Most versatile Zildjian K Pack ?

[Schlep]

Hi all -

What do you think is the most versatile / all around Zildjian K cymbal pack for pop, rock, fusion, jazz ? (NO country, NO metal or even hard rock).


Thanks

Craig

 

[KamaK]

If I had to put my money into a single versatile pack, It would probably be the stock 390 set.

I own a DCP custom pack called the "Kolossal K" set and it has been fantastic, but can see how it might be excessive in a number of circumstances.

 

[graysonator]

Memphis drum shop has a K cymbal set of their own which consists of:
15" K Light Hats
17 and 19 K Dark Thin Crashes
and a 22 K Light Ride
for 979.99.
I think its a steal!!

 

[TK-421]

Memphis drum shop has a K cymbal set of their own which consists of:
14" K Light Hats
17 and 19 K Dark Thin Crashes
and a 22 K Light Ride
for 979.99.
I think its a steal!!

I bought this exact pack for my gigging kit. But note, they’re 15” K Light Hi Hats, not 14”. It’s a great setup, though I ended up swapping my 15s for 14” K Hats. Nothing wrong with the 15s, I’m just not a “big hi hat” kind of guy (to me, anything larger than 14” just feels sluggish).

 

[C.M. Jones]

A cymbal is no more versatile than the drummer who plays it. I reject the premise that cymbals are geared toward specific genres. Each drummer must decide upon the sound he wishes to cultivate and select his cymbals accordingly. I'm chiefly a country drummer, and my current cymbal setup consists entirely of Zildjian's S Family -- not because the S Family has anything to do with country but because I like it more than any other line Zildjian is producing at the moment. I'd use it even if I played jazz or metal.

If you want Ks, I'd encourage you to get the Ks you like, not the ones marketed for a given style of music.

 

[C.M. Jones]

Hats are ok, still getting used to them.

Hi, Squirrel Man. What is it about your K hats that you haven't warmed up to yet? I had a set years ago and could never get on board with them. They were just too dark and dry for my taste, but I prefer glassier, brighter cymbals.

 

[yammyfan]

My first good set of cymbals was the K set with the 14" hi-hats, 20" ride and 16" and 18" dark thin crashes. I think it's the K0800 pack.

All lovely cymbals, all of them still in use. The hi-hats and ride are some of my favourites and garner lots of compliments when people hear them. They do pop/rock/country/blues easily.

 

[C.M. Jones]

Right, just that - darker and not as crisp as I might otherwise like. Too much bell sound if that makes sense.

20 years ago I had Zildjian hats, 14's and don't remember which ones but I don't recall ever looking at them and wondering about the sound, they just worked.

The cheap brass Meinl hats I was using previously seemed fine for what I was doing and I want to go back to them to see if I'm not suffering from cognitive error.

Things sound different after you play them for a while, like a brain adjustment thing.

Yeah, any transition can require a stage of adjustment. Ks are great cymbals. They're just not my ideal sound as a rule. Give those new hats some time. You might end up liking them. If not, you can always sell them should you want something brighter.

 

[Peedy]

I don't think I'm going to get rid of them right now, they're really ok for what I'm doing. Piecing a little band together maybe right now but I have the stuff I need right now. Down the road if/when I want to adjust things maybe.

Like you said, they're great hats and they are ok, really. I need to be playing more and judging personal tastes less.

Nothing wrong with owning more than one set of hats.

Pete

 

[MrInsanePolack]

A cymbal is no more versatile than the drummer who plays it. I reject the premise that cymbals are geared toward specific genres.

Same here. If it sounds good I'll hit it. I never understood why I must use cymbals in a specific fashion. It's like assigning foods to silverware. I'll eat ice cream from a cup with a fork if I want to.

 

[tfgretsch]

I recently purchased a set of K Zildjian sweet cymbals : 21" ride, 16 and 18"crashes and 15" hi hats and they are great, very versatile for all music, the ride is slightly dark but sounds great along with the crashes and the 15" hats are killer they add so much life and sound to the kit ! very happy with them. sweetwater has a good demo video on them. GOOD LUCK !!

 

[mikyok]

A good cymbal combined with a good drummer equals a great sound that you can use for any genre.

I'd steer away from cymbal packs with B20 cymbals, when you're buying Zildjians no 2 sound alike unless your going for the S series which are a different alloy. I've heard K's that just sound crap. If you're laying down hard earned cash you wanna be wowed with what you walk away with.

I use K Dark Thin Crashes 19" & 20", I play 99.9% pop and rock and they do it in style but I picked them individually, same with the hats which are 15" K Lights but they only just edged out some 15" New Beats. There's far too many K rides to choose from and that's real personal choice!

 

[C.M. Jones]

A good cymbal combined with a good drummer equals a great sound that you can use for any genre.

I'd steer away from cymbal packs with B20 cymbals, when you're buying Zildjians no 2 sound alike unless your going for the S series which are a different alloy. I've heard K's that just sound crap. If you're laying down hard earned cash you wanna be wowed with what you walk away with.

