Sabian B8 Triangles and Bar Chimes review

Percussion accessories from the cymbal giant

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MusicRadar Verdict

The humble triangle has in fact been around since the 16th century, and can be found not only in classical settings. Yes famously featured a cool triangle intro on a track from their Tormato LP and the slinky Pink Panther theme also benefitted from its addition, proving that there are indeed three sides to every story. The bar chimes again shouldn't be considered exclusive to prog rock, and add a beautiful vibe when played in the right place.

Pros

  • +

    Comfortable to play with good responses all round.

Cons

  • -

    The aluminium bar chimes could be slightly more versatile (as well as being a good deal more affordable).

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Canadian giants Sabian have taken cymbal production firmly into the 21st century with a mind-blowing catalogue featuring every conceivable type of model, and always look to improve and expand on their previous creations. Cymbals aside, they also offer further sound options with their impressive Performers Accessories.

The usually unsung triangle or bar chime is regarded as a guilty pleasure among many drummers. but used in the right place at the right time they could certainly elevate your performance, whether you are a drummer or percussionist.

Build

Sabian triangles are hand-crafted from B8 Bronze, which is the magical formula utilised in a lot of great cymbals, and is a mix of 92 percent copper, 8 percent tin and even traces of silver. Sabian offer two full ranges of triangles in sizes from 4'' all the way up to 10'' and you can choose any of those sizes in a regular smooth B8 finish, or a tactile and rather attractive hand-hammered version.

The bar chimes that Sabian offer are available in two distinct models. They both feature 24 chimes with each securely tied to an attractive solid wooden bar that mounts easily onto any cymbal stand. But it's the chimes themselves that make the difference.

One are a set of sensitive ultra lightweight aluminium chimes, the other the surprisingly heavyweight bad boy B8 Bronze chimes.

Hands on

All of the triangles were comfortable to play and responded well to being played with different types of beater. This gives you many sound options while utilising the same model, and it's the size of each model that greatly impacts on their playability, as well as their sound.

By and large we found the bigger models easier to play, and as you might expect, they were sonorous and full-sounding when compared to their smaller brothers. The hand hammering, much like its effect on cymbals, seems to dry out the sound slightly, resulting in a less shrill tone, whereas the standard finish models, while in the traditional-sounding ballpark, do benefit greatly from the warm sounding B8.

The weighty B8 barchimes are formidable and might be too overpowering in lower volume situations, but if you're Neil Peart they'd be perfect! The aluminium set is much more our cup of tea and provides a subtle, shimmering tone the B8 doesn't have that would blend well in many musical situations.

Charlie Price