Zildjian 18″ A Custom China Crash Cymbal

Zildjian first released a China cymbal back in the 1950’s in collaboration with Gene Krupa, calling it a Pang cymbal (the collaboration also resulted in the Swish, which is like a Pang, only higher pitched and with more wash). The China went out of production for a while, then came back. Not only does the China cymbal continue to be manufactured today, but in several styles. This Zildjian 18″ A Custom China Crash looks similar to the original ones, except that it is in a brilliant finish. The sound remains classic though.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer Line: A Custom China
  • Type: Crash
  • Style: Thin
  • Alloy: B20 – CuSn20 – 80% Copper, 20% Tin
  • Diameter: 18″
  • Metal Work: Machine Hammered, Machine Lathed, Buffed and Brilliant Finish
  • Weight: 2.3 Pounds
  • MSRP: $448 USA; Street Price $260
  • Zildjian

The lathing is fine, all the way out to the edge, and includes the bell. The sound is standard China, as compared to some of the unusual variations seen these days, including the ones with holes in them. I did not strike the cymbal very hard for the sound sample because I wanted you to be able to hear all the undertones. But, China cymbals can be one of the loudest cymbals in your kit.

zildjian-18-inch-a-custom-china-crash-closeup

Spectral peaks occur at 65 Hz, 120 Hz, 280 Hz, then dips downward through 1 kHz, rises again and is smooth from about 1 kHz out to 6 kHz, before declining to 45 kHz. The large peaks in the low frequencies, dip in the lower midrange, and then more output in the higher frequencies are what give the China its characteristic sound.

zildjian-18-inch-a-custom-china-crash-spectrum

The peak of the crash occurs at 0.16 seconds, with a medium speed of decay.

zildjian-18-inch-a-custom-china-crash-level-vs-time

Click HERE to listen to an audio sample, which will include crash (when appropriate), ride, and bell sounds (these are 24 bit, 176.4 kHz wav files, so be sure your sound card is capable of handling these high resolution sound files).

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