TigerBill's DrumBeat Community Forums for Free Expert Advice on Drums and Percussion.

This isn't new equipment anymore, but I really like these cymbals and thought I'd share my feelings about them.

Zildjian K Custom Session hats

A while back I picked up the K Custom Session hats. I've forever been a big fan of my ancient Quick Beats and New Beats, but these are fast becoming my new favorite high hats. They feature a heavier (medium) top cymbal and lighter (medium thin) bottom. Let's call them 14", but the top is actually a 16th of an inch or so smaller than the bottom. They have a nice warm sound, and a crisp defined chick when played with the foot. I like to play them 1/2 open on certain bombastic rock tunes and they have a nice shimmering sound to them when played that way. They're clean and responsive when played lightly. They have a brilliant finish, and that's the only thing I'm not crazy about (they quickly pick up a lot of schmutz if you use your left hand to control them during jazz beats). That's the only unflattering thing I have to say about these hats. I like them a lot. I liked them enough to go back to the shop to investigate the rest of the series, which I also bought.

Zildjian 20" K Custom Session Ride

There is a brilliant finish on this cymbal as well. It's also unlathed, so it has a smooth overall surface. It's medium thin and has a really nice defined stick sound, especially when played with lighter sticks. I've found it to have rather high overtones despite what the Zildjian marketing blurbs say about it. In fact, when played with a heavier stick (I'm calling a 5B heavy in this case) with an olive bead, the overtones can build to the point where they sound like high-pitched feedback. Nevertheless, when played with a lighter stick (Regal Tip 5A or 7A E series, in this case) the spread was much more acceptable. The smooth finish means you can't scrape or drag a wire brush handle or a chicken foot on it to get that 'zzzziinnnggg' effect. However, it speaks quickly and clearly when accented with the shoulder of the stick. It has a good sized bell with a nice clear tone. I still keep my Ping Ride in the bag, but I've been using this cymbal more and more - especially for lighter gigs.

Zildjian 16" and 18" K Custom Session Crashes

These cymbals are thin weight and have a standard (not brilliant) finish. This seems a bit strange to me since their 'Custom Session' siblings have brilliant finishes. But I digress. . .

I like this 16" very much. Zildijian says the sound is low and dark. Not to my ear. The 16 seems to have a very pleasing high-pitched sound to it. It speaks quickly and drops off quickly as well. This was a nice addition to my crash collection.

The 18" does have a low, dark sound to it, and I like it in certain situations. It takes a bit of effort to make this crash ring out, even though its a thin cymbal. In addition to being a nice warm crash, it makes a decent crash-ride - especially with a little sizzle device (beads, coins, whatever) added to it. I liked it enough to buy it, but to my ear it's kind of the weird uncle of the set - it's darkness sets it apart from the rest.

I encourage you to go listen to these cymbals. Don't be guided entirely by the sound clips on the Zildjian site. Go play them with various flavors of your own sticks. Have someone else play them while you stand back. Listen while facing them and while facing away from them. I'm betting you will like what you hear - especially the hats and the 16" crash.

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