Matt Garstka and Matt Halpern signature Ride Battle | Gear4music Drums

[@benmchardy]

I tried them both 5mins ago in my local music store The Equilibrium has the best bell I’ve ever played, with it being super bright and piercing with very little force, and with no ugly overtones. It crashes super nicely with an excellent stick-response and touch, but it crashes super dark, which makes it a tough choice for a crash-ride, because the crash feels like it sits below (in pitch) a typical crash / crash-ride, making it potentially hard to use as a crash-ride for an exciting section - because the bell pierces, and the crash is so dark, it has a very big contrast and sonic range overall, so it would be a wonderful choice for someone who crashes their ride as an accent / occasional extra colour, rather than as a constant crashing (crash-ride) leading-hand cymbal. The Double Down has one of the best crashes I’ve ever felt from a ride. Super thin and elegant - feels as though the cymbal enjoys crashing, bending and flexing nicely. The crash is pretty perfectly dark; not too dark like the Equilibrium, but a controlled and lovely amount of brightness when you crash-ride it. For example, it would work great in Deftones and Periphery choruses. and it doesn’t have any wild ugly overtones that limit how hard you can crash on it. The bell is very nice on the Double Down, but it definitely seems to have more of a precise sweet-spot than the Equilibrium, so it takes a little bit more care to achieve a consistent bell tone. If there was a 20” or 21” Equilibrium with a brighter crash and perhaps slightly more bend and flex when crashed, I might choose that over the Double Down. Overall, I’ll probably end up buying the Double Down - I’m going home now to see if I can find any other cymbals (Byzance, Foundry Reserve etc) to compete against it before I lock in my purchase, but it’s the best crash-ride I’ve ever played, while still having nice stick definition and brll!! Thanks for this video, as it was super helpful, and provided some useful insights into the merits of each cymbal!!

[@TheProgGuy]

i felt like if the double down had a better bell, i'd be way more inclined to buy it, but I understand Matt Halpern doesn't use a ride cymbal in that way. otherwise it's a near perfect crash-ride.

[@benmchardy]

@@TheProgGuy I ended up buying the double down! Getting a nice bell out of the double down has an interesting secret, which is that you have to strike using the tapering section of the stick (just below the tip of the stick) - I think the Equilibrium ride's bell is better, but the double down's is pretty safe too!!

[@MusicandTractors]

I own the double down. I absolutely love it! Every time I hit it it makes me smile. Sounds great too! 😂

[@Lumerdrums]

I like the double down ride more for "ride" purpose, and the garstka ride more for crashing. both sound beautiful on their own

[@MabuyoshiSenjutsu]

True!

[@wyeth1023]

got Garstka's ride a few weeks ago, I love it!

[@MabuyoshiSenjutsu]

I am a drummer who don't really like to crash my ride. Me, on the other hand am using a C2 Squared ride! It's an articulate ride with a solid piercing bell! For the two selection, if you are a drummer like me, Double Down all the way! Equilibrium ride is falls more like a CRASHABLE ride to me, and it also really blends well don't get me wrong, if you like to crash your ride this is prolly one of the best crushable ride I have heard!

[@eucabusas]

For me, the bell on the Garstka ride is too integrated and the one on Halpern's is a bit weak. But if I have to choose i'ts Gartska's ride for me just for its overall crashability and articulation.

[@westbrad6808]

Love the reviews! If possible, it'd be great to list the stick size/info and cymbal weights (esp for hand hammered cymbals). Thanks!

[@jimmygriswold9258]

I want the Halpern crash, with the bell from Gartska’s. I’ve been chasing the sound from my old 20” avedis zildjian from I don’t know 60s or 70s. I found it on the football field while walking to school early one morning, probably fell off the cart or some one set it down and walked away, but it was either a suspended crash, or one of the crash cymbals used for marching. So medium thin, 30 or 40 years of patina , fingerprints, grime oxidation from kids touching it and handling it leaving it out in the sprinkled football field, I mean this thing was almost green, so it was dry, with a clear pronounced bell awesome dark crash , great stick def for ride best of all the worlds. Let a friend play my kit, he cracked it. Couldn’t ever get the crack under control, and it kept splitting so I retired it before it was too far gone. Now when I find these on eBay everyone is cleaning and polishing them and it drives me nuts cause I would pay $100 bucks extra not to clean the heckin thing!

