| This year, Zildjian has introduced some new effects cymbals to its existing range. Whilst not entirely new in concept, i.e. bells and stackable models, these new introductions are still quite interesting to try out and use.
Spiral Stackers These are available in 10 and 12” sizes. Basically, you take the Stacker and place it over the top of another cymbal to produce a muted/white noise/trashy sound. In the video, I tried the Stackers on top of a 17” crash and a 20” ride as well as one by itself, which produced a nice percussive build up and tone. Whilst not really my own thing, I found the stackers to be pretty cool sounding and definitely something that will appeal to a lot of players who are into weird and wonderful sounds. http://zildjian.com/Products/Drumset-Cymbals/Cast-Bronze-Cymbals/FX-Series/12-fx-Spiral-Stacker |
8” Oriental China Trash Trash is a good name for this cymbal. It is indeed very trashy. In the video, it may seem like this cymbal is horribly brash – which by itself it is, however, when used on a kit at a gig, all of the ‘brashness’ disappears and what you get is fast attack accent similar to a 6” splash (attack-wise). I liked that, as that wasn’t what I was expecting. You can also stack this one, as demonstrated in this video with Aaron Spears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haNolPXMrt0 Pretty cool little cymbal, and I think my favourite of this bunch. http://zildjian.com/Products/Drumset-Cymbals/Cast-Bronze-Cymbals/FX-Series/8-fx-Oriental-China-Trash |
7.5” Volcano Cup Zilbel It’s loud and produces a distinct clangy bell sound. Not much more to it really. It’s quite in your face when played behind a kit, and so you’ll have no issues with being heard. I liked it for that reason. Did I say it was loud? Just for a comparison, I also included a 6” Zilbel so you can get an idea of where it might sit between the two existing Zilbels. The Volcano Cup design apparently gives this Zilbel a slightly different pitch to the others. In summary, if a little different is your thing or you’re looking for a little spice to add to your setup, give these a go. The Spiral Stackers particularly offer something very current (trend-wise) and the Oriental Splash gives the option of either stacking or use on its own, both of which have their appeal and merits. Next time, we will be looking at some new ride cymbals from Zildjian. David Bateman |
