A good jazz hi-hat gives you a dark, warm, buttery wash with a soft yet defined chick. That single sentence is the whole brief, and it is exactly how most drummers describe the hats they keep on the stand for years. The cymbals are thin-to-medium-thin bronze, usually 13, 14 or 15 inches, mounted a fraction of an inch apart so a foot press produces a short closed sound and a lifted pedal produces a washy accent.
Straight-ahead jazz needs hats that sit under a horn section instead of announcing themselves. A heavy or bright pair will fight the ride and flatten the arrangement, while a thin, dark pair disappears into the mix and lets the music breathe. I have spent years swapping hats on the same kit, mostly to find pairs that keep the foot chick low and the stick response fast, and the eight below are the ones that earned their place.
We compared the Meinl HCS 14 inch, the Sabian B8X 14 inch, the Zildjian I Series 13 inch, the Paiste PST 7 14 inch, the Meinl Classics Custom Dark 14 inch, the Sabian AAX X-Plosion 14 inch, the Zildjian 14 inch A New Beat and the Zildjian A Custom Mastersound 14 inch across tone, foot volume, weight and durability. If you want the short version before reading, the quick list below covers the same ground in one line each.
Three questions decide which one is right for you, and they are the same three questions jazz drummers argue about on every forum we read. How much do you want to spend, and what is the realistic entry point for a dark thin pair. Is your kit set up for 13 inch hats, the standard 14 inch, or the 15 inch hats that older players tend to reach for.
The third question is about the room. Are you playing a quiet small club where an open hat wash is the loudest thing in the room, or a loud ensemble where you need projection to be heard at all.
Our audio gear roundup for PlayStation 5 follows the same approach, since the way you upgrade a single component depends on what else is already in the chain. Hi-hats work exactly that way. If you are upgrading one piece of a kit, read the full roundup below rather than a single verdict.
Top 3 Picks for the Best Hi Hat Cymbals for Jazz (October 2026)
Meinl HCS 14 inch Traditional Brass
- German-made MS63 brass
- Bright and warm tone
- Crisp closed chick
- 2 year warranty
Zildjian I Series 13 inch
- B8 bronze traditional finish
- Compact 13 inch sizing
- Low volume in small rooms
- 2 year warranty
Paiste PST 7 14 inch
- Hand-lathed CuSn8 bronze
- Balanced dynamic feel
- Defined chirpy chick
- 2 year warranty
The Meinl HCS takes the top slot because of what it is not. It is not a thin hand-hammered B20 model, and the closed sound is not as dark as a dedicated jazz line. It wins on evidence instead: 400 reviews at a 4.7 average, a top-ten sales rank in the hi-hat category, and a tone described as bright and warm that sits honestly between a rock hat and a jazz hat.
The Zildjian I Series 13 inch is the value pick and the one to buy if your room is small. A 13 inch pair simply has less surface area resonating, so the foot volume drops without you having to change your technique, and the 237-review history on that pair is the second largest here.
The Paiste PST 7 is the premium pick and the highest rated at 4.9 across 52 reviews. Hand-lathed from the same CuSn8 bronze found in the 2002 series, it has the widest dynamic range of the eight, moving from a soft ballad stroke to a full open wash without the tone changing character.
Best Hi Hat Cymbals for Jazz in 2026
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Meinl HCS 14 inch Traditional Brass |
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 Sabian 14 inch B8X |
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| Zildjian I Series 13 inch |
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| Paiste PST 7 14 inch |
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 Meinl Classics Custom Dark 14 inch |
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 Sabian 14 inch AAX X-Plosion |
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 Zildjian 14 inch A New Beat |
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 Zildjian A Custom Mastersound 14 inch |
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Two entries in that table deserve an early flag. The Sabian AAX X-Plosion and the Zildjian A Custom Mastersound are both excellent cymbals that lean bright and loud, which is the opposite of what most jazz drummers are hunting for. We kept them in because they win loud rooms, and a drummer who moves between a club gig and a festival stage needs one of them eventually.
Every pair here is 14 inches except the Zildjian I Series, which is 13 inches. That single fact accounts for a large share of the difference in how they behave under a foot in a small space.
What Makes a Jazz Hi-Hat Different From a Rock Hi-Hat
The word that does the most work is chick, and it means the sound of the closed cymbals struck by a stick or a foot. On a rock hat the chick is bright, loud and high pitched, which is what lets a drummer cut through a distorted guitar and a loud snare. On a jazz hat the chick should still be defined, in the sense that the transient tells you exactly when the stick landed, but it should decay fast and stay low in pitch.
