I owned my 16" AAX Stage Crash for a couple years before I sold it off to another drummer.
The sound quality of the cymbal changed dramatically to my ears over the time owned it. I remember buying it and thinking it sounded great, to eventually cringing enough that I replaced it with a different brand of cymbal. I don't know if it was my partially my taste that changed or refined with time, or if it was completely the cymbal's sound degrading with time.

The finish on my AAX started out brilliant and shiny, and dulled dramatically with time, while staying set up in an air-conditioned home and only occasionally being handled to gig out. It seems like just exposure to air, natural light, and skin oils ruined turned the original brilliant finish to a dull discolored appearance, and dulled the sound as well in just a couple short years.

My AAX stage crash was punchy with minimal sustain, and fairly balanced in tone and not too bright. It was perfect for the pop punk rock band I played in as a teenager, ideal for quick syncopated crashes where it could cut through. Later as the finish dulled, it started to lose its glassy high frequencies and took on a more shril brassy sound that made me cringe.

One thing I didn't like was its light weight, as a result playing overly heavy or riding the crash were out- it flopped around like a fish. It was more like an oversized splash cymbal than a hardy crash. I had to rely on my other crash for that type of effect.

I finally grew disgruntled with this cymbal and sold it for 20 bucks to a younger drummer in need. I had only spent $80 on it but until you got into the uber expensive Hand Hammered line I thought this was the best Sabian had to offer and would serve me better than it did. I ended up going with Paiste from there on out and never looked back.

If Sabian has upped the quality of their AAX line in the last 10 years then maybe they are worth checking out, after all I did enjoy mine for a while befopre it went south on me. If finances allow it (and they did for me) I would go for the hand hammered line or not buy Sabian at all.

I owned my 2002 22" ride for a few years before sadly parting with it. I had it paired with an 18" crash from the 2002 series, and they were a match made in heaven, though I wished I could have had a 20" crash to fill it out. Paiste makes awesome cymbals, and they really shine when you get up into bigger sizes like 18"-20" crashes and 22" rides.
Some things I liked about my 22" ride were:
1) The 2002's durable finish. Fingerprint, smudges, hand oils.... never hurt the finish on this cymbal even when I was constantly setting up and breaking down without wiping the cymbals down. I can't say the same thing for the finish on a Sabian AAX crash I owned previously, which actually hurt the sound in time for that cymbal.
2) The fullness of sound- it is a thick ride, and you can get a great ping from it but theres always a moderate wash underneath the ping depending on your technique. I played further out on the edge and got a lot of volume from the wash (for a "large" sound) while still having articulation of the stick on metal cutting through the band. It was a perfect balance.
3) You can actually crash this cymbal! Even as thick as it is, with proper technique you can ride it like a crash and get a beautiful LOUD wash. I employed this alot for the indie rock band I played in.
4) Its durability. I played this cymbal heavily for a few years, never had a dent, ding, scratch, or crack. Even when playing on the edge a lot, it stood up to it. Paiste makes quality cymbals.

Things I don't like:
1) It is heavy. Not a huge deal, but due to its 22" diameter and thickness you have to be careful when putting it away. If you dropped it it would break a toe for sure.

2) The bell is a little harsh, or hard to find the sweet spot since its a bit small. If you are one of those ride-the-bell-of-the-cymbal on the chorus of the song kinda guys you might feel disapointed. I'm more of a play-it-in-the-fied kind of guy who likes moderate wash underneath a subtle ping. So it didn't bother me.

If I had to buy all new cymbals over again, I would definitely look at the 2002 line, and consider the Signature series if my $$ allowed it since I'm not playing as heavy of music as I was then. The 2002's were great for my band but were a bit much when I filled in for a church band once. The 2002's cut through and are LOUD, even though retain more sensitivity and musicality than something like the RUDE series which are aptly named.

