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 20-inch medium ride cymbal

The name gives it away: the 20-inch AA medium ride is a great, versatile ride cymbal made of high-quality B20 bronze. It balances both great stick definition and beautiful tones. Its bell sound is clear and cutting, while the bow gives off a nice balance of stick sound and tone. This combination of characteristics makes this medium ride cymbal well-suited for virtually any style of music.