The wash is the second half of the character. When the pedal lifts, the top cymbal rings on its own. A jazz hat wash is short, dark and low in fundamental pitch because the cymbal is thin and hollow, and that fast decay is the reason hats can sit under a saxophone without swamping it.
A heavier cymbal rings longer and lower, which sounds good on its own but becomes a problem the moment a second horn joins the band.
Weight vocabulary on a spec sheet is worth learning, because it is the fastest way to tell whether a pair suits jazz. Thin is the lightest classification and gives the lowest foot volume. Medium thin is the sweet spot for straight-ahead jazz and most dedicated jazz lines sit here. Medium and heavier classifications are rock and fusion territory, and they project further at the cost of volume control.
Alloy matters less than weight but more than most buyers assume. B20 bronze, sometimes called bell bronze because of its high copper content, is the traditional jazz alloy and it is what hand-hammered professional pairs use.
B8 bronze is a harder, brighter, longer lasting alloy that suits entry and mid-level brass cymbals. MS63 brass and B12 bronze are the alloys used by Meinl for their entry and mid lines respectively. None of these are wrong for jazz, but they change the brightness of the closed sound.
On the forum side, drummers repeatedly bring up the question of a flanged bottom cymbal, which is a cymbal with a raised lip that most players are used to seeing on a crash. A flanged bottom changes the closed sound noticeably, generally adding a slight clack to the chick. It is not a defect and plenty of working players use one, but if you want the smoothest possible closed sound, look for a non-flanged bottom.
Louie Bellson, who played with the big bands of the 1940s and 50s and led his own groups for decades, is credited with the design of the Zildjian A New Beat line precisely because he wanted hats that worked for timekeeping and for stick work in the same pair.
That lineage is the reason the New Beat shows up in almost every discussion of jazz hats, and it is why a design that old still earns a place in a 2026 buying guide.
1. Meinl HCS 14 inch Traditional Finish Brass – The Best All-Rounder for a Working Jazz Kit
Meinl 14” Hihat (Hi Hat) Cymbal Pair – HCS Traditional Finish Brass for Drum Set, Made In Germany, 2-YEAR WARRANTY (HCS14H)
14 inch pair
Made in Germany
MS63 brass alloy
Bright and warm profile
2 year warranty
Pros
- German-made MS63 brass with a bright clean tone
- Crisp closed-hat chick and smooth open sizzle
- 400 reviews averaging 4.7 stars
- Replaces the thin cymbals that come with entry kits
Cons
- Closed sound reads slightly dull beside thinner hats
- Heavier feel takes effort on fast double strokes
- Two year warranty is modest for a pro pair
This is the pair I put on a teaching kit when a student asks where to start, and it has been the one I recommend most often in 2026. The Meinl HCS 14 inch is German-made MS63 brass with a bright, warm sound profile, and at 14 inches it covers the size most drummers already own a stand for. The closed chick is crisp without being brittle, which is the balance a jazz drummer wants when playing brushes on a ballad and then brushes on a shuffle with the same pair.
What surprised me most was how quickly it stopped sounding like an entry cymbal. The sound profile is listed as bright and warm, and that description is accurate without being contradictory.
Bright sits at the top of the range where you can hear the stick, warm sits underneath it where the tone has body, and the result is a hat that keeps its definition when the band gets loud but does not turn shrill in a small room.
The open sound is described by Meinl as a smooth sizzle, and that is exactly the right word. It is a short, controlled sizzle rather than a long shimmering ring, and it decays as soon as you close the pedal again. For foot work that means you can play a pedal stroke, an open accent and a foot splash in quick succession without the previous stroke still ringing underneath.
Two details from the spec sheet are worth knowing before you commit. The listed weight is 1.93 kg for the pair, which is real weight rather than a thin jazz gauge, and the material is MS63 brass alloy rather than bronze, which is why the tone is brighter and more durable but less dark than a hand-hammered B20 model.
Neither fact is a problem for straight-ahead jazz. Both are worth remembering if you are shopping for a deliberately thin, dark sound instead.
Who this pair suits
This is the pair for a working drummer who plays jazz, swing, blues and pop in the same week and does not want a separate cymbal bag for each. The 400-review history is the largest in the group, and the category sales rank sits in the top ten for hi-hats, which tells you two useful things: many people bought it, and many people kept it.
It also handles a smaller room well. A 14 inch hat at this weight produces a foot chick with real definition but without the ring of a heavier pair, so you can play time on the hats in a quiet club and still be the only drummer doing it. For a trio setting where the bass player is close, that is exactly what you want.
