Unlike my unfavorable review of the 16" Fast Crash from this series; the A Customs- I really like the A Custom's 18" Fast Crash.
What I like most about the A Custom line-up is their versatile sound, being very modern sounding but traditional enough for more than just rock. The 18" Fast Crash is no exception, as it has a very shimmery modern sound, and is mellow enough to be utilized in a wide variety of gigs. Its a good cymbal for guys who play in different types of bands and need a good "go-to" cymbal for different styles.
The 18" Fast Crash has a great sustain thats not wimpy (unlike the 16" version) so it can be played like crash/ride. It has the density to stand up to it and not flop around like a fish. And, like the name implies; the crash is "fast" so its sounds more punchy and punctuated than most 18" crashes. All of these characteristics blend together perfectly, in my opinion, and this cymbal is explosive and punctuated, dark, modern and shimmery, and with great sustain, and its still versatile enough to play this in a modern rock band all the way down to jazz. Its not as complex as some players might demand, but it does have great musicality and sensitivity to pull off different styles well.
This is one of my favorite crashes ever, other than a few that Paiste has to offer. Its not bad for the price considering the use you would get out of it. It wouldnt replace my standard 18" crash in my setup, but it would pair up with it as a replacement for my 16". Thats how "fast" of a crash it is, you can replace your 16" with it for a fuller sound but not give up the punctuation or explosiveness you expect from a smaller crash!

You will love this cymbal.

I did not use this cymbal long, as it just didn't jive with my tastes and expectations. It might for you, though. The 16" Fast Crash is pretty typical and in line with the rest of the A Custom series, but this particular cymbal is just not of use to how I play and what I prefer in a crash cymbal.

What I liked about this cymbal is its shimmery blast of sound that hits you in milliseconds of hitting the cymbal. They didn't call it a Fast Crash for nothing.

What I did NOT like about it was that I found it a bit thin and anemic sounding for a 16" cymbal. It had the sustain of a 16" or larger, but the wimpiness of a 14" or 15" crash. It lacked fullness. Even its sustain was just the tone lingering, and not a full reverberation of the cymbal. It is probably due to the thin-ness of the cymbal, its fairly lightweight. It seems like to achieve the "fast" crash that this cymbal is named for, it had to lose any fullness or deep sustain that it could have otherwise had had it been a more substantial cymbal. Its a trade-off for sure, and a trade-off I'd rather not make.

So in my opinion, I would never use this cymbal in a rock band, even though much of the A Custom line-up is perfect for everything from mellow rock to aggressive rock music. I would maybe check out the 14" or 15" Fast Crashes as a more splashy cymbal in the future but the 16" has no place on my kit. I could reccomend trying out this cymbal to anyone who plays more modern jazz or fusion type playing. They might appreciate the mellow sustain and punctuated "fast" crash sound of this cymbal.