When SABIAN launched Cymbal Vote in 2012, it was the first time a major music manufacturer had allowed its customers to choose their annual product offering. The Cymbal Vote concept is simple: a dozen tantalizing new cymbal models are developed by the SABIAN Vault team so that drummers around the world can vote throughout an eight week period until a final four are left standing. Those four are officially announced as SABIAN’s product offering at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California.
AAX changed everything! Before AAX, most cymbals were manufactured using processes that had been around for centuries. AAX was the first B20 Bronze cymbals designed and manufactured using completely modern lathing and hammering techniques. The result? Increased brightness, cut and musicality – for the widest dynamic range ever achieved. And suddenly, the bright, explosive tone of AA cymbals was available even at low volume. AAX uses hand-guided, high-pressure hammering for instant, bright responses. Pinpoint lathing is used to achieve increased sensitivity and wide dynamic range – even at low volume. And the high profile shape delivers cutting, high-pitched tone. In the studio or on stage, in every style of music, only AAX delivers such consistently bright, crisp, clear, and cutting responses. AAX is the ultimate Modern Bright sound!
A perennial best-selling SABIAN series, AAX is played by top SABIAN artists like George Kollias (Nile), Xavier Muriel (Buckcherry), Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour), Mark Schulman (Pink), Daniel Adair (Nickelback), Ray Luzier (Korn), and Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z), and many, many. Ray Luzier puts it best, when he says, “I play AAX. They cut when you want them to cut. I love ‘em and I get a ton of compliments from studio producers and other players. †George Kollias goes further: “These cymbals are wicked. Sabian is always evolving, always coming up with new ideas. It helps me grow as a musician. †Daniel Adair agrees: “The arrival of AAX changed everything for me. It’s so efficient, so effective, so modern. â€
Like all SABIAN B20 Cast Cymbals, 14†AAX X-Plosion Hats begin life in the Foundry, where a centuries-old family process is used to create the most musical and durable of all cymbal alloys. Inside the Foundry, SABIAN metallurgists combine carefully measured amounts of Copper, Tin and Silver, heat it to 2100 degrees Fahrenheit, and pour it into casts. At this stage, it’s hard to believe these castings will eventually become a powerhouse pairing like the AAX X-Plosion Hats. But first, they must go on a journey through Multi-rolling for intensity, Hammering for tone, Lathing for enhanced response and projection, and a final Aging process in the legendary SABIAN Vault for optimum sound. In a sense, it’s a journey that’s only complete when you play the cymbal of your choice − an evolution from idea to reality. It is this process – innovation blended with traditional cymbal-making – that allowed AAX to make history as the first modern cymbal concept in B20 bronze.