I owned my Paiste 2002 18" crash for a couple of years before sadly parting with it. I like the lower overtones and the deep wash it gave me, which were mostly due to its 18" size. I started to stray away from smaller crashes and splashes due to the weak wash or sustain and harsh high frequencies, and ended up playing only a 18" crash and 22" ride form Paiste's 2002 series. The two cymbals blended perfectly together for playing in an heavy hitting indie rock band.
I like the finish on the 2002, its not very brilliant but it held up really well for years even though I was constantly setting up and breaking down my set, and never even wiped the cymbals down from hand oils and fingerprints. This had ruined the finish and even dulled the sound on a Sabian AAX crash I had previously.
Another thing I liked about this cymbal, was that it was fairly loud, not in a harsh way like the RUDE series but in a way that filled a room and still cut through a band. I would say that the entire 2002 series is probably sonically somewhere between the RUDE series and the ultra expensive Signature series. They have a bit of the power, projection, and volume of the RUDE series, though more musical and sensitive like the Signatures. They lack some of the complexity and refined tone of the Signatures though, to be a more powerful cymbal that would stand up better for heavier rock music.
My 18" crash proved very durable as it served me in playing heavy rock music. My technique involves setting the cymbals low and flat and being struck most on the edges instead of the face, so the edges received a lot of abuse from the sticks wihtout ever being dinged, dented, or warped. I think it has a lot to do with the thickness of the cymbal, and yet again is another reason why I was better off with 2002's than Signatures which can veer to the thinner side.
My Paiste cymbals were the most expensive cymbals I had ever bought, but I had become disatisfied with zildjians sound, and Sabian's quality of anything below the Hand-Hammered line which was too pricey for me. I believe I paid almost $170 for the 18" crash, more than I had ever paid for a crash, but still more affordable than had I bought Sabian Hand Hammered or Paiste Signature.
If I had to buy another setup all over again, I would try and buy Paiste Signatures if I could afford it because I would enjoy the complexity and brilliance, but for what I was playing when I owned the 2002's- they were perfect. I followed good adivce from fellow drummers in the same style of music, and played a ton of cymbals before buying them, and they stood up to the abuse I gave them.

The IObanez FL9 Flanger is an analog flanger. Flange is a type of phase effect that produces a wide range of "swooshing" effects on your guitar tone.
It has your standard 1/4" inputs and outputs, AC adapter input, and red led, all in a sturdy duck yellow metal box.

Flange is a complicated effect. If you've never used one, understanding what the 4 knobs control takes a bit of experimenting. The FL9 has knobs for "delay time", "regeneration", "speed", and "width", and can be a bit daunting to master. Sometimes I create a cool sound, and then forget how to achieve it again, the tange of sounds possible and level of control is probably unmatched by any other stompbox flanger on the market. But for a devoted knob twiddler, you will be in heaven. This box is not capable of making a "bad" sound, only strange ones you may find unusable at the furthest extremes of its spectrum.

The FL9 is classic analog flange sound all the way. There is no harshness, nor thin-ness. It is a thick and warm flange, that will make your guitar warble and whoosh for days. Add in an analog delay in your signal chain, and you'll be in space cadet heaven.
I especially like the ability to dial in some Andy Summer's Police sounds, which are on the more mild side, all the way to extreme whoosh effects that make the room feel like its spinning and are unusable except just to sound wicked.

This is a noise reduction stompbox for guitars. I never really thought about it but I assume it's all analog... Anyway the box is very sturdy, Boss-shaped and sized but WAY heavier.

Well, VERY basic setup with one mere single knob... But does it need anything more?
It doesn't provide the effects loop that its Boss counterpart does, though.

Well, all you expect from this noise reduction box is to... reduce noise, don't you? If such is the case, you can expect to be 100% satisfied. Whether it is a single-coil pickup noise or the typical hiss of a huge distortion box that annoys you, just find the right setting and you'll get your guitar sound -- your WHOLE guitar sound, NOTHING BUT your guitar sound. Hard to find a setting that will suit both your clean and saturated sounds though, so try to get a setting that is relatively hiss-free when distortion is off. It proved efficient in taming successively a SansAmp GT2 in Mesa simulation mode, a Zoom Tri-Metal (not too difficult though, this one has an integrated noise gate but the Decimator still removed whatever was left of noise), an EHX Metal Muff and a Big Muff boosted by an overdrive.
Since I don't use a proper amp I couldn't test it within an fx loop.

