Reviews
"The Bash rides are so named because of their crashing capabilities, but they make the most precise, almost delicate, of ride cymbals. The 24" ride has a little more spread, a wider tone and the wash is on the vocal side but it remains manageable - if treated with respect. Crash either of them though and they rear up in a wave of sound. The 24" drenches everything within a 6ft radius with an ocean-sized wash. Definitely one for lovers of 26" bass drums." - Adam Jones
"The name of this cymbal gives an indication of the intended use: With the 24" AA Bash Ride is a cymbal that can also be beaten by violent crash/ride patterns. But first of all it is a ride cymbal and, due to its manufacturing method and its material thickness, it combines the properties of a Raw Bell Dry Ride cymbal with those of a larger and lighter cymbal model and a slightly smaller bell. The cymbal in a brilliant finish impresses with bright, clear stick attacks that are clearly set off from a light to quite strong background noise at higher volumes. As a crash/ride it provides powerful accents as well as a dense, relatively brightly rustling soundscape and is therefore particularly good for more modern rock styles, e.g. suitable from the alternative rock." - Axel Mikolajczak
"The Sabian AA Bash Ride's pronounced stick definition is a special feature. This cymbal doesn't have a bright ping or a broad wash, nor is it an especially explosive crash. There's a wide range of timbre from the edge of the cymbal to the lip of the bell, and instead of pronounced wash, ping or crash, what you have is a lot of subtlety. If you start bashing away, you get waves of darker as opposed to bright wash, with lots of gorgeous stick definition. The Bash Ride is more on the ride end than the crash end. The bell is very crisp and clearly defined. If you're looking for pronounced stick definition & lots of subtlety, as opposed to extreme characteristics, then this is a terrific cymbal for you. If your lightest touch will stun a gorilla & you want to get bashing away, you'll have rich powerful waves of sound." - Marsupialsonogram
"This giant cymbal is a walking contradiction. Other than the bell, which is dark, raw, and unlathed, the ride has typical AA lathing. But for a supposedly aggressive cymbal, it had a remarkably warm tone. Even when I was crash-riding it, its overtones were more smooth than piercing. And riding it in the normal fashion was a pleasant surprise. All in all, this thing is truly sweet. Yes, if you lean into it, the overtones will quickly build up. But in low-to medium-volume situations, it generated a very "pretty" tonality. It was particularly great for playing ballads, which is counterintuitive for a cymbal with the word bash in its name. The bow is thinner near the edge, so playing on the outside inch adds a warm wash to the ride tone. Simply move a few inches closer to the bell, and the sound gains brightness and definition-almost like having two cymbals in one. The bell yielded a perfectly nice, universal medium-ride-type tone." - Mark Parsons
"AA Apollo rides are designed for versatility, whether hit hard for cutting yet musical tones, struck quickly for a strong and woody stick attack, or played more delicately for more nuanced textures. They provided utmost articulation at all volumes and had a controlled, semi-bright shimmer. The 24 version was drier and had a muted crash sound with a very quick decay. The bells on the Apollos were musical and clear (probably my favorites of the collection). The Apollos stood out in their ability to elicit super-complex, vintage-like tones without sounding too dark or trashy. (Bass players would appreciate how they didn't muck up the lower frequencies.)" - Michael Dawson
