Customer Reviews Rated 5 / 5 Based on 4 reviews Write your review

Rated 5 / 5 Very versatile 3 years ago I bought this setup. I still have all of them. These cymbals are a great combination of K Zildjian with A Custom bells. And that is a great thing. You can work the cymbals between soft to loud but keep sensitivity and some wash if desired while still having some articulation or aggressiveness. Rated 5 / 5 Expressive K's After months of online searching and visits to the local drum shop to test various cymbal lines I decided to go with this cymbal pack. I am very glad that I did. I have been playing drums from the age of 9 and love playing all styles of music. I have been a Zildjian loyalist for most of my life deviating a couple of times to Paiste and Sabian but I always seem to come back to Zildjian. I have played vintage A's and K's that have been mixed throughout my career and lean towards bright cymbals. The hybrids fit that mold with style and a brighter tone than your average K's especially the dark series. I love this sound! The hybrids took a little getting used to as the tight and crisp sound was an adjustment compared to previous cymbals. I love the ride and as in other reviews the tones vary as you play different parts of the ride. Great sustain and clarity on the outer edge and tighter and drier sound as you go to the unlathed upper portion and the bell. The crash is awesome and speaks with a quick burst of energy and tone. The hats are crisp and tight with a sizzle like I have never heard before. It does not take a lot of energy to get great sounds from these babies! Overall the pack gives you a free 17" crash compared to separate pricing which was appealing to me. I kept my older 18" K Dark crash and they mix well together. Don't expect these to be as dark & subtle as your typical K's but they have enough dark qualities for me. Having played brighter cymbals most of my life these were a great transition and gave me the tones I was looking for. Rated 5 / 5 Awesome!!!! I have owned the k Custom hybrid ride and hihats for almost a year. I play out often. I could'nt be more pleased. First the ride is like having two cymbals in one. The outside has a nice sustain. And as you move up to the middle you add more ping for building dynamics. And the bell brings it on home. The hats are crisp, yet when open a bit you get a beautiful sizzle with no effort. Simply put buy them!!! Rated 4 / 5 Zildjian K Hybrids - Not your father's Zildjian K's So this K Hybrid cymbal pack is the first set of cymbals I've bought in 25+ years, when I purchased - you guessed it - Zildjian K's back in high school. Those 17" and 18" medium thins from the early 90's lasted a loooong time before the 18" succumbed to age about 15 years ago. The 17", however, was sold to a friend and is still doing the rounds. As a result, I had incredibly high expectations going in with these hybrids.



From an aesthetic standpoint, I found them hit and miss (no pun intended). The hi-hats and the crash look beautiful; the visual combo of the hand-hammered and machine lathe is stunning. But the ride had nicks and dings that looked out of place. After a quick call, I was told that that was part of the hand hammering process. Which is cool. It's just that it looks like the cymbal was damaged in comparison to the hi-hat and crash.



Soundwise, the hi-hats are arguably the best I've ever played. They are crisp and do not sound the least bit tinny, which was something I read in general about these cymbals. They are also very sensitive depending on how open and closed the hats are. Whether playing with brushes on a jazz number or kicking out a sloshy funk or rock beat, the hats are intuitive to the touch. This might be an issue for bashers.



The 17" crash also looks visually exceptional. But I admit, it did take me a little while to find its sweet spot, as it's a little "flashier" sounding than my old 17" K. I knew this going in, so it's no big deal. I've had to recalibrate how I hit the hybrid. Which is to say I now use more of the base of the stick when applying it for full-on crash sounds. It sounds fuller, more like a traditional K, that way. And I have to say the cymbal is excellent for light stick work and brushes.



Lastly (but not leastly), is the 21" ride. Though I was initially disappointed by the aesthetic aspects, the outer ring sounds absolutely fantastic. The sound is full and lush with wonderful tones. Again, like the hats it's one of the best cymbals I've ever played, be it funk, rock, jazz, or anything, really. It's incredibly versatile. I read some complaints about the bell, and I can understand where people are coming from. But like the crash, there is a sweet spot and once it's found it has nice resonance. Maybe not like a rock ride. But I've never been that much into ride cymbal bells that sound like a rifle report.



Overall, I find this to be an exceptional set of cymbals. A very good price for the quality of sound and variety of tones.