nzrocker
07-06-2005, 04:59 AM
Zildjian - 18" Crash Ride Review
When I went to get a new crash to replace my ZXT, I had a fairly open mind to what I wanted to get. I was looking at the Zildjian A's, specifically the medium thin crashes, and bigger sizes as I don't like to use a lot of cymbals, but really need versatility and loud sounds that are going to cut through. I had already bought a 21" A Sweet Ride and was really happy with it, it perfectly fit the big, noisy yet musical quality I look for in cymbals.
So I listened to some of the crashes. The medium and medium-thin zildjian A's really sounded great, full sound with a lot of body. But then I listened to some K's and this 18" K Crash Ride stood out from all of the others. It is really a very musical cymbal, a lot of dark overtones but a ton of body and warmth. It also has a nice bite to it, but not too much - just enough to sort of snag you in and say "ahhh what a cool cymbal". When you ride on the top of it with the bead, it has a nice, sweet sounding wash to it, quite applicable to jazz. If you accent on the bow with the shoulder of the stick, you get a nice mix of wash and crash. The bell is quite full and nice to have for little accents and fills. I took it home and started "wearing it in".
My first reaction was that I didn't really like it, it didn't shine as much as it did in the shops. I played a rock show a couple of days later and really started to gain appreciation for it. You can strike it lightly and get a nice, soft crash from it or you can lay into it and get so many colours from it, it's really a musical instrument. A drummer friend who was playing in another band playing that night commented on the cymbal, and how it sounded great from the audience, so we both shared cymbals that night which was great.
I now love this cymbal. It's only 18 inches but i've been playing a school production with a pair of hi-hats and this cymbal, i've been using it as a ride, crash, effect cymbal and suspended cymbal and it sounds perfect no matter what. If you're looking for something versatile, that can fit into mellow rock and small jazzy shows, this is definitely a useful tool. It's not just something you smack and forget about, it's a musical instrument and that's why I love it.
Overall - tough. 4/5, because it's not exactly applicable to metal. And there's the initial "hmmmm was this the right choice" factor.
When I went to get a new crash to replace my ZXT, I had a fairly open mind to what I wanted to get. I was looking at the Zildjian A's, specifically the medium thin crashes, and bigger sizes as I don't like to use a lot of cymbals, but really need versatility and loud sounds that are going to cut through. I had already bought a 21" A Sweet Ride and was really happy with it, it perfectly fit the big, noisy yet musical quality I look for in cymbals.
So I listened to some of the crashes. The medium and medium-thin zildjian A's really sounded great, full sound with a lot of body. But then I listened to some K's and this 18" K Crash Ride stood out from all of the others. It is really a very musical cymbal, a lot of dark overtones but a ton of body and warmth. It also has a nice bite to it, but not too much - just enough to sort of snag you in and say "ahhh what a cool cymbal". When you ride on the top of it with the bead, it has a nice, sweet sounding wash to it, quite applicable to jazz. If you accent on the bow with the shoulder of the stick, you get a nice mix of wash and crash. The bell is quite full and nice to have for little accents and fills. I took it home and started "wearing it in".
My first reaction was that I didn't really like it, it didn't shine as much as it did in the shops. I played a rock show a couple of days later and really started to gain appreciation for it. You can strike it lightly and get a nice, soft crash from it or you can lay into it and get so many colours from it, it's really a musical instrument. A drummer friend who was playing in another band playing that night commented on the cymbal, and how it sounded great from the audience, so we both shared cymbals that night which was great.
I now love this cymbal. It's only 18 inches but i've been playing a school production with a pair of hi-hats and this cymbal, i've been using it as a ride, crash, effect cymbal and suspended cymbal and it sounds perfect no matter what. If you're looking for something versatile, that can fit into mellow rock and small jazzy shows, this is definitely a useful tool. It's not just something you smack and forget about, it's a musical instrument and that's why I love it.
Overall - tough. 4/5, because it's not exactly applicable to metal. And there's the initial "hmmmm was this the right choice" factor.