Zildjian cymbals for Rock genre

Hi Rocker261, Zildjian's Avedis A series has about 20+ crashes from paper thin (fast), thin, med. thin, medium, rock and heavy. About 10 or so rides. Hi-Hats 7 pairs. Take a look at interstatemusic.com or samash.com. Also take a look a Zildjian's web-site

I am extremely familiar with the standard A line, as I've heard pretty much all of them, and even have many of them set aside that I not longer play. The problem with the A line and the heavier Crashes in that line is that the Rock (medium-heavy) is only offered up to an 18" size. I prefer larger (19" & 20" crashes for what I do). And the Heavy Crash is only up to a 19" size. I plan to get that on shortly, been then I am out of options for Crashes in the heavier weight from Zyldjian. I've got a few A Medium Crashes already, and looking for something heavier to provide a quicker attack, more body, and brightness.
 
I don't understand the appeal of the Zildjian Z, Z Custom and Z3 lines, to me they were way too loud and way too stiff so if you play with a stick bigger than a 7a they will definitely crack.
If you're just wanting to be as loud as possible check out the Projection crashes, or give the Paiste Rude line a shot, or just buy up all the used z3s and Z customs on used.guitarcenter.com and reverb!

I've never once been to a show/concert and thought "damn the drums sound good but I wish the cymbals were louder", or anything involving wanting more volume from the cymbals, normally it's the exact opposite.

What I like about the heavier crashes is the full body they have, and a much quicker attack. Thinner crashes take a fraction of a second more to get up to it's full response. I am not concerned about volume, since any cymbals can be turned up or down at the mixing console easy enough.
 
I'd send Zildjian a request and see what they have to offer.

I did send them a request and got the typical answer of: "We'll pass this along for future consideration". Which means they may or may not make something in the future, but have no plans right not to expand their offerings of heavier crashes.
 
Some really great suggestions here... I worked for Zildjian for 24 years and worked with virtually every artist on the endorsement roster. And I will confirm that the trend shifted from heavy "bright" cymbals, to thinner "warmer" cymbals several years ago, even with heavy rock drummers.

Rocker261, as many have already said, the larger size heavy cymbals you are after are no longer available because they just don't sell. It's that simple. I know many have stated the benefits of cymbals that are "less heavy" in terms of their sound, versatility and durability, so I'll spare you ;)

My suggestion is to use 2 x 20" A Medium Ride cymbals as crashes. You can easily find two that are pitched differently. For 19"s you could try the Armand Beautiful Baby Rides without the rivets. Or, as many have said, there are boat loads of used cymbals on eBay and Reverb.com.

Hope this is helpful and good luck!
 
I should have rephrased my original differently, and been more direct with my statement. What I meant to say was the Zyldjian has very limited offerings on heavier/larger crashes. Yes, you can use any cymbal in any genre if one so chooses. I don't need something is versatile, nor am I worried about breaking. I hit hard all the time, and if they break, they break. And only the Z Heavy Crash has been incorporated into the A line, and only up the 19" size. I plan to the the 19" Heavy Crash, as I don't need smaller versions.

I think you'll find that the dyno beats and infamous Mega Bell Ride have also been incorporated. the major items from the Z series are covered. Personally i always found that the ZBT's sounded better than the Z series and i'm not at all a fan of ZBT's.
 
Some really great suggestions here... I worked for Zildjian for 24 years and worked with virtually every artist on the endorsement roster. And I will confirm that the trend shifted from heavy "bright" cymbals, to thinner "warmer" cymbals several years ago, even with heavy rock drummers.

Rocker261, as many have already said, the larger size heavy cymbals you are after are no longer available because they just don't sell. It's that simple. I know many have stated the benefits of cymbals that are "less heavy" in terms of their sound, versatility and durability, so I'll spare you ;)

My suggestion is to use 2 x 20" A Medium Ride cymbals as crashes. You can easily find two that are pitched differently. For 19"s you could try the Armand Beautiful Baby Rides without the rivets. Or, as many have said, there are boat loads of used cymbals on eBay and Reverb.com.

Hope this is helpful and good luck!

These are the suggestions i would have made had you not beat me to it.
 
I enjoy similar things in cymbals that you are looking for. I have plenty of large Paiste 2002s and Zildjian A's.

If I had to pick one set, I would keep my Zildians.

14" New Beats
24" Medium Ride (ride)
22" Medium Ride (LS crash)
21" Sweet Ride (RS crash)

All fairly easy to find. Most can be picked up used. I don't have anything against a symbol that has the word "crash" printed on it, but I have not found many that I would replace what I have with.
 
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Back in the 1990s, if I remember correctly, John Stanier (the drummer for Helmet) used to use Zildjian A Custom rides as his crashes.
 
Tastes change, and right now the pendulum is swinging mightily towards darker, dryer, and trashier cymbal sounds. Heavier cymbals simply aren't selling as well and it's hard to fault Zildjian for going where the money is.

I was going to say something along these lines. A lot of rock guys I know are playing darker cymbals. Of course "rock" is a huge genre that encompasses a ton of different sub-genres too.

Anyway like others have said, check out used stuff. There's a ton of great cymbals out for some super good prices.
 
Some really great suggestions here... I worked for Zildjian for 24 years and worked with virtually every artist on the endorsement roster. And I will confirm that the trend shifted from heavy "bright" cymbals, to thinner "warmer" cymbals several years ago, even with heavy rock drummers.

Rocker261, as many have already said, the larger size heavy cymbals you are after are no longer available because they just don't sell. It's that simple. I know many have stated the benefits of cymbals that are "less heavy" in terms of their sound, versatility and durability, so I'll spare you ;)

My suggestion is to use 2 x 20" A Medium Ride cymbals as crashes. You can easily find two that are pitched differently. For 19"s you could try the Armand Beautiful Baby Rides without the rivets. Or, as many have said, there are boat loads of used cymbals on eBay and Reverb.com.

Hope this is helpful and good luck!

rocker261 -

John has some great advice on using the 20" A Series Medium Ride for crashes. I have a newer A. Series Medium Ride that is 2158g, and it can double for a crash. Look for some of the lighter weight rides or even a crash/ride. Zildjian does make a 20" A. Series Crash/Ride that would also work well. Check out the cymbals on mycymbal.com. If your browser will not load the website, go to memphisdrumshop.com and click on the "cymbals" tab to find mycymbal.com. You can hear the differences in the exact cymbals that are played in the videos.
 
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