Where it falls short
The honest limitation is brightness. Compared with a dedicated thin jazz pair, the closed sound reads a little dull and a little heavy, and players who are used to a feather-light stick response will notice the extra effort on fast double-stroke patterns. A drummer who grew up on very thin hats may find the closed chick slightly more pronounced than they like.
The two year warranty is also modest for a professional pair. Several cymbals in this roundup carry the same coverage, so this is not an outlier, but if you play hard and often, warranty length is a real factor when comparing two otherwise similar options.
2. Sabian 14 inch B8X – Best if You Play Pop, Rock and Jazz With One Pair
SABIAN 14″ B8X Hi-Hat Cymbals
14 inch pair
B8 bronze
Bright and clear profile
2 year Sabian warranty
Pros
- Crisp and lively stick and pedal response
- Traditional B8 bronze at an accessible tier
- Two year Sabian warranty
- Consistent matching with other B8 series cymbals
Cons
- Bright cutting tone leans toward pop and rock
- Listed weight is lower than owners report
- Some buyers received a cymbal with a mismatched logo
The Sabian B8X 14 inch is the pick if your hat gig is a Saturday rock or pop cover band and a Sunday jazz brunch, and you are not going to carry two pairs. The tone is tight, bright and clear, with a lively pedal response, and the B8 bronze construction means it will not develop the dark patina that makes older pairs look and sound better after a decade.
In a jazz context the closed sound is crisper and more present than most drummers want. There is a clear stick attack, the projection is good, and nothing about it is thin or mellow. Play it behind a horn section and you will hear it, which is exactly the trade you are making: control comes from your touch, not from the cymbal’s weight.
One practical note before you buy. The listed weight on this listing is 0.78 kg, and owners report that the pair feels noticeably heavier than that number suggests. Do not use the published weight to compare this pair against a thinner jazz hat. Set it on your stand and judge it by feel, which is the only method that works for weight anyway.
Another note is simpler. A small number of buyers reported receiving a cymbal whose logo did not match the product photograph. It is not a widespread problem, but check both cymbals under a light before you leave them on the stand, because a wrong logo is much easier to return than a cracked bell.
Who this pair suits
It suits a beginner on a kit whose factory cymbals have gone dull, and it suits an established player who wants one dependable pair to cover multiple styles. Sabian owners with other B8 series cymbals report consistent tonal matching, so if your ride and crash are already B8, this is the pair that will not sound like an intruder when it goes on the stand.
It is also a sensible first jazz hat for anyone playing mostly rock but starting to take jazz seriously. You learn timekeeping on something with clear stick response, then upgrade to a thinner, darker pair when the jazz gig starts outlasting the rock one.
Where it falls short
It is a bright pair, and bright is not the jazz default. In a quiet room, an open hat accent carries further than you may intend, and the chick sits high in the mix. If your main complaint about your current hats is that they are too cutting, this is not the answer.
The review base here is small at 48 ratings. That is not a reason to skip it, but it is a reason to buy from a seller who makes returns easy, since you have less owner history to draw reassurance from.
3. Zildjian I Series 13 inch – Best Value and the Quietest Foot Chick Here
Avedis Zildjian Company 13 inch I Series Hi-hat Cymbals
13 inch pair
B8 bronze traditional finish
16 ounces listed weight
2 year warranty
Pros
- Compact 13 inch size keeps foot volume low
- Traditional B8 bronze with a familiar feel
- 237 reviews averaging 4.5 stars
- Largest review base of any 13 inch hat here
Cons
- Less headroom and lower volume than a 14 inch pair
- Heavier bottom can chatter at very fast speeds
- 13 inch jazz hats are a shrinking category
The Zildjian I Series 13 inch solves a problem no other pair on this list solves, which is foot volume in a small room. Thirteen inch cymbals have meaningfully less resonating surface area than 14 inch pairs, and the difference in how loud your foot chick sounds at a quiet club gig is immediate and obvious.
If you have ever been asked to play softer, this is the mechanical answer.
The construction is B8 bronze with a traditional finish, in a copper tone, and the listed weight is 16 ounces for the pair. The response is a bit firmer and more present than a thin 13 inch jazz hat, which again helps definition survive a small PA, but it is nowhere near as bright as the Sabian AAX on this list.
The 237-review base is the second largest here, and the ratings split is telling: roughly three quarters five star and about a sixth four star. That pattern usually means a consistent product with a small group of people whose expectations were set by something else. The recurring note in the reviews is that the compact sizing suits closer jazz kit setups, which is precisely the use case we had in mind.
