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Sabian Solar Reviews  3 / 5 based on 3 reviewsBought from Newcastle Drum Centre website for £89
This is a pretty basic cymbal pack. However, it's not particuarly bad and some parts are actually quite impressive. The cymbals are as such:
14" Hi-Hats - The hi-hats that come with the set are really rather good. They have a nice crisp tone and like most sabians you can get really good lifts with them. However, if you press the clutch too hard the cymbals will make an awful noise - not noticeable at louder volumes, but a problem none the less.
16" Crash - This crash lets down the whole set. Perhaps i'm wrong, but shouldn't a crash cymbal sound like a crash? take a normal crash cymbal, clamp the rim firmly with your fingers and hit it with a stick and you'll get a noise like this cymbal. You have no idea how frustrating it is bashing the living daylights out of this cymbal and hardly getting a noise at all.
20" Ride - After the crash I was not about to be optimistic about this cymbal but boy was I in for a surprise. It has a very crisp noise with a warm, distant tone and bright shimmering projection. When you hit the bow you can hear the tap of the stick followed by a clean, clear decay. The bell is a little clunky but it's still surprisingly nice. I'll give you an idea of how good this cymbal is. I decided to have a look in the storage room of the place where I practice as I knew there was another kit in there. Upon inspecting I found to my surprise a set of very expensive cymbals including a sabian hand hammered 21" raw ride and some zildjians. The zildjian ride didn't have a product name but there was a zildjian scimitar china boy next to it that looked identical so I guess it's a scimitar. Anyway I hooked the Zildjian ride up to my kit to see what it sounded like, and to my utter amazement, my Sabian solar ride actually sounded nicer! the Zildjian was louder and had a warmer tone but there was somehow more of a jazzy sound to the solar which, to my ears at least, made a nicer noise! Amazing.
As said above, the crash is an absolute let down, considering the surprising gem of a ride. This set isn't 14" hihats, a 16" crash and a 20" ride. it's 14" hats, a 20" ride and a 16" brake disc. it's really that bad.
Not bad, especially for the price. Obviously they don't look like anything special, but they look like they're going to last for a while, especially the crash, which should last for a very long time because if I ever use it again it will be to rob a bank with.
Well, I now have some Sabian B8 Pros and Paiste 502s (both of which are excellent, by the way) and although I've discarded the crash, I still use the ride as part of my basic set up!. Also, I have kept the hi-hats as a spare pair as they're okay. So to sum up this set of cymbals, I'd say that it's a good quality set, ideal for the beginner and with a brilliant ride, but if you're anything other than a beginner you'll want something more expensive, and even if you are a beginner I'd suggest buying a different crash. A Drummer rated this unit on 2004-07-28. I bought the set of 13" hi-hats, 14 " crash and 20" ride from 'www.poole-percussion.co.uk' for £79.00. I bought them to upgrade slightly from the terrible beginner cymbals that came with my kit.
I like the hi-hats. They make a short, crisp sound, and are surprisingly good for a beginner set. The ride is also good as it creates a pleasant ring and is a good addition to any jazz/rock musician.
The crash isn't to the best standard, it has a slight 'tinny' sound but it is quite good, as you should not expect the best quality from a beginner set like Solar.
The quality is generally good. The finish is very nice, a brilliant finish and the cymbals are not flimsy. Of course, any drummer should have the ability to break any cymbals!, but these should last a while.
Generally good set. A very reasonable price, and decent quality. Highlights are hi-hats and ride. An excellent buy on a restricted budget! James Hunter rated this unit on 2004-05-30. Paid about £65 for Sabian solar set from liverpool
I'll admit the price is cheap and the 20" ride is bearable.
The sound of the crash and hi-hats are awful, they give a terrible sound, and unfortunatly arent of good quality..I'm not one to beat a cymbal, but a few months after purchasing the set (which was a mistake even if i did have little money) the crash cymbal snaped.
Not fantastic to say the least.
Save up that little bit extra, if wanting something in a cheaper range don't go for Solar go for Paiste 101 for a better sound and quality. Vic Rattlehead rated this unit on 2003-11-25.
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