BIG hi-hats

[Julián Fernández]

Hats sound GREAT here (aby hats will when played by Steve anyways)

[GoAndPractice]

In the past I used an 18" AA Medium Thin Crash on the bottom and an 18" HHX Manhattan Jazz Crash on top. Absolutely loved it for blues/60's and 70's. They just blended so well with the music.

Right now I'm using a 16" K Z-mac cymbal on bottom and a 16" CIE on top. The CIE is a little to thin for this job so I'm looking to switch it for something else.

I think I remember Doug Clifford saying he used big hats because normal 14s just don't work in louder settings. I totally agree.

[Old Pit Guy]

I never got on with crashes for hats. The taper of a crash cymbal is abrupt compared to most hats. Crashes are thin at the edge. Good for sizzle but not so good for foot chick or projection. And bigger hats using crashes sound hollow under the stick when closed.

[Matus]

More than size, what works for me is lower pitched 14" hats. The old RUDE hats have been surprisingly good for this while I got a replacement for my top Sig Dark Crisp hats (hey, they do break sometimes). 15" never really did it for me.
That being said, the Modern Essentials 15" hats are cymbal porn.