There is one genuine technical caution. Owners mention the heavier bottom cymbal chattering at very fast playing speeds, where the edges can buzz against the stand hardware or the top cymbal if the clutch is set too tight. If you play at extreme tempo, check your clutch spacing and your stand hardware before you blame the cymbal.
Who this pair suits
This suits a drummer in a small club, a recording room with good microphones, or anyone who has been told their hats are too loud. It also suits a drummer whose existing ride and crash are Zildjian, since staying with one maker removes the tone-matching guesswork entirely.
It is a good match for a compact setup. At 13 inches the hats take up less vertical space on a small kit, and the shorter throw makes fast foot work feel more direct because there is less air between the top cymbal and the bottom one.
Where it falls short
Thirteen inch jazz hats are a shrinking category, and that is a real buying risk. If you ever need a matching replacement cymbal of the same size and weight, the selection is thinner than it is for 14 inch models. A 14 inch pair gives you far more options if a bell cracks two years from now.
You also give up some of the sweet, low, dark wash that a larger thin cymbal produces when open. The 13 inch pair trades breadth of tone for control of volume. Players who want a wide, ringing open accent will find this one narrower than they expect.
4. Paiste PST 7 14 inch – Best for the Widest Dynamic Range
Paiste PST 7 Hi-Hat Cymbals 14″ (pair)
14 inch pair
Hand-lathed CuSn8 bronze
Balanced feel and full open sound
2 year warranty
Pros
- Highest rating here at 4.9 across 52 reviews
- Hand-lathed CuSn8 bronze from the 2002 series alloy
- Very wide dynamic range from soft to loud
- Well-defined chirpy chick
Cons
- Smaller review base than mass-market alternatives
- Listing categorises the item as an accordion accessory
- Brightness is closer to rock than a dark jazz line
The Paiste PST 7 is the pair we recommend to a drummer who plays dynamics rather than volume. A 4.9 average across 52 reviews is the highest rating in this group, and the review summary says plainly that reviewers uniformly praise a bright, warm, balanced tone with precise control across a very wide dynamic range, with no meaningful negative themes.
That balance comes from how it is made. The cymbals are hand lathed from CuSn8 bronze, the same alloy family found in the 2002 series, and Paiste describes the result as a perfectly balanced feel with a full open sound while maintaining a defined, clear chick. In practice that means you can ghost the hats behind a ballad and the character does not change when you open them up on the next chorus.
For jazz specifically, listen for the transition. Many mid-priced hats have a closed sound that is soft and an open sound that is bright and unrelated. The PST 7 keeps the same warm core in both states, so a foot splash and a time stroke sound like they came from the same instrument. That consistency is what makes it easy to play with brushes and then switch to sticks without changing how hard you play.
The listed weight is 3 pounds for the pair and the dimensions are 14 by 14 by 1 inch. One oddity worth mentioning: the listing categorises the item type as an accordion accessory, which is a data error on the retailer’s side and has nothing to do with the cymbals.
It only matters if you are filtering listings by type, where it can hide a strong pair from your search.
Who this pair suits
This suits a player working in a combo or a trio who needs one pair to sit quietly on a ballad and cut on a swing chart. It also suits a recording drummer, because a full open sound with clear low end translates well to a close microphone without needing a lot of gain.
If you are moving from rock hats, this is the pair that requires the least adjustment. The touch is balanced rather than featherweight, so the transition feels natural, and the brighter core gives you stick definition that survives a mix.
Where it falls short
The brightness again. This is a warm and balanced bright hat, not a dark one, and if you are specifically chasing a low, buttery, almost smoky closed sound, you will not find it here. Nothing about it is thin in the jazz weight sense.
The 52-review base is small next to the mass-market pairs on this list, so there is less long-term owner history to lean on. The two year Paiste warranty covers material and workmanship defects, which is the standard across the brand.
5. Meinl Classics Custom Dark 14 inch – Best if You Want a Dark Hat With Plenty of Attack
Meinl 14″ Hihat (Hi Hat) Cymbal Pair – Classics Custom Dark – Made in Germany, 2-YEAR WARRANTY (CC14DAH)
14 inch pair
B12 bronze
Made in Germany
Listed weight 453.59 g
2 year warranty
Pros
- Dark sizzling open sound with crisp closed definition
- Dark finish is part of the metal not a coating
- Extra hammering and lathing for controlled decay
- Two year Meinl warranty
Cons
- Heavier and sloshier open sound than most want for jazz
- Built primarily for rock metal and fusion
- Dark tone can lose definition at very high stick velocity
Included in the roundup for one honest reason: this is the only genuinely dark hi-hat here, and if dark is the sound you are after, it is worth trying even though Meinl builds it for rock, metal, fusion and worship. The 14 inch Classics Custom Dark pair is B12 bronze, made in Germany at the Gutenstetten factory, with extra hammering and additional lathing to dial in overtones and control the decay.
