THE WHOLE FAMILY

THERE'S A LION IN THE HOUSE!

Like many musicians, I suffer from "GAS" or "Gear Acquisition Syndrome". This is just another example of consumerist masochism, or discontentment with what one has, specially when "new" products are brought to the market. So I've been thinking about my drum set recently, and what parts I had/have wanted to either replace, upgrade, or augment. My GAS is relatively mild. I've grown to love my set, and have no plans of selling any of the parts in favor of something new. I've got this old skool mentality that every musical instrument is sacred, and has some kind of soul. So I treat them all with dignity.

I hadn't bought a cymbal since 1978. But in 2009 I was unexpectedly seduced by the sound of a tiny, unassuming 8" Mini-China from an unheralded company, Stagg. Not only was it the cutest thing I had heard, but it was also so ridiculously cheap. I had only known Stagg as a European company that rebadged and sold cheap (as in low-quality) musical instruments made in China. But this didn't enter my mind because its the sound that mattered, not the pedigree. Suffice to say, I succumbed to its charms. Buying it led to getting a second China, a second-hand Stagg 16" SH China from a student needing the money for school. It was the only cymbal I acquired without playtesting. I'm just lucky that the sound appealed to me, and was unique compared to other Chinas I'd heard.

A year later it dawned on me, what if I put together an all-China setup? I told Abe Billano about it, and he jokingly said "maraming magagalit sa iyo", owing to the fact that the trashy, punctuated sound of China-type cymbals are an irritating antithesis of the shimmering, sustainy sounds of Turkish-style cymbals that most popular musicians are used to. It remains an insane albeit intriguing idea though, one which I hope to achieve one day.

Last week, I read a post on the local musicians board about a guy who bought an 18" Stagg Lion China for an outrageously low price. I've always been intrigued by Chinese-made China-type cymbals. I felt that if you want a REAL China, get one actually MADE in China, which exactly what Lion Chinas are. So I went down to the store, and asked to play-test it. They brought out an 18" and a 16". The 16" was gorgeous, the 18" slightly less so. Unfortunately, they had only one 18" in the store. So I called them back later, asking to inform me when they had more stocks of the 18" so I could choose one I liked. By chance, I passed by another branch of the store chain a couple of days later, and asked if they had the same thing. They too said they only had one left. So I checked it out in context, together with a 16" Lion, and a 16" SH like mine. Their 16" was just OK, the SH was crap, but the 18" was roaringly glorious. I even had the sales person turn up their sound system so I could hear it together with some music. It sounded even better. My wife told me she would get it as an advance birthday present. So we made a quick dash for an ATM, and I snapped it up. I put it up immediately upon getting home, and it sounded just as glorious as in the store.

There is one more cymbal I want to round out my China collection. This time it would be something that would function as a "ride". One candidate would be another Stagg or a Wuhan, preferrably a 22". But this is hard to find locally because the importer doesn't bring this size in. Another would be an A.Zildjian Swish Knocker. This is rather expensive when brand new, but I've seen some second-hand ones on philmusic.com for half the price. I hope that if one goes on sale again, I have enough money to get it. The last option is a long shot. Back in the 70's, I played a 20" Paiste 2002 China that blew me away. I've always wanted one, but they are even more expensive and rare than the Swish Knocker locally.

So there is a new "Lion" in the house. Hearing it roar is sweet.