[@danielschroder6678]

I don't really like either. Both in my opinion are sort of high-pitched and slightly hollow sounding, which makes them a tad weak. (It's not only this video, I hear it in all others as well.) The Halpern Double Down ride is basically a really dry crash, it rides like my 18" Dark Crash. I love the tine, but the bell makes a weak "pish" instead of a clear "ping" or dirty "tang". I like the dry stick definition, but crashing it aounds a little choked, as if someone put some moongels on it. I'm certain this is an intended effect to bring it back down from crashing to nothing in a second, but it makes the crash sound weird. Definitely an allrounder, but with clear weaknesses which make me wish to rather use two different cymbals foe either job instead of using one which obly half-asses both. Same for the Garstka (GARST-KA, not Gart-ska) Omni Ride. The bell is just too weak imo, the high pitch on that one especially makes it aound much smaller than it is, and the sound is weirdly hollow like on the 18" Dual Crashes (where I can appreciate that characteristic more). It's less dry than the Halpern ride, and I like the balance between shimmer and articulation in the lower volumes - but it's certainly not a one-does-it-all kinda ride. Too brittle for that.

[@drummrboy]

I agree, both would be great jazz rides, but surprisingly they come from metal drummers...

[@DestinCollins-eo8zv]

I feel like Matt cymbal Is like a dual series crash ride, but the dark series is in the middle of it and then the jazz is on the outside. At least that’s what I think.

[@smashrhythm]

Check out how insane the hammering is on the double down 7:33

[@matthewwhitaker4849]

love this video! What would you say is good between the Garstka ride and the 22 inch Benny Sand Ride?

[@GwanYTB]

Both cymbals are great, but for me the Equilibrium is what I'd chose.

[@vincenzoa2929]

I like both.

[@DaniMard90]

Personally I'd use and enjoy more the Double Down, I actually liked it more

[@cooper8844]

holy underrated

[@jhcarloscrrzm.2828]

Matt Garstka ride 🔥💯

[@petevenarie9285]

I came here to see your thoughts, and without personal commitment, you asked for mine. You fleeced me, sad face, no sub

[@bishopoftroy]

At the beginning you say we`ll find out which cymbal is the best but then we`ll leave that to you lol. Besides you can`t really compare them in terms of which is the best. Have them side by side and show the different characteristics while playing them. Be more involved in the characterization. I found the video a bit lazy.

[@mapachekamikaze5124]

it's just a cymbal comparison video, chill.

[@bishopoftroy]

@@mapachekamikaze5124 so that`s not a reason to do things properly? i find your comment a bit dumb.

[@loveroflife1438]

@@bishopoftroyya what a goofy comment It like them crash cymbal demo we have all heard 30 seconds but 28 seconds of ridding it the 1-2 crash hits like what the fuck

[@bishopoftroy]

@@loveroflife1438 i don`t understand yo english yaw, i`m not from the hood or sum shit.

[@loveroflife1438]

Problem with them is the ride is tooo washy but love the crash ability me personally I’ll have have a ride and crash separately but I love using crash rides as crashes

[@videoaccount8459]

Ur a nice enough guy just wanted to hear more of the actual cym ak than u talking or maybe u could talk while playing the cymbal??

[@davegarciaofficial]

Meinl’s ride game is incredibly frustrating. Two ridiculously priced rides and both still have anemic bells. In order to get any kind of true clear piercing bell out of ANY of their rides, you have to practically throw out your elbow whipping the shoulder of the stick into the bell. It’s absurd. Meinl’s cymbals in general across the board are absolutely spectacular. But the hunt for a ride continues. How is it that Paiste, Zildjian and Sabian have all figured out how to make perfectly balanced rides but Meinl still can’t get it right???

[@rewelldrums]

Gartska

[@zothanzualachhangte3416]

It's so obvious that Matt's signature is clearly better.. 😅

[@noisek8812]

Both are more like crashes