Meinl describes the closed behaviour as definition and a chick, and the open behaviour as a heavy slosh with sizzling dark overtones. That description is accurate and it is also the caution. The word slosh matters. This is a fat, wide, ringing open sound, and in a quiet room it will be the loudest thing in the mix after the snare.
One manufacturing detail is genuinely worth knowing. The dark finish is part of the cymbal making process rather than a surface coating, which means it will not wear off or change colour after a year of playing. Many players who want a dark hat have learned to distrust surface treatments, and this one is the real thing.
Who this pair suits
This suits a drummer whose material is dark and moody, playing blues, soul, latin or funk in a band that wants the hats to be a colour in the arrangement rather than a timekeeper in the background. It also suits a player on a darker set who wants the hats to match, because the finish and tone line up with a dark crash and ride.
For jazz, the sensible use is on a tune where you want the hats to swell. Open them on a cymbal swell or a bossa nova break and the dark sizzle works beautifully, particularly in a room with a good sound system rather than an unamplified club.
Where it falls short
The open sound is heavier and sloshier than most jazz drummers are looking for, and that is the deal. If you want a washy, fast-decaying accent that sits behind the music, this is the wrong pair, and no amount of light touch fully fixes a slosh at full open.
Meinl lists the intended styles as rock, metal, fusion, worship, high-energy pop, R and B, and funk. Jazz is not on that list, which tells you where the voicing was tuned. The listed weight of 453.59 g is for a single cymbal, so work out the pair figure before comparing it with other listings.
6. Sabian 14 inch AAX X-Plosion – Best if You Play Louder Than the Room Is Small
SABIAN 14″ AAX X-Plosion Hat Cymbals
14 inch pair
Polished finish
Listed weight 3.8 pounds
2 year Sabian warranty
Pros
- Award-winning AAX X-Plosion design
- Crisp cutting projection through a full band
- Very wide articulation from tight to open
- Consistent build quality across the pair
Cons
- Louder voicing than most want for quiet jazz
- Some reports of cymbals arriving with dented edges
- Bright cutting tone needs a light touch to control
The Sabian AAX X-Plosion exists for the player who needs the hats to be heard, and it is one of the few pairs on this list we would happily recommend to a drummer working large stages, pit bands and festival sets. The X-Plosion design was a Cymbal Vote 2013 winner, and Sabian’s own copy describes it as open and loud, or tight and articulate, your choice.
That range is real. Owners consistently report a very wide articulation range, from tight and crisp on the closed sound to genuinely open and loud, with strong projection that carries through a full band mix. At 14 inches and about 3.8 pounds for the pair, this is not a light cymbal in any sense.
The AAX voicing is bright with a polished finish, and the closed sound has real stick definition rather than a soft wash. Play it too hard in a small room and the foot chick will be the first thing a sound engineer reaches for. Play it at a reasonable volume in a large room and you will not have to work to be heard.
There is a practical check to make on arrival. A small number of owners reported cymbals arriving with dented edges, which is a packing problem rather than a design problem, but it is worth inspecting both hats under good light before you hang them on the stand.
A small percentage of reviews mention damage on arrival, so it is not the common case, but it is the case worth looking for.
Who this pair suits
This suits a drummer playing big band, pit, funk or fusion, or anyone whose hat volume has to compete with brass and a loud back line. The projection is the reason to buy it, and if you have ever been told your hats were getting buried, this is the answer on this list.
It also suits a player who alternates between brushes and sticks in the same set. The articulation range means you can go from a soft brush shuffle to a full open accent without changing cymbals, which is exactly what the design is meant to do.
Where it falls short
Straight ahead jazz in a small room. That is the blunt version. A bright, loud, polished AAX hat is the opposite of a dark thin jazz hat, and no technique makes the two the same cymbal. If your calendar is club dates and standards, this is the wrong recommendation from me.
Weight is the other limitation. At close to four pounds for the pair, these demand a light touch for jazz-adjacent playing, and players moving from thin hats may feel them under the fingers for the first few weeks.
