Zildjian a customs?

[Chriskoz109]

I was lookin to get q 14' hi hat a custom, a 18' fast crash and a 18 ' a custom crash. im not sure if i want the sweet ride 21' not sure if i like the sound. any suggestions?

[kaosotis]

I only have a few A Customs, but my 18 and 19 crash are great cymbals. I've heard people who love the crashes say they don't love the hats.

[Bish]

I have a complete matched set that I gigged with for a few years. Worked fine for me.

[myk]

The only zildjians I have are my are A Custom 14" hats,love them very clean sounding,I really couldn't find nicer cymbals than Sabian,16" AA thin crash,20" HH medium ride(beautiful cymbal),and 22"HHX Manhattan jazz ride

[G-man]

I was lookin to get q 14' hi hat a custom, a 18' fast crash and a 18 ' a custom crash. im not sure if i want the sweet ride 21' not sure if i like the sound. any suggestions?

The Sweet Ride definitely will not be as bright as the A Customs. They can vary in sound so you might find one on the heavier side that works with those crashes. I've had one Sweet Ride that I never felt comfortable with the sound and one that I would never part with. If you don't want to go with an A Custom ride (I'm not a big fan of them) you could look at a 20" K ride. Much brighter and pingier (is that a word?) than you would expect and might go well with the ACs.

[gdmoore28]

I've played Zildjian As for all my playing life. I've played a bunch of A Customs as well. I've yet to find an A Custom that I like as much as a regular A. I've never played a K Custom that I like as much as regular Ks. The reason for my preference is quite simple: the polishing process on the Custom cymbals practically removes the sharp ridges produced during lathing, and it's those ridges that produce the extreme hi frequencies in a cymbal. The Customs lose the sparkling hi frequencies of the non-polished versions.

So why do people consistently describe A or K Customs as "brighter?" Because the removal of the lathing ridges, while lessening the hi frequencies, accentuates the mid and mid-hi frequencies, and that makes the "ping" sound of the stick more pronounced. Removing certain frequencies from any sound source causes the remaining frequencies to seem louder. Polishing the lathing lines away is roughly the equivalent of turning the tweeter down in a speaker system. The "sizzle" disappears from the mix while the mids and lows sound louder. That's why I prefer the regular As and Ks - that lovely sizzle!

GeeDeeEmm

[Pearl MCX Man]

I also have owned and played only Zildjian A's for 40 years and never found them to be bright as some describe.
Based on the original A Zildjians ("Bright, Full-bodied, and Natural) A Customs have a particularly medium-thin to thin weight, making them very responsive and bright.

[pgm554]

I've played Zildjian As for all my playing life. I've played a bunch of A Customs as well. I've yet to find an A Custom that I like as much as a regular A. I've never played a K Custom that I like as much as regular Ks. The reason for my preference is quite simple: the polishing process on the Custom cymbals practically removes the sharp ridges produced during lathing, and it's those ridges that produce the extreme hi frequencies in a cymbal. The Customs lose the sparkling hi frequencies of the non-polished versions.

So why do people consistently describe A or K Customs as "brighter?" Because the removal of the lathing ridges, while lessening the hi frequencies, accentuates the mid and mid-hi frequencies, and that makes the "ping" sound of the stick more pronounced. Removing certain frequencies from any sound source causes the remaining frequencies to seem louder. Polishing the lathing lines away is roughly the equivalent of turning the tweeter down in a speaker system. The "sizzle" disappears from the mix while the mids and lows sound louder. That's why I prefer the regular As and Ks - that lovely sizzle!

GeeDeeEmm

Agree.

I have played one A Custom (20th Anniversary Ride Cymbal 21 in.) that I could live with.

All the others were meh.

[MartyM]

I love all of my A customs...and the K hybrid ride is fantastic...you see...we all have different tastes and styles...which is a good thing!

[dangermoney]

If you don't want to go with an A Custom ride (I'm not a big fan of them) you could look at a 20" K ride. Much brighter and pingier (is that a word?) than you would expect and might go well with the ACs.

+1

I might also suggest that you check out a 20" A Ping Ride ...

[pgm554]

My opinion is if you go with a major manufacturer ,Sabian has the best rides for the $$.

Zildjian has some hits,but I find the Sabian stuff more robust.

[MDK]

I've played Zildjian As for all my playing life. I've played a bunch of A Customs as well. I've yet to find an A Custom that I like as much as a regular A. I've never played a K Custom that I like as much as regular Ks. The reason for my preference is quite simple: the polishing process on the Custom cymbals practically removes the sharp ridges produced during lathing, and it's those ridges that produce the extreme hi frequencies in a cymbal. The Customs lose the sparkling hi frequencies of the non-polished versions.

So why do people consistently describe A or K Customs as "brighter?" Because the removal of the lathing ridges, while lessening the hi frequencies, accentuates the mid and mid-hi frequencies, and that makes the "ping" sound of the stick more pronounced. Removing certain frequencies from any sound source causes the remaining frequencies to seem louder. Polishing the lathing lines away is roughly the equivalent of turning the tweeter down in a speaker system. The "sizzle" disappears from the mix while the mids and lows sound louder. That's why I prefer the regular As and Ks - that lovely sizzle!

GeeDeeEmm

Good points and probably the reason I prefer the K custom Hybrids, the best of both worlds. The crashes are fantastic in and out crashes. Still working on getting some hats and looking into a ride. My regular K 20" ride is working well and sometimes I throw in my 21" sweet ride but I eventually want a bell that is a little louder than both of those.

[gdmoore28]

My opinion is if you go with a major manufacturer ,Sabian has the best rides for the $$.

