Sabian AA 17-inch Holy China cymbal

General

In 1981, after his older brother Armand became head of the Zildjian company, Robert Zildjian decided to leave his family's company and start anew. Then, armed with years of experience and a great knowledge of the trade, he founded his own cymbal manufacturing company, Sabian, which he named after his three children, Sally, Bill and Andy (SaBiAn). Since then, Sabian has grown into a well-respected manufacturer of cymbals and counts itself as one of the 'Big Four', along with Zildjian, Paiste and Meinl.

Sabian AA series

Sabian classifies the AA series as 'Vintage Bright', indicating that these cymbals aim for a more classic sound and tone, while also achieving a bright sound that matches well with virtually any music style. The AA stands for 'automated anvil', referencing the fact that these are machine-made cymbals – though those machines are still operated by the master craftsmen at Sabian, of course. This partly automated process allows Sabian to create a line of cymbals that have a specific sound that does not vary much from cymbal to cymbal, whereas no two hand-hammered cymbals are exactly the same.

Sabian AA 17-inch Holy China cymbal

Sabian's 17-inch AA Holy China is loud. Accordian to Sabian it's one of the loudest cymbals they've ever made, and that is probably thanks in no small part to the fact that it was designed in collaboration with Chad Smith, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This china has a slightly raised profile to give it a higher pitch, and as the smallest member of the family, this 17-inch model is logically not quite as loud as its larger siblings while also being highest in pitch. Naturally, it does have the same specific pattern of small holes that makes the sound slightly airier and allows the cymbal to react quickly, regardless of how hard you're hitting it.