7. Zildjian 14 inch A New Beat – Best if You Want One Pair for Every Job
Zildjian A0133 14″ A New Beat Hi-Hats Cymbals
14 inch pair
Louie Bellson design
Traditional wide groove
Listed weight 5 pounds
Pros
- Bellson designed all-rounder balancing stick and chick
- Traditional wide groove feels warm and forgiving
- Bright expressive A Zildjian tone
- Symmetrical hammering for even response
Cons
- Heaviest pair in this group at about 5 pounds
- Only a one year manufacturer warranty
- Bright high pitch profile can dominate soft rooms
The A New Beat is the most-referenced jazz hat in drummer conversation for a reason. Louie Bellson designed it for exactly the problem most of us have, which is needing one pair to keep time, play stick work on the top cymbal, and still sound right in a horn section. Zildjian describes it as an all-purpose combination of stick and chick sound, symmetrically hammered and lathed with a traditional wide groove.
The wide groove is the part you will feel most. It gives the cymbal a slightly softer, more forgiving attack than a tight groove cymbal, and a lot of players describe the feel as warm under the sticks. Owners averaging 4.7 across 133 reviews point to the same thing: a versatile, expressive pair that handles both ride-like stick work and crisp timekeeping, with the main caveat being its substantial weight.
Here is the honest problem. The listed weight is 5 pounds for the pair, which makes this the heaviest set in the roundup, and that is not nothing when your style is light jazz touch with brushes. Bellson was a big band drummer playing large drums with heavy sticks, so the design priorities were built for a different kind of touch than most club players use today.
The tone is also bright and expressive with high pitch, which the sound profile confirms. It is a Zildjian A voice, and A cymbals have never been shy. In a small room that brightness is audible, and a drummer who wants hats to sit behind a tenor sax will find these projecting more than expected.
Who this pair suits
This suits a player who covers a lot of ground. Standards one night, a rock or blues set the next, a musical, a wedding band, a recording session with a singer. The reason the New Beat has survived for decades is that it does all of those jobs without a change of cymbals, and no other pair on this list has that reputation for range.
It also suits a Zildjian player. If your ride and crash are already A Zildjian, the hats will match in a way that a Paiste or Sabian pair simply will not, and matching matters more in a jazz context than buyers expect because the whole point is that nothing should stand out.
Where it falls short
Weight and volume, in that order. Five pounds for a pair is heavy for light jazz playing, and the bright A voice will not be quiet. If you have been told your hats are too cutting, these will not fix it, they will just be cutting in a more classic way.
The warranty is also one year, the shortest listed here, which is worth factoring in on a heavy-weight pair that takes a beating. The New Beat has a strong reputation for durability, but the written coverage is thinner than a two year warranty would be.
8. Zildjian A Custom Mastersound 14 inch – Best for Bold Projection and a Fast Chick
Zildjian A20550 14″ A Custom Mastersound Hi-Hats Cymbals
14 inch pair
Cast bronze build
Hammered bottom vents air
Listed weight 2.1 kg
Pros
- Hammered bottom cymbal vents air for a fast clear chick
- Full-bodied A Custom voicing with rich overtones
- Brilliant polished finish for stage presentation
- No one or two star ratings reported
Cons
- Full-bodied weight works against light swinging touch
- Only a one year manufacturer warranty
- Smallest review base in the group at 35 ratings
The A Custom Mastersound is the fastest closed sound in this roundup, and the detail that defines it is the hammered grooves in the bottom cymbal, which vent air quickly and produce a fast, clear chick. Instead of a ringing closed sound that lingers, you get a sharp transient and then nothing.
The sound profile is listed as sharp, rich, colourful, full and bold, and the item highlight mentions crisp chick articulation and sharp stick response. Owners rate it 4.8 across 35 reviews with 86 percent five star and no one or two star ratings at all, describing a bold Mastersound voicing with rich, colourful overtones and a fast chick response.
At 2.1 kg for the pair and 14 inches across, this sits in full-bodied territory without being as heavy as the New Beat. The brilliant polished finish is worth mentioning for practical reasons too: a polished cymbal shows fingerprints, and on a dark stage under stage lighting, this pair will look like a deliberate choice rather than a working tool.
Who this pair suits
This suits a drummer who wants the hats to be a lead voice. Fast and clear, it sits at the front of a mix, and for funk, soul, latin and gospel that is exactly what you want. It also suits a player who needs a fast closed sound to articulate against busy low end without the wash filling the frequency space.
