Dream Cymbals

[Raphael2510]

Hello,

I've found a new cymbal brand in thailand, maybe some do know them. they are called "Dream Cymbals", any of you ever heard of them before. the starter series is called bliss and is made out of b20 bronze.

any feedback on how they are?

thanks for the replies!

[Old Doc Yak]

HI there! I've got a 20" Dream Bliss ride and it sounds great to me. This is personal preference tho. Each cymbal will sound different. For instance, no two 20" will sound the same. Find a place where you can play the cymbals to find the sound you like. Good luck.

[Velimor]

Front Range Bronze (http://www.frontrangebronze.com) has sound files for lots of Dream cymbals. Due to their hand hammered nature and not-so-strict quality control, you'll find some clunkers, but most of them are really nice cymbals.

By the way, they're made in China (I think).

[Raphael2510]

hm,

@ velimor: that's what I was thinking when I saw them. They sound good on the net, but I tried them somehow it wasn't the same.

anyway how do they compare to the Paiste PST5? or the Meinl Classics? Can anyone tell me a little more about the PST5? how they sound to you, what bronze they are made of etc.

[mofle]

They are not beginner cymbals, they are loveley, cheap hi-end (sound, don't know about quality) cymbals. The Bliss series sounds like K's and K Cons. Of course not all of them but they are said to be made after old K models.

[Drummer Karl]

Dream cymbals, I really wouldn`t consider the Bliss as beginner cymbals, I would rather say that those are very well made and high-quality cymbals. The sound is often compared with those old turkish Zildjian K cymbals...and I think there are many similarities, not just sound...but also look. Actually always wanted to get a light 20" Bliss...I`ll see.

Karl

[KarlCrafton]

I saw a quick review of the 24" Flat and Contact Bliss cymbals in the new MD (Dec. 07), they sound pretty cool.
I'd like to hear them.
I dig 24" rides.
Seems like these are modeled after the old K's, but with a new twist.
I've never really heard of Dream Cymbals...have they been around a while?

[crazyhorse]

Dream has been around a couple of years but as with everything the mainstream doesn't catch on for a while. There are some really good reviews at cymbalholics.com

[the gayge]

Dream Cymbals are great! Especially the Bliss Models.
I have three Bliss' here at the house. I have a 2538g 22" that I drilled for four rivets. It sounds unbelievable. I have two rivets in it right now and it has so much stick. It sounds like one of Elvin's cymbals.
I have a 14" that I paired with a paperlight old A from the 60's to make a gorgeous set of hi hats.
Finally I have an 1810g 20" that has a beautiful tone to it but washes out a little too quickly right now. Once it dries out it'll be another really wonderful cymbal.

When buying these cymbals its really important to think about the fact that they will evolve for the first year or so you have them. The more they are played the more they dry out and loose some of that trashiness.

As far as comparisons go, they fall into that "Old K" sound idiom, but not exactly. For the most part they are significantly trashier and less mellow than some of the great Old Ks. The have some similar sound characteristics to the new K Cons as well, but they play a little softer and more buttery. If you're looking for something along the lines of the PST5s and the Meinl Classics, these are pretty far off the mark. If you're open to some really incredible sounds, they're great cymbals.

[dom]

I have got a 22'' dream contact ride and a 10'' bliss splash and love them! The contact goes with me everywhere. It doesn't matter what kind of gig it is, it will fit great. They are leagues ahead of pst5 or menial mcs or anything like that.

The contacts are more rock orientated very classic sound and the blisses are great jazz cymbals. If you want great cymbals for dirt cheap go for the dreams

they are from Wuhan china and distributed through Mountain Rhythm up in Canada to the US

[crazyhorse]

Just another note about hearing them first.... they're hand shaped AND hammered... so each one varies GREATLY. These are cymbals that you want to hear first, or buy from a place that will let you swap them out.

[Raphael2510]

Well I'm really sorry if I said that they were beginner cymabls, by that I meant that the bliss were the first line of them (Sorry!). After gathering up some money I was considering buying some, tomorrow or saturday, they are cheap and they seem to have a good sound. So for someone playing punk, rock, groovy double bass beats, which of the both: contact and bliss, are the ones I should pick? (I know its personal preference)

[indiadrummer]

interestingly, I was just playing a dream ride cymbal this afternoon. Very trashy sound, nice quality actually especially considering that it comes from China, where frankly everything is made at utter crap quality :)

[gr82bagn]

I loved my first Dream Bliss 16 inch crash so much that when I got my new set I decided to go entirely with the Dream Bliss III series. Before committing I tried them out at the store to see if there was much difference between the III series and the original I series Bliss. I found a lot of the trashiness has been removed and the cymbals sound beautiful. At that point I got myself a 22 inch Dream Bliss III ride, two 18 inch crashes a 20 inch crash and a set of 14 inch HH. They are hand hammered and the sound difference between the two 18’s is noticeable in a nice sort of way. Also they seem a little thin compared to Paiste, Meinl or Zildjian, but not to worry because they hold up well. I tend to strike my cymbals with good force and so far no problems. I would not compare them to Paiste PST5 or Meinl Classics because the Dream Bliss cymbal is not by any stretch of the imagination a beginner’s cymbal. They are INEXPENSIVE in price only and not cheap in quality. Here are some pictures of my current cymbal set up. I intend to add one more 16 inch crash and a 12 inch splash.

