Categories: Cymbals

Zildjian 18″ A Custom ReZo Crash Cymbal

In my opinion, the A Custom ReZo is one of the best models that Zildjian has ever designed. They have a very distinctive sound because they are thick near the bell and thin near the outer edge, but also because of alternating regions of heavy and fine lathing. Here, we review the 18″ A Custom ReZo Crash Cymbal, which turns out to be my favorite of all the ReZo crashes we have reviewed (19″ and 20″). It has a beautiful high pitched bell-like ring to it that cuts like a razor.

Specifications

Manufacturer Line: A Custom ReZo
Type: Crash
Style: Thin
Alloy: B20 – CuSn20 – 80% Copper, 20% Tin
Diameter: 18″
Metal Work: Machine Hammered, Machine Lathed, Brilliant Finish
Weight: 3 Pounds
MSRP: $431 USA; Street Price $245
Zildjian

The close-up shows the alternating heavy lathing and fine lathing. The bell has fine lathing lines only, and is not hammered. The body of the cymbal has many rows of moderate depth hammering.

Spectral peaks occur at 380 Hz, 480 Hz, 1.8 kHz, 2.6 kHz, and then from about 3.1 kHz to 6 kHz, it is flat, after which there is a gradual decline out to 45 kHz. The crash is bright, and the bell rides beautifully, but the body is not really suitable for riding.

The peak of the crash occurs at 0.2 seconds, with a slow decay (long sustain).

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.