Zildjian has some hits,but I find the Sabian stuff more robust.

I'm coming to this conclusion, as well. When it comes to rides, Sabian by far offers the greatest selection of truly individual, unique personalities (compared to Zildjian). I currently use a 20" Sabian HH Medium Ride, which I love. I just bought a 21" Zildjian Sweet Ride, and it is true to all the characteristics we've come to love in that cymbal, but I'll be selling it to buy a Sabian HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride. I also love the Sabian Omni Rides, and the Stage Rides. Outside of a model or two of regular K rides, Zildjian is just not offering the kind of ride qualities that capture my attention. On the other hand, I much prefer Zildjian A and K Dark crashes over Sabian's offerings.

GeeDeeEmm

[kay-gee]

I was lookin to get q 14' hi hat a custom, a 18' fast crash and a 18 ' a custom crash. im not sure if i want the sweet ride 21' not sure if i like the sound. any suggestions?

My suggestion...don't buy something you don't like

all the best...

[pcs90]

On the other hand, I much prefer Zildjian A and K Dark crashes over Sabian's offerings.

See to me, I really don't like Zildjian that much in general. I've owned many, both as part of setups and from buying and reselling gear, and while there were a few cymbals that sounded nice, nothing compared to Sabian, which in turn has a pretty decent gap compared to how awesome I think Meinl is. Zildjian overall just has a different feel and sound to Sabian and Meinl...more stiff, more weird overtones generally, most of their chinas are way too clangy and brittle, etc. Of the big 4 (Z/S/P/M) I'd rank them as Meinl, Sabian, Zildjian and Paiste last. Sabian has some really great cymbals in their HH and HHX lines (the HHX raw bell you mentioned earlier is one example) but once I played Meinl I sold all my Sabians with the exception of the 10" Max Stax.

Back on topic, of the Zildjian lines, the ones with the best feel to me are probably the A Customs, as they are very thin and responsive. I don't generally prefer brighter cymbals, but if I was going that direction and wanted to use Zildjian then these would definitely be a good option. They do seem to crack pretty easily (at least based on what I've been told from others), but with good technique that isn't an issue. I also feel that, for whatever reason, they are more consistent in sound than regular A's.

[gdmoore28]

I haven't had to opportunity to play any high end Meinls since the last NAMM show I attended years ago, so i have no way to judge them. My local GC carries only the budget lines (which suck) with an occasional odd ball that was likely a cast off from another store. Which Meinls do you have? I desperately need to get a ticket to the next Summer NAMM so that I can catch up.

GeeDeeEmm

[pcs90]

I haven't had to opportunity to play any high end Meinls since the last NAMM show I attended years ago, so i have no way to judge them. My local GC carries only the budget lines (which suck) with an occasional odd ball that was likely a cast off from another store. Which Meinls do you have? I desperately need to get a ticket to the next Summer NAMM so that I can catch up.

GeeDeeEmm

Yeah, Meinl's entry-level lines are pretty bad. I have a mix of Byzance and Generation X models. Generation X is more for unique sounds -- some actually sound electronically processed. Byzance is where all the high-end hand-hammered Turkish cymbals are. Right now for Byzance I have 6" and 8" Brilliant splashes, 8" Traditional splash, 10" Dark splash, 12" Extra Dry splash (this one is on my hand percussion setup), 16" Vintage crash, 16" Dark crash, 17" Extra Dry crash, 18" Traditional Extra Thin Hammered crash, 20" Extra Dry china and 20" Dark Raw Bell ride. Several of these were hand selected from the factory and brought to my local shop. Most of the brighter models are in the Traditional or Brilliant lines, so if you prefer more high overtones I'd recommend you try those out especially.

[G-man]

I also feel that, for whatever reason, they are more consistent in sound than regular A's.

That's one of the thins I like about Zildjian A's. There is variation and you can find your own sound, even within a line of cymbals. No way you're going to sound exactly like 1,000 other drummers.

[pcs90]

That's one of the thins I like about Zildjian A's. There is variation and you can find your own sound, even within a line of cymbals. No way you're going to sound exactly like 1,000 other drummers.

Well, yeah, there are variations in most high-end cymbals, especially hand hammered ones. What I meant was that there seem to be more bad A's that slip through compared to other lines. I think this has been addressed recently with the newer designs, but often I'd hear some in a store that just sounded bad, like a cheap beginner cymbal, and then try another of the same model somewhere else that sounded like a pro cymbal should. So the sound quality isn't as consistent is what I meant.

[G-man]

I'd agree with that. But I think the 2013 redesign has made the A line fantastic. Whole different feel and sound from the previous version - no more clankiness and heavy harsh feel. If you haven't tried the newer A's you need to. Still have variation but they sound and feel so much better.

[gdmoore28]

I'd agree with that. But I think the 2013 redesign has made the A line fantastic. Whole different feel and sound from the previous version - no more clankiness and heavy harsh feel. If you haven't tried the newer A's you need to. Still have variation but they sound and feel so much better.

I couldn't agree more. Whatever Zildjian did in the redesign, they did it right. The improvement in the A line is remarkable. I like them . . . a lot.

GeeDeeEmm

[tah821]

I'd agree with that. But I think the 2013 redesign has made the A line fantastic. Whole different feel and sound from the previous version - no more clankiness and heavy harsh feel. If you haven't tried the newer A's you need to. Still have variation but they sound and feel so much better.

I also agree with this. I have a 2013 20" A Medium-Thin crash and a 21" A Sweet Ride, both of which I love very dearly. Very responsive and not at all clangy or brittle like some older A's I have played.