What makes this Heavy Ride different from a standard heavy ride?

The AAX Heavy Ride features a larger, raw bell and distinctive larger, rounder peen hammering that makes it play thinner and darker than conventional heavy rides. This design creates crash-capable responsiveness and a wider frequency band of bright highs and complex dark lows, giving it hybrid ride-crash functionality.

What genres and playing styles is this cymbal best suited for?

The 20" AAX Heavy Ride is engineered for rock, metal, progressive, and hard rock styles, as well as live performance contexts. Its cutting articulation and crash-like responsiveness make it less suited for jazz or traditional orchestral applications.

Is this cymbal only for advanced drummers?

The AAX Heavy Ride is rated for intermediate, advanced, and professional players. Its versatile ride-crash hybrid voice and complex tonal character reward a developed touch, though intermediate players exploring rock and metal can grow into its full potential.

Can this cymbal really function as a crash?

Yes. The expanded bell design and thinner profile than traditional heavy rides give it crash-capable responsiveness atypical of its weight class, making it equally at home as a secondary crash or complex ride voice without switching cymbals.

What material and finish does it come in?

The cymbal is constructed from B20 bronze alloy (copper, tin, and silver) and is available in Brilliant Finish. It includes SABIAN's Two-Year Warranty coverage.

Sabian 20" Heavy Ride AAX

The 20" AAX Heavy Ride redefines the heavy ride for session and studio work, delivering unexpected crash-ability in a weight class traditionally reserved for defined ride definition. Its larger, raw bell and distinctive larger, rounder peen hammering—highly visible across the cymbal's surface—create a cymbal that plays thinner and darker than standard heavy rides. This combination captures both a secondary crash voice and a complex, versatile ride tone in a single instrument, maximizing mic placement flexibility and reducing kit footprint in tracking sessions.

Tone & Recording Character

The expanded bell design and unique hammering pattern introduce brighter highs alongside complex, darker lows, generating a wider frequency band than conventional heavy rides. In a mix, this tonal complexity delivers cutting articulation for definition during fast passages while maintaining deep resonance that sits well under compression and EQ. The crash-like responsiveness translates to clearer transients on tape, giving producers and engineers access to dynamic cymbal textures without stacking multiple instruments.

Design & Construction

B20 bronze alloy (copper, tin, and silver) forms the core material, engineered with a reduced-size bell and that signature larger, rounder peen work visible across the surface. The construction reflects SABIAN's commitment to answering modern musical demands through innovative manufacturing techniques.

Key Features

20" diameter
Heavy weight classification
B20 bronze alloy construction
Reduced-size bell with larger raw surface area
Larger, rounder peen hammering (visible on surface)
Thinner profile than traditional heavy rides
Bright highs with complex low-end character
Crash-capable design
Versatile ride/crash hybrid voice
Available in Brilliant Finish
SABIAN Two-Year Warranty coverage

The 20" AAX Heavy Ride stands as a modern approach to ride design, merging crash functionality with complex tonal depth for recording sessions and productions demanding genuine versatility from a single cymbal voice.

Condition	New
Cymbal Size	20"
Cymbal Type	Ride
Country of Manufacture	Canada