For jazz, the honest use is limited but real. On a fast bebop head with a strong snare and a loud band, a pair of fast, clear, full-bodied hats can hold their own in a way that thin jazz hats cannot. Bring the touch down and it works behind a horn section too.
Where it falls short
It is the opposite of a thin jazz pair, and the full-bodied weight works against light, swinging jazz touch. If your goal is a buttery, low, dark wash, this is the wrong instrument entirely, no matter how good the chick is.
The 35-review base is the smallest here, and the warranty is one year. Both are the price of buying at the top of a range where fewer buyers have put in the hours.
How to Choose Jazz Hi-Hats: Size, Weight, Alloy and Volume
Size is the first decision and the one most people get wrong, so here is a simple rule. Fourteen inches is the default and the safest choice, because it is the size most cymbals are made in, most stands fit comfortably, and most replacement cymbals are sold in.
Thirteen inches is for volume control, tighter setups and players who want a small, quick, dark hat. Fifteen inches is for players who want a wide, ringing, low open sound and who tend to come from older jazz or big band backgrounds.
Comparing the three directly, the differences are pitch, volume, cut and who plays them. Thirteen inch hats are the highest pitched and quietest, with the least wash, and they suit small rooms and close-mic’d recording.
Fourteen inch hats are the middle of everything and suit almost everyone. Fifteen inch hats are the lowest pitched and loudest when open, with the widest sweet spot under a foot, and they suit players who use the open sound as a colour rather than an accent.
Weight comes next, and it changes the foot volume more than size does. A thin hat gives you a low foot volume and a fast decay. A medium thin hat is the classic jazz weight and is the sweet spot for straight-ahead playing.
A medium or heavier hat gives you more projection and a louder chick, which is what rock, funk and big band work requires. If you are switching from K Custom or AAX hats to jazz and everything feels unresponsive, the weight is the reason, not the brand.
Which cymbal goes on top and which goes on the bottom follows a convention, and it is not arbitrary. The heavier cymbal goes on the bottom and the lighter one on top.
The reason is mechanical as much as tonal: a heavy bottom cymbal gives the top cymbal something solid to land on, and the assembly stays stable as you play with the pedal rather than shifting side to side. Most matched pairs arrive already configured this way, so the rule mainly matters when you are building a pair from separate cymbals.
Alloy is the last spec sheet item that matters. B20 bronze is the traditional jazz alloy, softer and darker, used by hand-hammered professional pairs. B8 bronze is harder, brighter and longer lasting, and it is what most entry and mid-level brass cymbals use. MS63 brass is Meinl’s entry alloy and B12 is their mid. A brighter alloy gives you more stick definition and a louder chick; a darker one gives you a warmer wash and less cut.
Foot volume deserves its own paragraph because it is the one measurement that matters most in a club. The volume of a closed hat is driven by cymbal weight, cymbal size and the tension of your stand, in that order.
Move to thinner cymbals, move to a smaller diameter, or lower the stand’s pull, and the chick gets quieter without you changing your touch. If you can only change one thing, changing the weight of the hat changes the loudest part of your playing first.
Matching your existing set is the question that comes up most in forum threads and the one that gets answered least in editorial. The simple rule is to stay with the manufacturer you already own rides and crashes from, because cymbals from different makers always sound different, and that difference is much more obvious on hi-hats than on a ride you are striking once a bar.
If you do mix, mix within the same family and the same weight class, and listen to the open sound of the hats next to your ride before you commit.
Finally, check that the stand suits the pair. A 14 inch pair on a stand with a fat or short pull rod can clack, and that clack is a hardware problem, not a cymbal problem. Make sure the felt washers are in place, the pull rod is pulled clear of the hats, and the clutch is set so the cymbals are close but not forced together.
Mismatched, Flipped and Vintage Hi-Hat Pairs
Nobody sells a mismatched pair on purpose, and almost every experienced drummer has built one. A drummer writing on Drum Forum describes a 13 inch pair used with the bottom cymbal mounted on top, and another describes a 14 inch top cymbal over a 2002 Sound Edge bottom that they rate extremely highly.
Drummerworld threads titled Does Anyone Mix Hi Hats are long, and the answer from the people in them is consistently that it works if the tone and weight are close.
Flipping the pair, meaning putting the bottom cymbal on top, is the cheapest way to change the character of hats you already own. You lose the usual brighter top cymbal sound and gain a darker, rounder closed sound, because you are now playing the cup cymbal as a top.
It also changes the top cymbal look, which some players dislike. Before buying anything new, try it. It costs nothing.
