Thanks for the review Owens. I agree that the ZBT's are beginner cymbals. They served me well when I started, but I am much happier with sound of the cymbals that I have now.
I have had the 4-pack of ZBT's for about 4 months. The pack consist of 13" hi-hats, 14" crash, 16" crash, and 18" crash/ride. They are very sturdy and have stood up to a lot of hard playing. The hi-hats have a decent closed sound, but the open sound has some unwanted ring. The 14" and 16" crashes sound pretty good to me, they are very bright. The 18" crash/ride is a piece of crap, it rings a lot and has a bad bell sound. It is way to delayed when crashed and doesn't have a good sound, overall the 18" crash/ride is useless to me no matter how I use it.
I hope this helps anyone looking for cheap cymbals. Out of the ZBT's I have, I would only reccommend them to begginners. I would only reccommend the crashes though, go for a different pair of hi-hats and a different ride.
Thanks for the review Owens. I agree that the ZBT's are beginner cymbals. They served me well when I started, but I am much happier with sound of the cymbals that I have now.
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crashes aren't meant to be used as rides anyway, at least you have a good cymbal palette that you enjoy though, thats what counts
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
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RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
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The Rudiments
I wouldn't totally agree with this.. I have used crashes to ride on many times before and like to do it when I want a bit more wash and a less defined ride sound then I would get with a straight ride. I think the issue here is that the ZBT crash ride cymbal is probably garbage to begin with.
i tried using a zbt ride as a crash. still cant get the horrible ringing out of my ears
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
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The Rudiments
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill
I've tried using cheaper cymbals for rehearsals. The idea was to keep my nice expensive Zildjians for Live performance only. This idea failed miserably ! I hated the sound of the cheap cymbals...especially knowing that the good ones are just sitting there in their case.
i have zbts. the crashes actually arent as bad as people make them out to be, and if you flip the high hats (bottom on top) it cleans their sound up substanially. i utterly despise my zbt ride. and i wasnt educated when i bought them. i got what was cheap. and it sucks... but i dont have money right now to replace them.
"it aint got no thing if it aint got that swing"
Yamaha Stage Custom Noveau
10,12,14,20,14 (standard 2 up 1 down)
Evans EC2 over Remo Ambassador Resos
Evans Genera Dry over ambassador resos
DW 5002 double bass pedal
Sabian 14 inch AAX Xcelerator hats
Sabian 14 inch HHX X-plosion crash
Sabian 16 inch AAX studio crash
Zildjian 17 inch Z custom crash
Sabian 21 inch AA rock ride
Zildjian 18 inch oriental china trash
Agrazian 10 inch Splash
Bumping an old thread!
So the kit I bought came with the ZBT rock pack. That means:
- 14" hats
- 16" rock crash
- 16" china
- 18" ride/crash
- 20" ride
The good:
- Overall they have a lot of bite to them. In particular I love the ride and the china. They just hit my ear perfectly.
- Heavy and sturdy. I feel like I could throw these things out a window and they'd just laugh at me.
- The closed hats do sound great. I also really like the way the hats sound half open.
- That crash/ride is pretty slick.
- Price, obviously.
The not so good:
- The 16" crash just doesn't have enough meat for my tastes. It also rings when I try to choke it.
- The hats sound a little odd when played open.
Now obviously if you have the cash, go for more, but to be honest with you guys if my choice is between spending $300 on two cymbals or six (five if you count the hats together) lower quality ones, I'm going with the five if you're just building your first kit. Having the variety, to me, totally outweighs the fact that they don't sound "beautiful".
i disagree with you. i rebuilt my cymbal set up for only 275$ i have a sabain aax studio crash, hh med-thin crash, aa rock ride,aax xcelerator highats, zildjian z custom med crash oriental china trash, and agrazian splash. ive only spent 275 and have a pro set-up. .
"it aint got no thing if it aint got that swing"
Yamaha Stage Custom Noveau
10,12,14,20,14 (standard 2 up 1 down)
Evans EC2 over Remo Ambassador Resos
Evans Genera Dry over ambassador resos
DW 5002 double bass pedal
Sabian 14 inch AAX Xcelerator hats
Sabian 14 inch HHX X-plosion crash
Sabian 16 inch AAX studio crash
Zildjian 17 inch Z custom crash
Sabian 21 inch AA rock ride
Zildjian 18 inch oriental china trash
Agrazian 10 inch Splash
Hey my man, if you could be so kind as to explain how you pulled that one off I'd absolutely endorse that as well.
However, if you're going to say that you got things used or any other special bargains, you're talking about something different entirely. I'm just referring to straight retail price, and I'd say $300 for the Zidj ZBT rock pack is a great deal.
you got me. my buddy was seeling the aax crash, hats, and aa ride for 125 used (amazing condition tho!) then ive orded the hh med-thin crash from daddys junky mucsic (stil shipping from boston) for 150 (money i got by selling my used zbts). splash was a gift. church was downsizng thier kit and gave me the z custom crash and china. (p.s i also traded my church for a dw 5002 double pedal turbo. i gave them a single chain yamhaha pedal) yes retail price is a great deal, but i could replicate this deal using craigslist, daddys, and jammin jersey. i would rather have used pro cymbals, than cheap new xymbals (tho b4 i had these i had zbts) point is shop used cuz i mean at the least you could get alphas or xs20s used. the only thing i think thats good a bout zbts, that is as begineer cymbals, i didnt know hot to hit the cymbal, and so i trashed them. thwy stood up to abuse. so i give them that. but shopping used you can get waaaaay beter deal.
