Matter Eclipse ride and are quite different from anything else out there. These unique, repeatedly fired half-lathed cymbals are already getting a lot of attention on social media and at the dealer level. We’ve already received numerous inquiries about these cymbals after only two days of their announcement.
ML: We are working on two Limited Edition Flat Rides at the moment: one with Chick Corea, replicating a cymbal that was used on the classic Roy Haynes track, “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs.” The original 18” flat ride was given to Chick by Roy Haynes and has become a highly desired cymbal sound. We are also working on a 21” Flat Ride with Dave Weckl. It captures the complexity and richness of the darker, thin flat ride cymbals that haven’t seen much attention since Ed Thigpen used our Crystal Ride many years ago. We also have a few other ideas in our back pocket that we haven’t worked out the timing on, but as always, stay tuned!
What’s your overall impression of the market for ride cymbals, and cymbals in general?
BB: Cymbals are a steady, consistent, high value accessory. Drummers are always looking for the perfect personal sound and always take three things to every gig; cymbals, sticks and usually a pedal. We are seeing constant growth with Dream month over month. Spectacular musical performance at a fair price is a working formula.
ML: To me, ride cymbals are always the most personal, and every drummer has a sound in their head that they imagine to be the holy grail. And of course, they are all a bit different. This is why cymbal craftsmanship never gets boring. Cymbals in general still allow drummers to create their own sound and the models we develop each year make this creative process enjoyable and exciting for both drummers and cymbal manufacturers.
GH: The market for ride cymbals has become fragmented and specified based on the individual music a drummer is playing whether that is specific to jazz, fusion, metal, praise and worship, et cetera. However, if there is one overall growing trend we see, it would be ride cymbals that are thinner and used additionally as crashes or for crash/wash riding on the edge rather than articulate sticking on the bow only. And a good bell seems to always be in demand regardless of how thin the ride is, which is what has made our 21” Polyphonic Ride so unique and popular. It features a prominent unlathed bell that receives additional hand-hammering for a solid bell tone to contrast the tapered bow and thin edge for crashes that open easily and intense crash riding patterns.
AT: The ride cymbal is one of the most personal aspects of a drummer’s setup – and since there are so many different types of players out there, this is a hard question! I think that two of the strongest gravitational forces in cymbals right now are: 1) the traditional K sound and 2) dry and trashy sounds that emulate electronics.
What promotional/display/sales strategies have you noticed dealers who are particularly successful in selling ride cymbals enacting?
GH: Selection and stock on-hand still seem to be the best strategies for selling ride cymbals. Online retailers who offer a wider selection of stock or information through demo and comparison videos definitely have an advantage reaching potential customers. It can be tough for brick-and-mortar retailers to keep several rides in stock, so dealers have to be picky about what to stock. Not every market has a happening jazz scene, but most-to-all markets have churches nearby where musicians and drummers are playing on a regular basis. In modern worship music, there is a growing trend for drummers to play big, dark, washy ride cymbals. While there are several great Byzance models that fit that bill, one of the more budget friendly options Meinl offers is the 22” Classics Custom Dark Crash-Ride. Even though it’s called a crash-ride, the weight is distributed like a thin ride that opens up easily for crashing and wash riding, and the overall sound lends itself to this style at about half the price of a same sized Byzance.
AT: At retail, I think that having gloves in the cymbal room is a fantastic idea. A ride cymbal can be a big investment, and a store showing that they care about the appearance of the instrument goes a long way for a picky buyer. For online shoppers, the most successful dealers are the ones who are utilizing all the video and photo assets they can get their hands on – whether it’s supplied by the manufacturer, or created in-house. Ideally, both!
BB: Simple. Put Dream cymbals next to the most expensive similar cymbals on the wall, and hide the price until dealers and customers hear them. The product speaks for itself. On top of this, Dream’s recycling program (get one dollar per inch of any broken cymbal from any brand towards any Dream cymbals) is the secret weapon of every successful drum shop for driving traffic and building relationships between the dealer, customer and brand.
ML: The promotions around Limited Edition Rides have worked well for and continue to generate great interest in addition to very innovative sounds. Also, cymbal sets that include a unique Ride help propel sales in both ride cymbals and cymbals in general. Our custom shop program is also a great tool to allow drummers to create their own sounds and be different then everyone else, and really use their ideas to create masterpieces that they can claim as their own.
Expectations for this market segment in the coming months?
ML: As always, Ride cymbals will continue to be among the type of cymbals that generate the most interest, and along with the ideas listed above we are working on a number of fronts to keep the development ideas coming. Stay tuned…
AT: Thin weights, big sizes and dark and rich sounds are in, so I think we’ll continue to see drummers gravitating towards cymbals that deliver on those trends in the coming months.
GH: It’s fun to watch the evolution of the drumkit right now. We are seeing stacks and other effects continue to increase as time keepers which means less time on the ride cymbal. But I don’t think it has diminished the ride’s importance. Instead, I think it has made the ride more important. We see many more role and niche specific ride cymbals on the market today than ever before. As well, we are seeing a growing segment of ride cymbals that do multiple things very well as mentioned before. All of this means that drummers have a much better chance of finding that “perfect” ride – whatever it may be for them. I think we will continue to see the ride evolve in these two ways as both more specific and more multi-functional.
BB: Continued double-digit growth for Dream cymbal sales.
