NAMM: K Custom Dry Complex Ride Cymbal

(Click for a close-up)

The Zildjian Company introduced the 22" K Custom Dry Complex Ride cymbal at this year's Summer NAMM show. Available in a Thin and a Medium-Thin weight, the 22" K Custom Dry Complex Ride is the culmination of two years work between Zildjian's Sound Lab Team and jazz luminary Bill Stewart to develop Stewart's distinctive ride sound.

The 22" K Custom Dry Complex Ride features an extremely high profile and, adding to its range of complex overtones, the largest bell of any K Custom ride cymbal. To achieve its unique shape and texture, the cymbal is heavily hammered through four extensive hammering processes.

The 22" K Custom Dry Complex Ride employs the traditional K Custom lathing on the top of the cymbal but contains no tonal grooves to give the cymbal a "loose" sound. The underneath of the cymbal is lightly scored except for the outside edge to help contain the overtones.

Bill Stewart commented on the new rides, "This cymbal is, as the name suggests, both dry and complex, which is not an easy combination to find in a cymbal. It is a cymbal that you can really express yourself on, with different sounds and colors.... ranging from airy, warm ride sounds to the nasty, quick crash."

List price for both the Thin (K0974) and Medium Thin (K0973) 22" K Custom Dry Complex Ride is $522.