If you're looking for a modern version of that classic calf skin sound there is (in my opinion) no better sound to cost benefit out there on the market today.

These heads give a very warm and dark sound, reminiscent of old jazz recordings. They lack a bit of a focused attack, but feel extremely nice under the stick and give a nice response. When played with brushes these heads give a particularly nice response, one that I think is superior to coated drum heads, as it is warmer and more mellow.

These heads work well as resonant as well as batter heads- I have a fiberskyn on my 16 inch jazz bass drum as a resonant head and it really gives it a lot of body and depth. The warmth of these heads is really unbeatable and can really give a nice aura to a jazz piano trio gig.

As a batter head the fiberskyns lack a bit of a sharp attack but make up for it with a nice fat spread an quick decay. I play them on my 14 inch snare and 10 and 14 inch toms and they give a great sound that can't be beat when going for an authentic acoustic jazz sound.

These heads also work well in orchestral work and I have seen some guys play them on R&B and Motown gigs and they fit quite nicely. I've never seen them in a loud rock and roll or metal situation, but I highly doubt these heads would give the desired sound (but if you can make it sound good then thats all that matters!).

If you like these heads, try the Evans J1 etched heads- they're similar but don't last as long (and they're more expensive!), although they do get a better sound.

These are very nice drum heads that the Remo corporation developed to sound more like the calf skin heads of long ago (well it wasn't really that far ago, but it definitely feels like it!).

At the time they were developed these heads were definitely the closest thing, but there have been more recent developments in head making (some by the Remo corporation themselves) that have not necessarily made the Renaissance heads obsolete, but have given them a place all their own.

First off, these heads sound UNBELEIVABLE on tympani and I personally don't think there is any better head out there. They really do give the feel and sound of calf skin on tympani better than any head I've ever tried.

As a tom head however, the Renaissance heads leave a bit to be desired. They do give a warm and focused sound, and if you want a good attack to balance the two, then this is the head for you. But for my tastes they are a little bright and while they give a warmer, darker sound than regular coated heads (and definitely more so than clear heads) there are better products (in my opinion) currently on the market for achieving that warm dark sound characteristic of calf skin.

The most notable is the Remo fiberskyn heads, and secondly are the Evans J1 etched heads.

One thing to try is using these as resonant heads on your toms- I've done so and like (but don't necessarily love) the results.

These heads are great for orchestral use and for playing in acoustic jazz situations, but I don't see them as being very applicable in genres outside of the two aforementioned- absolutely not rock and roll and absolutely not metal, but could possibly fit into an R&B band and probably wouldn't fit into a funk situation (but feel free to experiment and surprise me!).

These drum heads are amazing. These are truly the closest thing to replicating that vintage jazz sound you hear on so many old recordings. They are, in my opinion, the closest thing to calf skin heads on the market.

Nothing quite gets that old school sound like calf skin, but if you cant get calf skin this really is the next best thing. With a very warm and sensitive sound that you can really 'play into,' these heads are a pleasure all around to play.

These heads were designed for the jazz musician in mind, and I honestly cant see them in any other settings- except maybe Motown music or older R&B.

My only gripe with these heads is that the 'etching' tends to come off fairly quickly (and can get your stuff a little dusty!). Once the 'etching' comes off the heads develop a very bright and brittle sound that I don't particularly care for and find quite the opposite of the sound you're looking for if you buy these heads in the first place.

These heads are expensive however and wear out quickly. While they are the closest thing to the sound and feel of real calf skin to me, they are absolutely not the kind of thing I would throw on my drums and gig for a while and be able to leave there. I honestly don't know anyone who KEEPS these heads on their drum- but I know quite a few (myself included) who will throw these on for a couple of special shows and then revert back to my regular heads. I think these heads would be best suited for studio use.

If you're looking for a suitable alternative to calfskin, I would recommend the Remo Fiberskyn heads, as they give a comparable sound and tend to last forever- not to mention the fact that they're cheaper!