Advice needed: K Custom Hybrid set or K set

pearlnl

Member
Hi everybody,

I was looking for some advice on what cymbals to get. Currently I am looking for a full set of cymbals (14 Hi-hat, 16+18 Crash and a 20 Ride). Zildjian offers these 'value' packages that are much cheaper then buying the cymbals separately. I have narrowed my choice down to two sets that consist of:

K Custom Hybrid set
Could not find a link on the Zildjian site, but anyway...
  • 14.25" K Custom Hybrid HiHats
  • 16 K Custom Hybrid Crash
  • 18 K Custom Hybrid Crash
  • 20 K Custom Hybrid Ride
K set
http://zildjian.com/Products/Drumse...mbals/K-Zildjian-Series/K-Zildjian-Promo-Pack
  • 14" K Hi-Hats
  • 16" K Thin Crash
  • 18" K Thin Crash
  • 20" K Ride

I am looking for a versatile set that is usable both in the studio as in live settings, and suits music ranging from jazz, pop, funk to rock. Does anyone have any experience with these cymbals that could help me compare the two sets? I am eager to find out if one set is clearly more versatile then the other, or that it really does not matter that much.

Please note that I realize cymbal-taste is personal, but I would like to get your personal experiences in this as well. There is no 'real' truth but I want to know your truth. Of course I have tried both in a store already, but I am unable to see the versatility of the cymbals in a live-setting, which owners (hopefully like yourself) may have.

Hope to learn from your experiences and please let know if you need any additional information about my playing or needs for the cymbals. Thanks!
 
In general, the K Customs will probably be glassier, louder, and a little less dynamic than the Ks. The ride will have a stronger bell. The Ks will probably be a little more traditional, darker, and complex, with a less piercing bell on the ride. Either one is great- if you're going to be gigging a lot, I'd recommend the Hybrids, but I would personally choose the Ks.
 
Hey, man.. well, you said it yourself, cymbal-taste is very personal. However, if you want my humble opinion, ok, I'll give it to you.

I particularly don't care for KC Hybrids.

To me, K's have a classic, mellow, warm sound. I own a K Ride and I love it, it's an awesome, very versatile, very beautiful cymbal.

When I was shopping for this ride I tried the KC Hybrid and (again, in my opinion) it was too bright, harsh and metallic. It's supposed to have a great crash AND a very defined ping.. but to me it doesn't excel at any of those things. Yeah it has some crash, it has some ping.. but it's nothing impressive.


On the other hand, I do like the 19" KCH Crash.. So I guess the 16" and 18" must be good too.
I never played KCH hi-hats.

K hihats and thin crashes are very nice sounding cymbals, but they don't have a lot of volume (neither does the ride)... So it depends what do you want them for. A Metallica cover band?? Hell no. Some pop, light-ish rock, jazz, funk.. well, in that case, they can work.

So, that's my opinion. If I had to choose... I really don't know. I know for sure that I prefer the K ride, and probably the K hihats... but, if you play loud rock music, with loud rock guitarists, K thin crashes are a poor choice.. :/

May I ask why you narrowed it down to K vs KCH? If it was me, I'd buy the A Series pack. Medium Ride, New Beats and Medium Thin Crashes. Now, THAT'S versatile.

Cheers. :)
 
I've been trying them both and to me there isn't much difference between them but I prefer the hybrids. I read that Akira Jimbo proposed the unlathed bell idea to zildjian because he wanted more projection and control (whatever that means). When I was looking for hats, the k custom hybrids were my 2nd pick of any brand/model but I also love the k's. Now I'm looking at crashes and my favorites so far are k custom hybrid 18's but I've played some regular k's and it's very close.

I didn't really like the hybrid ride that I tried but zildjians (and other brands) vary. I wouldn't buy a cymbal pack personally, I'd choose my cymbals individually but based on my experience, I would choose the hybrids.
 
Honestly, looking at the different genres of music you play, I would probably go with some thin Zildjian A's. It was a little over two years ago when I was auditioning cymbals between the Zildjian K, K Customs and K Custom Hybrids. After a couple of months of deliberations, I end up getting the K Custom Dark series. Next in line was the K's and for some reason the Hybrids really never appealed to me. They just sounded a bit too strident with some very irregular harmonics. Again Zildjian has some very wide tolerances when it comes to their cymbal making procedures, so these sounds will vary greatly from cymbal to cymbal. Making these decisions on sound should really be done in person before spending your money. You might think the Hybrids are the bee's knees, lol.

Good luck,
Dennis
 
I am an ex Zildjian user. In fact I never ever play machine made cymbals anymore. I have gone the Turkish hand hammered route And I will never go back to those things. My prefered brand is Istanbul Memhet. I also like Masterwork.

You can see some of my cymbals by clicking the link in my signature.
 
