Categories: Cymbals

Zildjian Cymbal Reviews

ZILDJIAN 20″ A CUSTOM REZO CRASH CYMBAL

The ReZo line for Zildjian is relatively new, and there are about a half dozen models ranging from a 12″ Splash up to a 21″ Ride. They are beautiful cymbals to look at, and in my opinion, one of the best sounding models they have ever created. The ReZo has a combination of hammering and lathing, but the lathing is spaced with regions of non-lathed surface and lathed, with the 20″ version having a non-lathed edge near the bell, followed by lathed, then non-lathed, lathed, lathed, and a final non-lathed ring at the outer edge.

The sound is bright, but with a tinge of trashiness that gives it a totally unique sound. Spectral analysis shows that the frequencies are highest in the 6 kHz range, but extend out to 60 kHz. The magenta spectral line is the peak volume at the initial crash, and the yellow line is the sound level 2 seconds afterward, so the yellow line shows the decay. As you can see, this cymbal produces sound as low as 30 Hz, and you can watch the cymbal shimmy after striking it. And, even after 2 seconds, it is still producing those low frequencies at almost the same volume as it did when it was initially crashed.

The following graph shows the recording level vs. time, in 10ths of a second. The peak level of sound is reached at 0.15 – 0.2 seconds, followed by the decay.

The 20″ ReZo has a very nice ping to it, and I think it could also be used as a Jazz Ride in a Bistro venue.

ZILDJIAN 21″ A CUSTOM REZO RIDE CYMBAL

The next size up from the 20″ ReZo crash cymbal is the 21″ ReZo ride. There is no 21″ or larger crash, although, depending on the success of the ReZo line, there may be some new sizes added.

The 21″ ride has a beautiful bright ping to it, and plenty of wash.

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.