"it aint got no thing if it aint got that swing"
Yamaha Stage Custom Noveau
10,12,14,20,14 (standard 2 up 1 down)
Evans EC2 over Remo Ambassador Resos
Evans Genera Dry over ambassador resos
DW 5002 double bass pedal
Sabian 14 inch AAX Xcelerator hats
Sabian 14 inch HHX X-plosion crash
Sabian 16 inch AAX studio crash
Zildjian 17 inch Z custom crash
Sabian 21 inch AA rock ride
Zildjian 18 inch oriental china trash
Agrazian 10 inch Splash
Oh absolutely. I mean, far as I'm concerned, unless you absolutely NEED brand new stuff then there's no reason NOT to try and find some used and discount stuff.
Of course, if you sold your ZBT's for $150, then that kinda proves my point again. Some dude got the whole pack for that price and I'd definitely say it's a worthy pickup for $150.
They obviously aren't top of the line cymbals, but I don't think they sound nearly as bad as people say.
I think the important thing about ZBT's, and any similar entry level cymbals, is that they are certainly better than no cymbals at all, and they are a big step up from some of those cymbal that come free on the entry level kits. Also, as CD noted, they can take a bit of a beating while proper technique is being learned. Once you've heard really good cymbals, though, it is hard to stay with the entry level. If money is a problem, then used is certainly a way to get pro-level cymbals.
Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.
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oh yeah man. i didnt mind them, but i wanted to upgrade. justt wasnt "my" sound. like zbts are alright. but when you compaere them to your own set-up you say they suck. and sold
14 inch zbt hats
16 inch zbt crash
18 inch zbt crash
20 inch zbt crash
18 inch wuhan china
cymbal bag
free cowbell and sizzle attachment
he got all of that for 150. i <3 craigslist
"it aint got no thing if it aint got that swing"
Yamaha Stage Custom Noveau
10,12,14,20,14 (standard 2 up 1 down)
Evans EC2 over Remo Ambassador Resos
Evans Genera Dry over ambassador resos
DW 5002 double bass pedal
Sabian 14 inch AAX Xcelerator hats
Sabian 14 inch HHX X-plosion crash
Sabian 16 inch AAX studio crash
Zildjian 17 inch Z custom crash
Sabian 21 inch AA rock ride
Zildjian 18 inch oriental china trash
Agrazian 10 inch Splash
^^ Seconded.
For the price, you can get a great variety of cymbals that you can beat the **** out of for a while, and honestly they don't sound AWFUL. I know everyone's all "well just buy a few good cymbals", but to be honest I'd rather work with six lower end cymbals so I can acclimate myself to using them all and then upgrade later.
For the beginner who wants more than just a set of hats and a ride/crash, go with the ZBT's. Then after you've cut your teeth, start replacing them.
[QUOTE=MisterMixelpix;259481For the beginner who wants more than just a set of hats and a ride/crash, go with the ZBT's. Then after you've cut your teeth, start replacing them.[/QUOTE]
That's exactly what I did. It took me about a year to begin searching for new/used pro cymbals, and about another year to get pretty much everything that I wanted. Of course I still occasionally run across a cymbal that I check out, like the 18" Zildjian A Custom EFX cymbal that I bought recently. I must have hit that cymbal for a month, in the music store each time I went in for a lesson, before I got serious about it.
Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.
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I have an appropriate story...
When I joined the band I am current with, it was on congas/timbales with a drum set player already in place. I went to my first gig, and saw when he was setting up that he had a huge set of ZBTs. I remember thinking that they were going to sound horrible, as I had been playing A Customs for years. After the first set was over, I was surprised at how good they actually sounded. I never really listened to him playing alone, it was always with the band, but I didn't hear anything that sounded bad at all. When I listen back to recordings of him on set and compare them to me on set, the only difference I hear is that my ride sounds way better (but it probably cost more than his entire set).
I am sure some here remember what budget cymbals were like 15 years ago with the Zildjian Schimitar line (utter crap). These days you can get a lot of decent sounds for a reasonable price, which was not always the case.
You make a good point, too. In the mix, the ZBT's sound just dandy. When I play alone I'm noticing some problems, but after I record a video with an mp3 backing it, I think they sound fine.
They're sorta like the cheap vodka of cymbals. You wouldn't want to have them alone in a glass, but throw in some milk and a bit of Bailey's and they make a dang tasty White Russian.
You make a good point, too. In the mix, the ZBT's sound just dandy. When I play alone I'm noticing some problems, but after I record a video with an mp3 backing it, I think they sound fine.
They're sorta like the cheap vodka of cymbals. You wouldn't want to have them alone in a glass, but throw in some milk and a bit of Bailey's and they make a dang tasty White Russian.
i have ZBT's and when i play them with a recording they sound nice. the 18" crash/ ride could sound a bit better but overall there pretty decent cymbals. i plan on upgrading but for now these will do. id like to get A customs.
Zildjian-Gretsch-Remo
"drumming is about time and I'm still having a good time!"
Start with a good ride and go from there. You can't go wrong with the A Customs. I have the sizzle ride, but I can tell from it that the regular version would be very nice. Check out the Rezo ride if you get a chance. I contemplate buying one every time I'm in a shop and get to hear it.
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