[Raphael2510]

Well, I just bought, about two weeks ago, the beautiful sounding 22 inch bliss ride, and it's sounds great. I really like the sound of the bell if you strike it with the shoulder of the drumstick, like that ping. Thanks for all the help, I'm so sorry for the first comments, I take them all back and I'll never say anything about dream cymbals again.

Looking forward in buying a hihat 14", and two crashes 14" and 16" (bliss).

[freehandstyle]

hey Raphael2510

you saw Dream cymbals in Thailand?

This is bad news for me cause I was just in Thailand in Bangkok 2 weeks ago.
I saw some DW and PDP but they were ridiculously expensive. (at the mall Zen)

Would you mind telling me where you go the Dream bliss and how much they were as I have friends that go there often.

Thank you!

[drumsum]

Hey guys, just new on the block but I am a big fan of Dream Cymbals. The Modern Drummer review caught my eye a while back and I bought some from frontrangebronze.com.

I have four 20" crash rides which I love to bits (3 Bliss, 1 Contact) and a set of 14" contact hats. Yeah, I play jazz and love ride cymbals.

I see someone is importing these into Australia now www.cymbalsplus.com - bummer - would have saved me $100 in shipping.

[Just Drums]

I just spent about 2-3 hours with Lance Wright from Dream (one of the owners) checking out and playing the Dream cymbals. Wow. These cymbals ARE great. Very heavily inspired by the Zildjian Ks. At the risk of sounding like a salesman - you gotta check these cymbals out. Seriously - they were great. They're made of B20 and B23 (!!) alloys.

They're hand made cymbals made in China and made just like the Turkish cymbals. They are made in the Wuhan area of China and are meticulously made. They're made in a factory and in ovens that are over 300 years old so they're not exactly new at this. They've been making gongs (and now western cymbals) for over 300 years.

No BS - they were great and I was very impressed. We'll be getting a full DREAM display in our shop in the next couple of months for sure!

[brittc89]

I just bought a 24" Dream Bliss Ride and I really dig it. Very interesting unique sound. Some definite overtones but with a strong amount of definition. And the crash sends chills up my spine.

[Mikey D]

I bought a complete range of Bliss Cymbals last week to go with my new kit (I have been using my housemates since I started learning)

24" ride, 20" Crash/Ride, 10" Splash, 14" Hihats, all for what I was basically going to pay for a Zildjian 24" light ride.

I absolutely love the sound of the 24", it never seems to get overpowering when you really ride it. Quite a few drummer friends and coursemates that have tried it now have been very impressed (They all have very nice "expensive" rides). The only negative comment I received, is that you can't get a vast range of sounds out of it, but it is very easy to ride.

The 20", I'm not so sure about. VERY full crash sound with lots of overtones which I really like. Still not sure about using it as a ride yet. We'll have to wait and see for this one...

14 hats: Just the sound I was looking for. Nice, without being too bright. Not the loudest when played with foot, but they have a very pleasing 'soft' sound to them.

10" splash doesn't decay as quickly as I would like, but I really like the sound of this also.

I would recommend you try these if you are in the market for a nice jazz set up, especially the 24 and the hats.

I predominatly play bop, hip hop and funk and the cymbals fit in perfectly!

The only thing I now need is a 24" cymbal bag. Any recommendations!?

[the gayge]

What are the weights of the set? Especially the 20. I have a 20 at 1810g that is really really wild. I'm curious about what weights are the easiest to control.

[southpaw219]

I know this is a necropost, but I just encountered Dream cymbals today for the first time and felt compelled to resurrect the thread, instead of starting a new one.

I went to Steve Maxwell's shop in Manhattan, looking for some inexpensive cymbals for my dad, who's just started playing again after decades on the shelf.

I tried a variety of ride cymbals. My memory is like Swiss cheese, though, so I can't remember which models. I was pretty underwhelmed, though. The one ride I kept going back to had pretty substantial weight and a raw bell; it sounded the best of all of them.

Looking at the rim, from the underside, there are obvious fold lines ... which led me to assume that these are sheet-metal cymbals. That would make sense, considering the price.

I tried a 16" crash that was actually pretty impressive, too. But, aside from the crash and the one ride, most of them were too trashy and lacked any nuance, for my tastes. I may go back tomorrow to snatch up the crash and ride.

[Soupy]

All the Dream cymbals are cast bronze. Don't confuse lathe lines for something else. Sheet bronze is rolled, not folded.

[southpaw219]

Right. I'm fairly certain they weren't lathe lines -- I gather those to be the rings that run concentric to the cymbals circumference.

I'm talking about, on the underside of the cymbal, at the very edge, lines that were mostly perpendicular to the lathing lines. They looked like they could have, at one point, been creases in the bronze.