I use K Dark Thin Crashes 19" & 20", I play 99.9% pop and rock and they do it in style but I picked them individually, same with the hats which are 15" K Lights but they only just edged out some 15" New Beats. There's far too many K rides to choose from and that's real personal choice!

You're right about the unknowns of buying Zildjian B20 cymbals blind. It's rare for two identical ones to sound alike. Zildjian's casting process involves a lot of uncontrollable properties.

I've encountered perfect predictability with Zildjian's S Family, which is far more reminiscent of Paiste lines than it is of anything else Zildjian is making at the moment.

 

[yammyfan]

Just my opinion of course but I think a bit too much is made of this "no two Zildjians sound alike" thing.

Naturally, no two cymbals will sound identical, but two Zildjians in the same family, made the same way will sound much more alike than different. That is to say, if you hear a Zildjian 18" crash cymbal on YouTube that you like, go ahead and order the darn thing because what you're going to get will be pretty close to what you heard in the clip, all things being equal.

I'm completely comfortable buying cymbals unseen and unheard because I buy higher end items that are virtually guaranteed to be great. Sure, I would be super fussy if I was Ash Soan looking for a specific sound for the next Adele record, but I'm just a schmuck playing in basements and bars. The Zildjians that leave the factory are all pretty darn great and pretty darn consistent. At least, that has been my experience.

 

[C.M. Jones]

Just my opinion of course but I think a bit too much is made of this "no two Zildjians sound alike" thing.

Naturally, no two cymbals will sound identical, but two Zildjians in the same family, made the same way will sound much more alike than different. That is to say, if you hear a Zildjian 18" crash cymbal on YouTube that you like, go ahead and order the darn thing because what you're going to get will be pretty close to what you heard in the clip, all things being equal.

I'm completely comfortable buying cymbals unseen and unheard because I buy higher end items that are virtually guaranteed to be great. Sure, I would be super fussy if I was Ash Soan looking for a specific sound for the next Adele record, but I'm just a schmuck playing in basements and bars. The Zildjians that leave the factory are all pretty darn great and pretty darn consistent. At least, that has been my experience.

I'm certainly not positing that Zildjian makes bad cymbals. The casting process naturally lends itself to variation. That's one reason it's celebrated. Many players admire the individual character that emerges from the casting cauldron.

A while back, I had two Zildjian K 18" Dark Thin Crashes. One was quite bright, the other rather dark. That might not be a common outcome, but it does occur. It's far less likely to result from Paiste's manufacturing process, which is similar to the way Zildjian makes the S Family.

I almost consider the S to be a Paiste cymbal with a Zildjian logo. It really can't be compared to anything else Zildjian is producing right now.

 

[mikyok]

You're right about the unknowns of buying Zildjian B20 cymbals blind. It's rare for two identical ones to sound alike. Zildjian's casting process involves a lot of uncontrollable properties.

I've encountered perfect predictability with Zildjian's S Family, which is far more reminiscent of Paiste lines than it is of anything else Zildjian is making at the moment.

Then there's the whole playing in thing which is an argument for another day!

I'm completely comfortable buying cymbals unseen and unheard because I buy higher end items that are virtually guaranteed to be great. Sure, I would be super fussy if I was Ash Soan looking for a specific sound for the next Adele record, but I'm just a schmuck playing in basements and bars. The Zildjians that leave the factory are all pretty darn great and pretty darn consistent. At least, that has been my experience.

Dude I'm definitely a fellow schmuck! I've bought a lot of Paiste blind but I use cast Zildjian because of the character you get and you gotta find that in person before spending K money.

Call me a fussy schmuck

 

[C.M. Jones]

Then there's the whole playing in thing which is an argument for another day!



Dude I'm definitely a fellow schmuck! I've bought a lot of Paiste blind but I use cast Zildjian because of the character you get and you gotta find that in person before spending K money.

Call me a fussy schmuck

As always, cymbal preferences are similar to taste buds. We like what we like, and there's little we can do about it. Were I to leave the S Family behind, I'd probably go back to Paiste, which I played for many years. Otherwise, I'd go with Zildjian A Customs. I like more glass from my cymbals than darkness.

 

[yammyfan]

We schmucks have to stick together

I've bought a bunch of Paistes unseen as well. I think the only Paiste I tried before buying was my 24" 2002 ride and even then, I don't know why I bothered. I knew it would be great!

I think my message is more for the guys who are on the fence about buying cymbals online, or afraid to buy cymbals in packs out of fear of getting a 'lemon'. Unless you're looking for a really specific sound, you're pretty safe with Zildjian as a whole and even more so with Zildjian Ks in particular.

 

[C.M. Jones]

Unless you're looking for a really specific sound, you're pretty safe with Zildjian as a whole and even more so with Zildjian Ks in particular.

I'd say that's a fair claim to make. Again, it all comes down to the sound you're looking for and the degree of variance with which you're comfortable. Those factors will differ for every drummer.

 

[EhhSoCheap]

@C.M. Jones witnesses a sensible recommendation: