Road Bull
Silver Member
Time to share my thoughts on my new 2013 redesigned 24" Zildjian Medium Ride.
First off, This thing is huge! All my rides up till now have been of the 20" variety. I have been wanting a new, larger ride, and well, now I have one!
As most of you already know, Zildjian has put a lot of work into the redesign of their A's line of Zildjians in order to put the A's back where they belong being the backbone of their main product line. I, for one, think they have done a GREAT job. And I will point out that I did not always feel this way about the older Zildjian A's line.
I started out with many Zildjian A's cymbals. I had several Medium Crashes, Rock Crashes, New Beat Hi-Hats, a Medium Ride, as well as an A's splash and an A China Boy High. Admittedly I didn't have much to go on when I acquired these cymbals in my youth, but they sounded good to me. However, as time passed, I began to notice that I didn't enjoy the sound as much as some other cymbals at the time. This is no shocker, as people's tastes change often. I just felt that I was gravitating away from what I perceived to be a sort of "clangy" metal sound that some of the A's produced, in favor of the rich complexity of some of the Zildjian K cymbals.
I kept my New Beats, but replaced my ride with a 20" K Custom Dry Ride, and my crashes turned into a 19" Zildjian K Dark Medium Crash, a 20" Constantinople Medium-Thin Low, and a 18" K Custom Medium Dark Crash. This is the setup I had been using for years.
I had taken a break from being able to play drums due to being deployed and sorting out career and living situations upon my departure from my obligations. I found a great couple of guys that enjoy making heavy music and I quickly got back into the swing of things.
I began to realize that I wanted a bit of a different sound that I was hearing in my head that I didn't have available on my kit. I began to hit the music stores to see what was out there. I was looking for LARGE rides and crashes. I came across a new Zildjian 21" Sweet Ride. I really liked it. I couldn't believe that I was liking a new Zildjian A cymbal. The drum guy said that Zildjian revamped their entire A's line. I said that I was interested and wanted to hear some more.
I ended up buying the 21" Sweet Ride to use as a crash. I was not that keen on using it as a ride, but it really sings as a crash. This still left me with wanting a new ride. The drum guy told me that a 23" Sweet Ride was going to be released in a few months if I wanted to wait. Well, no I didn't want to wait, but I did.
I have tried several 23" Sweet Rides in various stores. I think it sounds great, but I felt that it might have just a bit more wash and less control than what I was looking for. So I patiently waited to see what else was coming out that might work.
I was able to try a new 2013 22" Zildjian Medium Ride. AHHHH...now, this thing, this ride talked to me. The 22" had a great sounding bow, nice stick definition with less wash than the Sweet Ride. The bell was nice and clear when shouldered. The cymbal would open up a bit when shouldering the edge of the cymbal or when crashed, but would regain stick definition very quickly as well. It, unlike many earlier Zildjian A's was not clangy or gongy. This was a welcome surprise.
But I figured that if something is worth doing, then it is worth overdoing. I wanted this cymbal's big brother.
Enter the 2013 Zildjian 24" Medium Ride
Impressions
Bell: The bell is loud and clear, not thin or strained or sounding like more stick than bell when shouldered. This was having to compete against an older 20" Zildjian Ping Ride. I loved the Ping on that ride, but I wanted more out of the body. Well, the Medium Ride has a great bell that rivals my Ping.
The Bow/Body: I used Vic Firth Rock sticks in both wood and nylon tips. Both predictably have their own sound shaping thing going on, and can be used to accentuate a more articulate ping when desired and a more mellow ride sound when desired. There is plenty of stick definition without being too "pingy" or "clangy". There is just the right amount of controlled wash that introduces the body of the cymbal without feeling compressed as some older A versions have sounded. In other words, not too heavy, not too lite, but just right. There is very little in the way of runaway overtones, even when played hard. Stick definition stays intact, but introduces enough of the cymbals tone and wash give plenty of character and personality.
The Edge: I like to be able to shoulder a ride near the edge, or outright crash, crash/ride my rides. Well, my old K Custom Dry was not having any of that. Some cymbals, no matter your desire are designed to never open up. The Medium Ride will open to a polite roar. Now I realize that not everyone likes or wants this much volume in their applications, but I am just letting you know what I have found. This is by no meas as open as the 23" Sweet Ride, but I would also say that it is not "gongy" and will open up with a healthy amount of cymbal wobble. I mean it IS 24 inches of metal after all! But, where I fell like you could get away with crashing the 23" Sweet Ride, the 24" Medium Ride is a bit more of a riding crash for the larger Broad Strokes.
In the Mix: The first time I really got to play this thing was on stage with my loud band. I was not sure if it would keep up as we are running a small wall of cabs and several heads pushing the guitarist and bassist. The cymbal sounded great from behind the kit. The stick definition stayed true and the bell was not going to be pushed aside by a few hundred watts. We are a three piece so I like for my ride to be able to fill in space where needed. This ride delivered and was not obnoxious in doing so. It has a "medium tone" surprise, surprise... And it sat in the mix quite nicely.
Assessment: The redesigned 2013 Zildjian A's are definitely worth checking out if you have not done so already. Don't associate the new sounds with the old too much. I am not saying that all the old ZIldjian A's are bad by any means. If a cymbal sounds good to you, it doesn't matter what it says on the label or when it was made.
This big cymbal strikes a nice balance between some of it's brother's and sister's more pronounced characteristics of wash and compression. It opens up nicely with nice stick definition and control. It has a nice wash theme without getting carried away. Has a nice and clear bell that is plenty loud. And when it is asked, can really roar and wobble like no tomorrow. I took a chance ordering this beauty mostly off of sound file comparison and gut feeling and I am very pleased with the results.