I am an ex Zildjian user. In fact I never ever play machine made cymbals anymore. I have gone the Turkish hand hammered route And I will never go back to those things. My prefered brand is Istanbul Memhet. I also like Masterwork.

You can see some of my cymbals by clicking the link in my signature.

Agreed. Hand hammered cymbals sound fantastic.

I would go this option, some companies use special/different lathing options to give cymbals fantastic sounds: ufip class series are extremely rich and have a nice glassy tone. Meinl also make wonderful dark cymbals, which are hand hammerred. I'm looking at the raw bell ride hand hammered dark byzance series ride, sounds very nice to me.

Just remember, consider all possible cymbals companies, and get the ones that sound best to your ears.
 
Uniin.
Masterwork make Cresent cymbals I believe. I may be wrong. Masterwork make cymbals for the "stamp" companies such as Soultone, Turkish etc. This means those companies order cymbals from Masterwork and then "stamp" their logo on it and market their cymbals. If you are in Australia you can buy Soultone (Masterwork) cymbals through Sleishman drums.
You can contact Dave through his website.

The Masterwork guys apprenticed under Memhet Tamdegger, Turkey's senior and leading cymbalsmith.
 
Hi everybody,

Thanks for the replies to this topic. I appreciate it!
To answer some questions asked:

The reason I have narrowed it down to K and K Custom Hybrids is because I felt that the A Zildjian set is a bit to loud and that it does not blend that well in the mix. For instance I felt the K 14" Hi-Hats were very subtle and light as in sound (making them more versatile because I can play them both soft or loud), yet the New Beats were very much up front and are always noticable -- even if you want a more subtle sound..

I want to go with Zildjian because it makes it easier if I decide to sell it later on, just because its a big name (not implying they are the best or anything, thats personal) and the distributor offers good service. The other brands mentioned as Masterworks and Turkish do not have that (at least where I live), so thats why I want to stick with that.

Might give the A set another try just to make sure, there might be a perfect set there as well... It's simply hard because I need to use it in acoustic (no mic) situations as well as in the studio.

Again, thanks a million for your replies. I appreciate it a lot. Might do some extra testing and trying before buying ;)!
 
...For instance I felt the K 14" Hi-Hats were very subtle and light as in sound (making them more versatile because I can play them both soft or loud), yet the New Beats were very much up front and are always noticable -- even if you want a more subtle sound...


Not a put down or anything, but I'm thinking that if you can't get a subtle, light, soft sound from New Beats, you may be doing something wrong, using the wrong sticks, wrong too- heavy technique, or maybe something else.

Cymbals do have a basic character, but there's also a lot of 'wiggle room' within that character, where a lot of variables come into play.

Overall, a set a A's is very versatile, but K's or K Customs seem to be a bit more trendy and in demand nowadays.

Best bet always is to visit a store with a cymbal room and audition everything that might be appealing to you.
 
Not a put down or anything, but I'm thinking that if you can't get a subtle, light, soft sound from New Beats, you may be doing something wrong, using the wrong sticks, wrong too- heavy technique, or maybe something else.

Cymbals do have a basic character, but there's also a lot of 'wiggle room' within that character, where a lot of variables come into play.

Overall, a set a A's is very versatile, but K's or K Customs seem to be a bit more trendy and in demand nowadays.

Best bet always is to visit a store with a cymbal room and audition everything that might be appealing to you.

No problem, I value your reply! Anyway maybe I phrased it wrong, but I felt as you said like the New Beats have a more definite character -- and I feel the K's have some more wiggle room. But anyway, will check the shops and will post back if I make a decision...
 
I've been looking at Zildjian K's myself, they hold thee value so well your not much better off buying second hand than you are buying a new set all at once! Cheapest ive seen is around £640 for 14" 16" 18" & 20"
 
I had a chance to use a set of the hybrids recently and although they do qualify as cymbals, I didn't like them. They're trying to do two things at once so consequently they dont do either very well! Stick with Ks or regular As - that would be my advice. Or buy both and return the one you don't like.
 
I am an ex Zildjian user. In fact I never ever play machine made cymbals anymore. I have gone the Turkish hand hammered route And I will never go back to those things. My prefered brand is Istanbul Memhet. I also like Masterwork.

You can see some of my cymbals by clicking the link in my signature.

Wy Yung,

Could you tell where in Australia I could audition some Turkish cymbals like Istanbul Memhet or Masterwork you mentioned? I'm in Melbourne.
 
In general, the K Customs will probably be glassier, louder, and a little less dynamic than the Ks.

Hi abapicaltaenia,

What do you mean by "louder" but "less dynamic"? Do you mean KC are less responsive than K when played soft?
 
I just picked up a 17" Zildjian K custom dark thin crash for £75... perfect condition.

Fairly happy with that!
 
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