Categories: Cymbals

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.

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.

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

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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John E. Johnson, Jr.

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. John E. Johnson, Jr. founded Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in 1994, shortly after publishing a hardcopy book of the same title. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity until 2022. John has been involved in audio and video for more than 50 years, having built radio transmitters, amplifiers, turntables, and speakers from scratch. He was also one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Video Association, now The Bay Area Audio Society. John holds four university degrees, including a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has published numerous scientific books, along with dozens of scientific articles on biomedical research topics as well as imaging technology. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of two medical/scientific journals for 20 years. John holds several patents, including one on high resolution image analysis and one on a surgical instrument. He has been affiliated with NASA, The National Institutes of Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Research Institute, and The University of California at Berkeley. He is President of the consulting firm Scientific Design and Information, Inc., which is based in Redwood City, California. John resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and multiple kitties! His daughter, Cynthia, who was an integral part of SECRETS for many years, resides in San Francisco.