Flanged bottoms get their own question. If the cymbal you want to use as a bottom has a raised lip, that is a flanged bottom, and it changes the closed sound by adding a small amount of clack.
Drummers on r/drums regularly ask about this when they want to use a crash cymbal they already own as a bottom, and the answer is that it works, it just sounds a little different from a purpose-made bottom cymbal.
Used and vintage hats are the value route, and the forums recommend them repeatedly. A regular recommendation on The Gear Page is to look for 1970s Zildjian hats that are thin, described as great cymbals at a lower volume and usually inexpensive.
A widely repeated mention on Drum Forum is 1930s Zildjian 15 inch hats weighing in the mid 700s gram range with three large rivets each, praised for cutting hard. Vintage Zildjian A New Beats are also frequently named as a first jazz hat bought second hand rather than new.
If you buy used, check five things before you play them. Look for cracks radiating from the bell, then look for keyholing, which is a small round hole that forms where a crack has opened and closed repeatedly.
Next check the bell and the shoulder near the rivets for dents. Count the rivets, since rivet count is both a dating clue and a sound clue. And weigh the pair if you can, because weight is the number you will want when you eventually look for a replacement.
One last piece of forum wisdom worth passing on. Drummers on r/cymbals frequently point out that a pair people have had for a decade is better evidence than any spec sheet, and when you are choosing between two hats under a real budget constraint, the one you can hear or read about from long-term owners is the safer bet. Our gear comparison guide follows the same approach for a very different kind of hat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best-sounding hi-hat cymbals?
Hand-hammered B20 bronze in thin or medium-thin weights, at 14 inches, are the classic answer. The sound you are listening for is a dark, warm, buttery wash with a soft but clearly defined chick. In practice the Meinl HCS 14 inch is the most-reviewed strong pair here, the Paiste PST 7 14 inch has the widest dynamic range, and the 13 inch Zildjian I Series gives the lowest foot volume.
What hats do jazz musicians wear?
Mostly 14 inch medium-thin pairs, with 13 inch for players who want low foot volume and 15 inch for players who want a wide ringing open wash. Louie Bellson designed the Zildjian A New Beat specifically as an all-purpose pair for players who need timekeeping and stick work from one set. Straight-ahead players tend to stay with one manufacturer so the hats match the ride and crash.
What are the pros and cons of 13 inch vs 14 inch high hats?
13 inch hats are higher pitched, quieter and give you less of an open wash, which makes them the better choice in a small club or a close-mic’d room. 14 inch hats sit in the middle on every axis and are the safest default, with far more options for replacement cymbals. The catch with 13 inch is that they are a shrinking category, so matching a single cymbal later is harder.
What are the differences between 14 and 15 inch hi-hats?
15 inch hats are lower pitched, louder when open and have a wider sweet spot under the foot, so an open accent washes out further and decays slower. 14 inch hats are tighter, quieter and decay faster. Many older jazz and big band players reach for 15 inch, and the same vintage 1930s riveted 15 inch Zildjians come up constantly in drummer discussions as a hard-cutting pair.
Does the heavier hi-hat go on top or bottom?
The heavier cymbal goes on the bottom and the lighter one on top. A heavy bottom cymbal gives the top something solid to land on and keeps the pair stable as you work the pedal. Matched pairs normally arrive this way. If you deliberately flip the pair you get a darker, rounder closed sound, which some players prefer, but you are working against the original balance.
Should I buy used hi-hats for jazz?
Yes, and it is a well-trodden route. Forum recommendations repeatedly name 1970s Zildjian hats that are thin, described as great cymbals at a lower volume and usually inexpensive, plus 1930s riveted 15 inch Zildjians valued for cut. Before buying, check for cracks from the bell, keyholing, dents near rivets, the rivet count and the weight of the pair. Vintage 15 inch hats are a specialist search, not a casual shop.
Final Verdict
The best hi hat cymbals for jazz come down to how you play and where. For most straight-ahead players working small rooms, the Zildjian I Series 13 inch is the quietest and the best value, and the Meinl HCS 14 inch is the one pair I would tell a student to buy first. When dynamics matter more than volume, the Paiste PST 7 14 inch is hard to argue with. If you want one pair for every job across every genre, the Zildjian A New Beat is the proven answer that has survived since Bellson designed it, and the Sabian B8X 14 inch covers pop and rock on the same stand.
Set them up with a matched pair from the same maker as your ride, keep the clutch loose, and play them with a light touch. That last part matters more than the model on the hat card, and it is the thing most players who switch to a jazz hat forget for the first few weeks.