Thanks for reading.
-RB
First off, This thing is huge! All my rides up till now have been of the 20" variety. I have been wanting a new, larger ride, and well, now I have one!
As most of you already know, Zildjian has put a lot of work into the redesign of their A's line of Zildjians in order to put the A's back where they belong being the backbone of their main product line. I, for one, think they have done a GREAT job. And I will point out that I did not always feel this way about the older Zildjian A's line.
I started out with many Zildjian A's cymbals. I had several Medium Crashes, Rock Crashes, New Beat Hi-Hats, a Medium Ride, as well as an A's splash and an A China Boy High. Admittedly I didn't have much to go on when I acquired these cymbals in my youth, but they sounded good to me. However, as time passed, I began to notice that I didn't enjoy the sound as much as some other cymbals at the time. This is no shocker, as people's tastes change often. I just felt that I was gravitating away from what I perceived to be a sort of "clangy" metal sound that some of the A's produced, in favor of the rich complexity of some of the Zildjian K cymbals.
I kept my New Beats, but replaced my ride with a 20" K Custom Dry Ride, and my crashes turned into a 19" Zildjian K Dark Medium Crash, a 20" Constantinople Medium-Thin Low, and a 18" K Custom Medium Dark Crash. This is the setup I had been using for years.
I had taken a break from being able to play drums due to being deployed and sorting out career and living situations upon my departure from my obligations. I found a great couple of guys that enjoy making heavy music and I quickly got back into the swing of things.
I began to realize that I wanted a bit of a different sound that I was hearing in my head that I didn't have available on my kit. I began to hit the music stores to see what was out there. I was looking for LARGE rides and crashes. I came across a new Zildjian 21" Sweet Ride. I really liked it. I couldn't believe that I was liking a new Zildjian A cymbal. The drum guy said that Zildjian revamped their entire A's line. I said that I was interested and wanted to hear some more.
I ended up buying the 21" Sweet Ride to use as a crash. I was not that keen on using it as a ride, but it really sings as a crash. This still left me with wanting a new ride. The drum guy told me that a 23" Sweet Ride was going to be released in a few months if I wanted to wait. Well, no I didn't want to wait, but I did.
I have tried several 23" Sweet Rides in various stores. I think it sounds great, but I felt that it might have just a bit more wash and less control than what I was looking for. So I patiently waited to see what else was coming out that might work.
I was able to try a new 2013 22" Zildjian Medium Ride. AHHHH...now, this thing, this ride talked to me. The 22" had a great sounding bow, nice stick definition with less wash than the Sweet Ride. The bell was nice and clear when shouldered. The cymbal would open up a bit when shouldering the edge of the cymbal or when crashed, but would regain stick definition very quickly as well. It, unlike many earlier Zildjian A's was not clangy or gongy. This was a welcome surprise.
But I figured that if something is worth doing, then it is worth overdoing. I wanted this cymbal's big brother.
Enter the 2013 Zildjian 24" Medium Ride
Impressions
Bell: The bell is loud and clear, not thin or strained or sounding like more stick than bell when shouldered. This was having to compete against an older 20" Zildjian Ping Ride. I loved the Ping on that ride, but I wanted more out of the body. Well, the Medium Ride has a great bell that rivals my Ping.
The Bow/Body: I used Vic Firth Rock sticks in both wood and nylon tips. Both predictably have their own sound shaping thing going on, and can be used to accentuate a more articulate ping when desired and a more mellow ride sound when desired. There is plenty of stick definition without being too "pingy" or "clangy". There is just the right amount of controlled wash that introduces the body of the cymbal without feeling compressed as some older A versions have sounded. In other words, not too heavy, not too lite, but just right. There is very little in the way of runaway overtones, even when played hard. Stick definition stays intact, but introduces enough of the cymbals tone and wash give plenty of character and personality.
The Edge: I like to be able to shoulder a ride near the edge, or outright crash, crash/ride my rides. Well, my old K Custom Dry was not having any of that. Some cymbals, no matter your desire are designed to never open up. The Medium Ride will open to a polite roar. Now I realize that not everyone likes or wants this much volume in their applications, but I am just letting you know what I have found. This is by no meas as open as the 23" Sweet Ride, but I would also say that it is not "gongy" and will open up with a healthy amount of cymbal wobble. I mean it IS 24 inches of metal after all! But, where I fell like you could get away with crashing the 23" Sweet Ride, the 24" Medium Ride is a bit more of a riding crash for the larger Broad Strokes.
In the Mix: The first time I really got to play this thing was on stage with my loud band. I was not sure if it would keep up as we are running a small wall of cabs and several heads pushing the guitarist and bassist. The cymbal sounded great from behind the kit. The stick definition stayed true and the bell was not going to be pushed aside by a few hundred watts. We are a three piece so I like for my ride to be able to fill in space where needed. This ride delivered and was not obnoxious in doing so. It has a "medium tone" surprise, surprise... And it sat in the mix quite nicely.
Assessment: The redesigned 2013 Zildjian A's are definitely worth checking out if you have not done so already. Don't associate the new sounds with the old too much. I am not saying that all the old ZIldjian A's are bad by any means. If a cymbal sounds good to you, it doesn't matter what it says on the label or when it was made.
This big cymbal strikes a nice balance between some of it's brother's and sister's more pronounced characteristics of wash and compression. It opens up nicely with nice stick definition and control. It has a nice wash theme without getting carried away. Has a nice and clear bell that is plenty loud. And when it is asked, can really roar and wobble like no tomorrow. I took a chance ordering this beauty mostly off of sound file comparison and gut feeling and I am very pleased with the results.
Thanks for reading.
-RB
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